Star Celebrates the Holidays Wearing Three Hats
’Tis the season for Jerry Stiller. This year, the veteran comedian’s got his hands in festive ventures on all parts of the holiday spectrum. For Hanukkah, he’s the voice of a singing, dancing, latke-proffering doll; as Arthur Spooner on the CBS sitcom “The King of Queens,” he gave his daughter and son-in-law a Christmas present of a cherry-red jalopy, and for Festivus, the holiday he helped introduce to the world on a 1997 “Seinfeld” episode (as Frank Costanza), Stiller wrote the introduction to a new book that outlines trends in the nascent holiday’s observance.
But behind the kitsch is a commitment to charity.
The seasoned laugh maker recently joined author Allen Salkin at a Manhattan launch party for “Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us.” The Festivus holiday, as outlined on “Seinfeld” and described in the new book, is observed in three key ways: erecting a Festivus pole, airing grievances and engaging in feats of strength. As Costanza père, Stiller insisted on being pinned to the ground at the culmination of the Festivus celebration. A real-life torn rotator cuff prevented him from participating in the launch party’s feats of strength, but he was in good enough shape to air grievances in accordance with tradition.
Stiller has donated his portion of the new hardcover’s royalties to his favorite charity, the Boys and Girls Republic, a clubhouse on Manhattan’s Lower East Side where kids elect their own mayor — as they did when he hung out there. In a silent auction, a Festivus pole and an early version of a “Seinfeld” script, both signed by Stiller, were sold.
Stiller’s other big holiday project is a new plush chef toy named Latke Larry. The toy was invented by Rabbi Areyah Kaltmann, head of the Ohio State University Chabad House in Columbus, Ohio. Kaltmann met Stiller through a mutual friend and convinced him to vocalize the latke maven’s message. Proceeds from sales of the charismatic, tzitzit-wearing fry cook go to the Friendship Circle, an international organization that operates under the auspices of local Chabad-Lubavitch centers. The organization encourages teenagers to create community by volunteering with kids who have special needs. The latkes in Larry’s pan may seem a bit pale, but what the doll lacks in culinary presentation he makes up for in song. Stiller gives a deadpan delivery, crooning revised lyrics (provided by the rabbi) to the tune of “Maoz Tzur” (“Rock of Ages”): “I’ve got tales of Maccabees/Oy! And plenty of calories/Celebrate our history/How we made it is still a mystery…. Fill your plate/Eat my chow/Finally I have some serenity now.”
Stiller’s peace of mind seems to come from helping others. Kaltmann can’t stop raving about his generosity: “He cares, he’s funny. Like Larry, he’s a cuddly rabbi. He has such a big heart.” Latke Larry may be “the world’s only talking action Hanukkah gift,” but Stiller’s good deeds are likely to echo throughout the year.
Both Latke Larry and “Festivus: A Holiday for the Rest of Us” are available online at www.chosencouture.com.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Most Popular
- 1
News Student protesters being deported are not ‘martyrs and heroes,’ says former antisemitism envoy
- 2
News Who is Alan Garber, the Jewish Harvard president who stood up to Trump over antisemitism?
- 3
Fast Forward Suspected arsonist intended to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a sledgehammer, investigators say
- 4
Opinion What Jewish university presidents say: Trump is exploiting campus antisemitism, not fighting it
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward ‘F–k Israel’ message displayed at Coachella music festival and streamed to millions
-
Fast Forward Jewish students, alumni decry ‘weaponization of antisemitism’ across country
-
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history
-
Opinion Why can Harvard stand up to Trump? Because it didn’t give in to pro-Palestinian student protests
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.