This week is the eight-day festival of lights known as Hanukkah in the Jewish religion, ending on Friday night. It’s a great opportunity for kids of any faith to learn more about the holiday and about Judaism, or celebrate with some movies on the topic, both animated classics and live-action comedies.
The 1986 animated favorite “An American Tail” follows young Fievel, a Russian Jewish mouse on his journey to America, with his family, the Mousekevitzes, in search of religious freedom. The film opens during a Hanukkah celebration, and is a kid-friendly depiction of the emigration process in the late 19th century (just with mice!). There are also many sequels, if you need more Fievel. Stream it on Starz or rent it for $3.99 on other digital platforms.
Season Four of the beloved cult Nickelodeon animated series “Rugrats” opens with a special Hanukkah episode, “A Rugrats Chanukah,” telling the story of Hanukkah through the perspectives of the show’s toddler characters. It was the first-ever Hanukkah episode of a children’s series. Stream it through CBS All Access, Nick Hits, or watch it on DailyMotion.
“Something from Nothing” is a short Hanukkah special based on a children’s book by Phoebe Gilman, about a boy, his grandfather and a mouse named Mazel, learning about Jewish culture and traditions. Stream it on Amazon Prime.
“Shalom Sesame” is the Israeli version of “Sesame Street,” which was brought to the U.S. in the ‘80s. It’s available on YouTube, and the 2010 reboot of the show has a Hanukkah episode, titled “Shalom Sesame - Chanukah: The Missing Menorah,” available on Amazon Prime.
Check out kid-friendly live-action Hanukkah comedy “All I Want Is Christmas” (also known as “Switchmas” and “Ira Finkelstein’s Christmas”) starring Elliot Gould as the grandfather of a young Jewish kid (Elijah Nelson) who wants to celebrate Christmas so badly, he switches places with another kid at the airport. That’s available to stream on Amazon Prime.
