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Lifetime's Mistletoe & Menorahs Is the Jewish Holiday Movie You've Been Waiting For


Julianna: And what I love about Hanukkah is that Guy and I can come together for a quiet moment at the end of every single day of Hanukkah to light one candle on the menorah. It’s just nice to be able to put a pause and spend time together and celebrate this tradition that Guy has had since he was little.

Guy: There’s another bit that we put into the movie is me teaching Julianna how to do the prayers while lighting the candles on the menorah.

Julianna: In the film, Kelley [Jakle, who plays the main character, Christy] has a beautiful voice. When we were developing the script, it wasn’t initially intended to have the actor singing in that moment. It’s when we cast Kelley and we knew she’s so talented as a singer that we revised it to have her sing. It was the same with Jake. He’s a singer, too. So when “Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah” comes on… we changed all of that to be included because of the actors who were cast. They’re talented in so many arenas.

Important question: fruitcake plays a big part in this movie. Was it as good as it was made out to be?

Julianna: We tried to make sure that the fruitcake wasn’t that bad because it’s definitely not a great dessert. I think part of Guys writing was to try to bring fruitcake back.

Courtesy of Marvista Entertainment.

Guy: I love fruitcake. I really do. And that is something I discovered from Christmas is how much I love fruitcake.

Julianna: Oh, I’m not a fan. But the latkes and jelly donuts were fantastic. We tried to make sure that the actors like them so that they wouldn’t have a look of of anything on their face but joy.

And what’s next? Would you like to do another film for the holidays next year?

Guy: I would like to bring a Passover movie [into the fold]. There’s holiday movies all year around…spring movies and summer movies. But as far as Hanukkah, there’s still a lot of stories out there that can be explored. Whether it’s romance stories that involve someone being Jewish or two people being Jewish or just somebody going to a Hanukkah party, [I’m interested]. When pitching season comes around, I certainly hope to have a bunch of ideas.

Mistletoe & Menorahs airs Saturday, December 7 at 6 P.M. ET on Lifetime. Jessica Radloff is the Glamour West Coast editor. Follow her on Twitter @JRadloff.





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Ivanka Trump Misattributed an Ancient Jewish Proverb to Emma Watson


PHOTO: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Who said it: an ancient Jewish religious leader or Emma Watson?

Ivanka Trump guessed wrong in a recent Instagram post, where the first daughter shared an image of the quote: “If not me, who? If not now, when?” She attributed the quote to Watson, when in fact—as Teen Vogue pointed out—the words come from Hillel the Elder, a famous Jewish religious leader who shared his wisdom during the first century BCE. (His original proverb went as follows: “If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”)

Some sharp-eyed Instagram users were quick to spot the error, commenting “Didn’t realize Emma became a rabbi” and “I didn’t know Hillel changed his name to Emma Watson.” New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum tweeted out a screenshot of the post, noting that Ivanka is Jewish—which makes her mistake even harder to believe.

Now, there’s a likely explanation for Ivanka’s mix-up. Watson didn’t invent the quote, but she did use it when she spoke at the United Nations in 2014 to announce her “HeforShe” campaign.

“In my nervousness for this speech and in my moments of doubt I’ve told myself firmly—if not me, who, if not now, when,” she said. “If you have similar doubts when opportunities are presented to you I hope those words might be helpful.” The actress and activist said the quote again at the end of her speech.

Back in July, an old tweet of Ivanka’s surfaced in which she misquoted Albert Einstein. The first daughter might need to work on her social media strategy—and pass the message along to her dad, while she’s at it.



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