30 Years Later, Jews Celebrate John Lennon on Hanukkah
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
“You came to me one summer night and from your beam you made my dream,” sang the Beatles on their 1964 cover of “Mr. Moonlight.” Yes, the entire song was penned as a love letter. But that doesn’t mean those particular words can’t be applied during Hanukkah, when we celebrate and remember the miracle that occurred at the Holy Temple thousands of years ago.
Coincidentally, this year’s Festival of Lights occurs during the commemoration of an event involving the lead singer of that “Mr. Moonlight” cover, the one and only John Lennon. Thirty years ago tomorrow, the rock legend was gunned down outside of his apartment in New York City.
While it seems silly to compare the late Beatle to Hanukkah — particularly because he was not Jewish — one synagogue in Massachusetts has nevertheless decided to spend the eighth night of the holiday paying tribute to one of the world’s most influential musicians.
“We thought that perhaps with the anniversary of John Lennon’s death … we might attract people from outside of the synagogue to come in,” Barbara Friedman, who helped organize the Tribute to John Lennon Concert at Congregation Agudat Achim, said in an interview with the Forward. “[Lennon] was a man for his time, but he was also a man ahead of his time. He created songs that have a lasting value.”
While few would think of a synagogue as a location to pay tribute for a non-Jewish singer, Friedman pointed out that many of the themes in Lennon’s songs deal with Jewish ideals and beliefs.
“[The event] has, of course, no connection to Hanukkah or being Jewish other than I think lots of John Lennon’s songs have a universal theme of peace [and] love… Every Shabbat we say the prayer for peace [Oseh Shalom].”
The fundraiser will feature a Beatles cover band, Beatles For Sale. Fittingly, Friedman hopes to hear “Come Together” and “Give Peace a Chance,” two songs that fit in perfectly with the spirit of the holiday.
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