Latkas, the game of dreidel, and now good music. Hanukkah finally has another iconic musical celebration. Former Nirvana drummer/ current Foo Fighter member Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin are honoring this year’s festival of lights with 8 nights of ‘Hanukkah Sessions”. Easily the most beloved man in music today, Grohl has paired with Greg Kurstin for the third year in row to bring forth the ‘Hanukkah sessions”. For the second of eight nights, Grohl and Kurstin have recruited P!nk.
Naturally, with a group of such amazing musicians, the Hanukkah session was going to be great. P!nk performed ‘Get The Party Started’ and did a truly wonderful job. It was lively and a fun way to celebrate the holiday.
Hannukah is finally getting some holiday attention in the media, but is it right to put Grohl as the face of the holiday celebration? While P!nk and Kurstin are of the Jewish faith, Dave Grohl is not. Clearly, the group has the best intentions in creating the sessions. However, given Grohl’s fame, it is clear that he would become the face of the project. The Hanukkah sessions follow music from different Jewish artists in celebration of the festival of lights and the miracle of oil. This musical extravaganza is a welcomed change of pace in the media, especially in the wake of the antisemitic tweets of Kanye West and the rise of antisemitism that followed. Personally, as a Jewish woman and avid rock fan, I do not see anything wrong with Grohl’s appearance in the group. His presence only brings more attention to the sessions and no one can replace Grohl musically. Seeing as the other members are Jewish and the music performed was created by Jewish musicians, I say the more the merrier. It’s a celebration after all. However, it is important to recognize that Grohl is not Jewish and should not be the face of the holiday.
Despite any controversy among the members of the group, the sessions are still incredible. This year is just as formidable as the last two and hopefully the ones to come will be just as good.
Watch the video below and judge for yourself
Photo Credit: Boston Schulz
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