 DECEMBER 19 • 2019 | 51

Arts&Life

music

51 | DECEMBER 19 • 2019 

Enduring 
Holiday 
Stylings

Temple Israel’
s artist in 
residence infuses original music 
with Chanukah-themed lyrics.

J

acob Spike Kraus has taken a cue 
from famous Jewish songwriters and 
added his own twist.
Kraus, artist in residence at Temple 
Israel, picked up on the melodic stylings 
of Irving Berlin, Mel Tormé and Jerry 
Herman, among many others known for 
their enduring Christmas songs, before 
swerving away to 
lyrics communi-
cating messages of 
Chanukah.
Where “White 
Christmas,
” “The 
Christmas Song” and 
“We Need a Little 
Christmas” are the 
seasonal projects of 
Berlin, Tormé and 
Herman respective-
ly, Kraus has come up with “Light Up 
the Night,
” “Lights in the Window” and 
“
Chanukah Is Here.
” 
Those three Kraus songs have been 
recorded with him singing, accompa-
nied by a studio band, and are available 
digitally. They are joined on a mini-al-
bum format with a Hebrew song, “
Al 
Hanissim,
” which mixes traditional reli-
gious text set to Kraus’
 music. 
“I’
ve been inspired to take the same 
musical style Americans hold close when 

the weather gets cold and infuse original 
melodies with lyrics that express Jewish 
cultural themes, including miracles and 
perseverance,
” says Kraus, brought to 
Temple Israel with the goal of reimagin-
ing the partnership between artists and 
synagogues.
“This is true American holiday 
music in the style sung by Michael 
Bublé, Carole King and Frank Sinatra. 
Essentially, I wrote Chanukah songs mas-
querading as classic holiday songs that 
could hold their own on radio stations 
that play seasonal hits.
”
“Light Up the Night,
” the album title, 
was inspired by a teaching that explains 
the true miracle of Chanukah isn’
t that 
the oil lasted eight days; it’
s that the 
Jewish people took a leap of faith and lit 
the menorah. The meaning of the holi-
day is defined as believing enough to take 
chances.
“Lights in the Window” lyrically mixes 
the secular wintery themes of the music 
with more cultural Chanukah references. 
“
Chanukah Is Here,
” written with Kraus’
 
father, Rabbi Jonathan Kraus, explores 
reasons candles are lit and why the ritual 
establishes people in their Jewish lineage.
“
Al Hanissim” musicalizes traditional 
text that thanks God for the miracles 
performed in times of trouble and, over-

all, communicates feelings of safety and 
comfort. 
“Temple Israel is the organization that 
is releasing the recordings,
” says Kraus, 
who worked with a professional studio 
in Nashville, where band members were 
chosen by two producers. “We created 
something special that could be replica-
ble for communities that want to partner 
with artists like myself in the future.
”
Kraus, who holds a music performance 
degree, has built a career appearing for 
synagogues and camps and has been a 
member of the diverse Jewish a cappella 
group Six13. His earlier music, with two 
albums and singles recorded, has been 
called pop folk, pop soul and pop R&B.
“For this project, I wanted to write 
adult, mature holiday music that could 
be played along with songs like ‘
Have 
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’
 (writ-
ten by Ralph Blane with Hugh Martin) 
and wouldn’
t feel out of place,
” says 
Kraus, who was invited to perform his 
new songs before members at the Union 
for Reform Judaism meeting in Chicago.
“I feel very strongly about the evolu-
tion of Jewish music to expand bound-
aries and find ways to connect culturally 
and communally to Judaism. As part of 
this, we are releasing one music video for 
each song every Sunday in December.
” 

details
“Light Up the Night” can be accessed 
through the digital music sites, 
 
temple-israel.org/music#albums and 
jacobspikekraus.com.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY TEMPLE ISRAEL/JACOB SPIKE KRAUS

