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Bananukah party is prelude to festival of lights
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
With exuberance, enthusiasm and a whole lot of effort, Danna Banana not only told the story of Hanukkah but involved children in the tale with music and songs.
About 35 children accompanied by parents and some grandparents attended a prelude-to-Hanukkah party recently at the Jewish Community Center, 505 Gypsy Lane. Hanukkah, the festival of lights, begins at sundown tonight and concludes Dec. 14.
Dan Cohen of New York, in the guise of Danna Banana, engaged youngsters in an interactive program of songs and sketches called “Bananukah.” Children acted as newscasters for the BNN, Banana News Network, as they reported from Judea. “News you can use from the land of the Jews,” the cub reporters proclaimed as they were “reporting from the hills of Judea.”
The reporting segments were interspersed with skits accompanied by songs that advanced the story of the Hebrew holiday. Some of the songs used “nonsensical” words to move them along but were fun to sing nonetheless. Cohen was like a magnet; the children were drawn to him and the humor-infused skits.
The backdrop to the action was a cloth menorah of bananas; and Cohen got both parents and children involved to “light” the menorah with flames in a shimmering material. Cohen encouraged children and adults alike to “be the light, be a human Hanukkah, be the menorah.” In a song lyric, Cohen sang: “If I were a candle, shining bright, I’d want to be a Hanukkah light.”
The lively music and boisterous action buoyed the telling of the story behind Hanukkah, which celebrates a miracle and religious freedom. The observance highlights the story of the Maccabees, led by Judah Maccabee, in defeating the Syrian Greeks circa 161 BCE (before the common era). Judah led his smaller force to victory over a larger opponent, who wanted the Jewish people to stop practicing their religion.
When the Maccabbes reclaimed the temple, they found it in shambles. The Maccabees wanted to rededicate the temple but found just a small jar of oil, only enough for one day. The miracle was that the oil lasted eight days to light the temple lamps, and then was replenished.
The miracle is recounted on the dreidel, a toy top, whose letters make up the acronym “a miracle happened there.”
Foods associated with Hanukkah are latkes – potato pancakes – and jelly doughnuts, both fried in oil to recall the miracle.
Cohen is a writer for “JoJo’s Circus” on Disney. Before that, he was a baritone opera singer at various venues in the United States. Cohen said the light-hearted Bananukah tells the story of the observance and is an uplifting exposure to the story of religious freedom through music. “It’s a bit chaotic, but there is a message,” he said. The music and skits focus “on the joy of being a child,” he said, adding, “The kids get energized.”
Cohen’s pianist was Peter Moffitt, also of New York.
Rikki McKelvey and her children, Jensen, 4, and Sloan, 10 months, of Youngstown were among celebrants. Jensen attends the Aikva preschool at the JCC. “We like to come to the events,” McKelvey said of involving the children in Jewish activities. “I think it’s a way to carry on traditions I learned from my parents.”
She was accompanied by her mother, Shelly Gelbaum of Youngstown, who said the activities are “a good way for children to learn about religion and holidays.” She said the synagogue and churches in the Valley “are a part of its history,” and children should learn about them. The family attends Congregation Rodef Sholom.