If you love Jewish delis, latkes, egg creams–and old school matchmaking!--plan to watch Hallmark Channel’s charming romantic movie, “Hanukkah on Rye!” Equally delightful–Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb performs her hopeful song, “Light” in the film!
“This was a beautiful song I wrote a few years ago; Sirius XM Radio wanted a Hanukkah channel but didn’t have a lot of Hanukkah songs,” Loeb told Jewlish. “So they called and said ‘hey, would you be interested in writing one?’ It was right up my alley because as a Jewish person, and as a person who is interested in religion in general, I think it's so interesting to find the essence of a holiday.”
Describing it as a “Simon and Garfunkel” spiritual type of song, Loeb was always looking for a home for it. “It’s always important to find that light; the song has imagery that is featured in Judaism a lot…This movie seemed like the perfect place to sing it. It’s a snippet version but you can get a feel for it.”
The romantic comedy is terribly sweet, following two Jewish singles, Jacob and Molly, (played by Yael Grobglas and Jeremy Jordan) whose families both own “world class” delis. They meet when Jacob goes to New York City (though it’s filmed in Canada!) to look for a new deli location.
Loeb loved the premise for the Hallmark movie; she has fond memories of Jewish delis throughout her life! “I grew up in Dallas, Texas, and there were a few there. When I was a kid, I went with my family. That's always where you go when you want to relax and enjoy yourself and not cook for the night. And eat a lot of matzah balls and tuna sandwiches!”
Living now in Los Angeles, California, Loeb loves all the Jewish delis here. “One of my favorite things is to see all their delicious cookies in the front when you walk in! I always enjoy huge meals at the deli!”
Back in the ‘90s, when Loeb was living in New York City, she had many favorite delis there as well which she spent time in.
“I think delis are such a great time where you gather–when I got older and went to college, it was a fun place to visit with a bunch of friends for brunch. And as a musician, you gotta spend a lot of time late at night at delis! I remember thinking, ‘what a great place to go, instead of going to a bar?! I like that you can actually talk to each other, and eat great food! That’s what I’d rather be doing!” she quipped.
You can’t help getting hungry watching “Hanukkah on Rye,” during the movie, there are a few fun scenes where the two Jewish families compete in a “who makes the best latka” cookoff, which Loeb loved!
“Latkes are a big deal in our family! I know my father in law's, because they're famous,” Loeb enthused. “They make them on my (Israeli) husband's side of the family, who now live on the East Coast, and cook them even when it’s not Hanukkah! And my mom also makes a lot of latkes down in Texas. I also make them with my kids here in Los Angeles. I've not gone to the prepackaged shredded potatoes recipe yet! I’m embarrassed to say my recipe actually comes from the great book, Judaism for Dummies!”
As Loeb’s kids love pastrami, no doubt they will love another fun scene in the rom-com, where the characters are eating the delectable deli food!
“My kids and my husband both love pastrami sandwiches! I don’t really eat red meat anymore, I used to eat it growing up. Actually, I was more of a corned beef and pastrami person. I'm a weird person. I would eat mayonnaise with it!”
When she’s not working on a set, Loeb has a lot on her plate: finishing up a family friendly record that'll be out around the beginning of next year and working with another band called The Hollow Trees on a collection of songs. She also hosts a daily radio show on Sirius XM called 90s on 9. But even with a busy schedule, Loeb aspires to follow Jewish traditions; her daughter Lyla, is preparing for her bat mitzvah.
“We try to do Shabbat on Friday nights and go to the synagogue for Purim and the high holidays. Even just a simple Shabbat, we're lighting candles, saying a blessing over the wine and challah, which in our house, is usually grape juice as we love it! We celebrate Passover and make a big meal.”
You can hear the full length version of Lisa Loeb’s song wherever you get music, on Spotify, Youtube, or Apple Music!
