THIS BLUE SQUARE IS 2.4% OF THIS PAGE,
REPRESENTING THE JEWISH POPULATION
IN THE UNITED STATES.

YET JEWS ARE THE VICTIMS OF 55%
OF ALL RELIGIOUS-BASED HATE CRIMES
IN THIS COUNTRY.

That’s why The Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia is proud to partner
with the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism
to Stand Up to Jewish Hate.

All of us must come together and support
each other in our fight against hate in all its
forms. post and share #
using the emoji on your
phone and show that you are fighting
antisemitism and hate with us.

Learn more about how Jewish Federation
fights antisemitism at jewishphilly.org/antisemitism
4 MARCH 30, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT



Weekly Kibbitz
Ben Stiller Satirizes Adam Sandler’s ‘Chanukah
Song’ at Mark Twain Prize Ceremony
Ben Stiller off ered his own High Holiday alternative to Adam Sandler’s “Chanukah
Song” as his fellow Jewish comedian accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American
Humor. During an awards ceremony that took place on March 19 and aired March 26
on CNN, Stiller asked from the stage at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts how Sandler’s novelty song, fi rst heard on “Saturday Night
Live” in 1994, became a seasonal standard.

“It’s really just a list of rhyming celebrity names, and yet it goes multiplatinum
and it’s become a holiday radio staple that my daughter forces us all to listen to
after we light the candles every year,” Stiller said.

Pretending to be baffl ed by Sandler’s success, Stiller imagined what his own
representatives would have said had he proposed his own song about Yom
Kippur. Why is this EMS
organization different than
all other EMS organizations?
Oliver Contreras/AFP via JTA
Adam Sandler, far right, and his wife Jackie Sandler pose with actor Ben
Stiller as they arrive for the 24th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American
Humor at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in
Washington, D.C., on March 19.

It wasn’t the only Jewish moment in a night dedicated to a comedian who, in
the course of a tenure on “Saturday Night Live” from 1991-1995 and more than 30
fi lms since, has often displayed his own Jewishness, including playing an Israeli
in “Don’t Mess with the Zohan” and starring in what may be the fi rst and only
big-budget Chanukah animated fi lm, “Eight Crazy Nights.”
Although the typical Sandler character is an often crude and frequently angry
man-child, his generosity to fellow comics and actors was a recurring theme of
the evening, which included presentations by Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore,
Steve Buscemi, Luis Guzmán, Conan O’Brien and David Spade. His longtime
collaborator Tim Herlihy called him a “mensch.”
Sandler’s mother, Judy Sandler, got in a dig about her son’s penchant for
wearing baggy sweatpants and T-shirts despite the billions of dollars his fi lms
have grossed. “He’s a fashionista, they say, but I say he’s a slob,” she said.

In choosing Sandler, 56, for the prize, named for the 19th-century writer
and humorist, Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter said Sandler has
“entertained audiences for over three decades with his fi lms, music and his
tenure as a fan favorite cast member on SNL. Adam has created characters that
have made us laugh, cry and cry from laughing.”
Previous Jewish winners of the award include Carl Reiner, Lorne Michaels, Neil
Simon, Billy Crystal and Jon Stewart. The 2019 prize went to Dave Chappelle,
who last year angered many Jewish viewers with a monologue on “Saturday
Night Live” making light of antisemitism accusations against rapper Kanye West
and basketball star Kyrie Irving.

—Andrew Silow-Carroll | JTA
In the United States, disaster relief, ambulance, and blood services
are handled by an array of organizations. In Israel, there’s one
organization that does it all — Magen David Adom. As Passover
approaches, whatever crises Israelis face — including terror or rocket
attacks — MDA will be there to save lives.

Support Magen David Adom by donating today at afmda.org/give.

Or for further information about giving opportunities,
contact 866.632.2763 or northeast@afmda.org.

afmda.org/give JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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