Kanye west

I grew up hiding my faith. This holiday season, the reason why weighs heavy on my mind more than usual.

too close to inclusive?), I bring you this: an honest look at the tiny slice of media that allows us to feel seen, the evolving situation and the little part of our minds that is always wondering “what if?” Luckily, my lived experience shares one more thing with the story of Oogy and “Chanukah on Planet Matzah Ball”: Jewish perseverance and a dogged determination to thrive. It is all the more important that I talk about Kanye West, rising antisemitism and the right that every human being should have to be who they are without fear for their lives. Antisemitic behavior reached a record [high](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/antisemitic-incidents-hit-a-record-high-in-2021-whats-behind-the-rise-in-hate) in 2021, and the situation is only more [dire](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/07/politics/doug-emhoff-antisemitism-roundtable/index.html) in 2022. [access](https://nelsonssociology101.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/1/6/26165328/jews.pdf) to whiteness, and the privilege that comes with it, means that they cannot also experience oppression. The term “globalist,” and the notion that there is a globally-controlling “cabal,” is an antisemitic dog whistle, Throughout the special, the aliens of Planet Matzah Ball want desperately to know what it is one is supposed to do with a menorah, the oddly shaped object that appeared on their doorstep. Each time the humans bring out a book, a basket of potatoes, or some other object that is not the menorah (but still an important part of their Hanukkah celebration), Oogy’s family loses faith in his ability to discover the answer. There is a distinct part of “Chanukah on Planet Matzah Ball” that rings true outside the comfort of the Jewish home. Thus, watching “Chanukah on Planet Matzah Ball” was not a tradition in the sense that every first night of Hanukkah we would abandon all else and sit down to enjoy it, but it was something that we might enjoy around that time of year, when the opportunity presented itself. We selected “Chanukah on Planet Matzah Ball.” An airline employee dressed as an elf (who had previously expressed her enthusiasm for “the holidays” on the intercom) harshly told my sister and I, very young children at the time, that we needed to turn it off, though we were no louder than anyone else in the vicinity. The “Chanukah on Planet Matzah Ball” special sees these sweet, fuzzy aliens become reacquainted with lost Hanukkah traditions through the arrival of a menorah and the observation of a Hanukkah party on planet Earth. Of course, the reason not every night was convenient was that the world simply does not stop for Hanukkah (or even take notice of it) the way it does for Christmas.