How a little boy's Hanukkah wish turned into a light show that transformed Brooklyn

On December 23, 1997, Harrison Fuchs of Midwood, Brooklyn, lamented that his neighborhood was bathed in the glow of Christmas lights and that the festival of light was not respected. In a letter to The Post, Rodney Dangerfield, from his kindergarten, admitted: "It's very difficult to be a five-year-old Jewish boy at this time of year," reports New York Post.

“I get very sad when I drive a car through Brooklyn and look at all the lights and decorations hung along the avenues,” the little boy wrote. And he added, “I didn't see any decorations on the street that would make me think of Hanukkah. I love all those lights and decorations. But I don’t understand why there are no six-pointed stars, menorahs or dreidels.”

Harrison, now 30, says he's still amazed.

“It just seemed strange to me that there was so much Christmas stuff without Jewish representation,” he said.

On the subject: Hanukkah is not just Jewish Christmas: the history and traditions of one of the main Jewish holidays

A year after the boy's reflections in the letter, his parents did something to remedy the lack of Hanukkah splendor - they decorated the front yard of their house. This tradition developed into what is now known as Hanukkah houseand attracts dozens of visitors every year.

A dazzling array of blue and white lights against a backdrop of inflatable menorahs, dreidels and the Mensha on the Bench draws visitors from Queens, Long Island and Connecticut, as well as Israel.

“I never wanted him to think Hanukkah was a second-rate holiday,” says Mum Gail. She introduced the Hanukkah Fairy to her son and eldest daughter.

“She was just like the tooth fairy – just magical,” Harrison marvels.

Harrison may have just won Hanukkah this year.

Now a playwright and actor known as Harrison Bryan, he made his debut with A Hanukkah Carol, or GELT TRIP! The Musical” on the first night of Hanukkah at The Green Room 42 in Manhattan. This is a Jewish interpretation of the Christmas classic by Charles Dickens. The show, in which eight people, an all-Jewish cast, play 80 characters, even has a “Hanukkah fairy.”

“This show is so connected to my family and upbringing,” Harrison said. He worked with two co-authors. He added that his artistic statement accompanying the show mentions a letter to a newspaper as a source of inspiration.

“It all started with this article in the New York Post,” he said.

His goal is to build partnerships with investors and producers and host a promotional run in the city every season.

“For the last couple of weeks, I've been a Hanukkah poster boy,” said Harrison, who got married earlier this year and lives a block from his childhood home. “I turned into Hanukkah Harry,” he said. The man says he still enjoys helping his parents put together the huge Hanukkah exhibit every year.

“It is important to me that my parents' house shines brightest. I still feel connected to him,” he said of the Hanukkah display. “I’m a bit of a Hanukkah elf.”

Gail, 66, along with her husband David, who built a six-foot freestanding menorah in the front yard at his metalwork shop, said of the family display: “At first it was Harrison's joy. But then, as he got older, he saw the joy it brings to others.”