Smokey Robinson Image by Getty/Leon Bennett/STA 2020/Contributor

By PJ Grisar December 14, 2020

Some say the Jews control the entertainment industry. If that’s the case, riddle me this: How could Motown legend Smokey Robinson, a six-decade veteran of major record labels, not know how to pronounce Hanukkah — or even have any idea what it is?

We can thank Twitter user Jeff Jacobson for an unforgettable record of Robinson’s seasonal confusion. On Sunday, Jacobson posted a clip of a Cameo video he’d commissioned from Robinson in which the singer passed on Hanukkah greetings to Jacobson’s mother, who grew up on the same street in Detroit as the Miracles frontman.

It, uh, didn’t go quite as planned.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“They wanted me to wish you Happy Chah-nooka,” Robinson said, “I have no idea what Chah-nooka is, but Happy Chah-nooka.”

Now, it’s unlikely that Robinson doesn’t have some basic awareness of Hanukkah; while the idea that Jews control the music industry is both incorrect and a little antisemitic, we have historically had quite a presence in it, and Robinson has collaborated with many of members of the tribe, most recently covering a Burt Bacharach tune.

More likely, Robinson was stumped by one of the many alternate spellings of the holiday’s name. If Jacobson’s post is any indication, he opted for the spelling “Chanukah,” which, phonetically comes close to what Robinson said even if it is so, so laughably wrong.

But, then, the fact that Robinson couldn’t figure it out judging by the season is a tad curious — although even many Jews are thrown by Hanukkah’s timing with the whole lunar calendar thing.

So: Does Smokey know? If he didn’t, he almost certainly does now.

We thank him for the greeting in any case. Happy Chah-nooka, Smokey, right bah-ca-tchaw.

PJ Grisar is the Forward’s culture reporter. He can be reached at grisar@forward.com

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount