As in the past, popular culture has found an outlet in Chanukah merchandise. So this year when you’re looking for just the right something for your significant other, think of adding a little red to the traditional blue and white Chanukah motif.
Yep, you got it. Patriotism is in and it’s gone Jewish, with chanukiot painted to look like Old Glory. But that’s not all. There are red, white and blue dreidels and Jewish star lapel pins to round out the all-American theme.
“There’s a lot of red, white and blue Judaica,” says Eileen Velen, one of the owners of L’Chaim! in Danville, who thinks that star-spangled Judaica are destined to become collector’s items. “They denote an era. If I was a collector, I would snap them up.”
Speaking of trends, don’t forget about mah jongg. It’s making a comeback big time and the Chanukah gift market is right on top of it. This year bob and bob’s gift store in Palo Alto is featuring — believe it or not — a mah jongg menorah made from tiles that can be yours for only $30. Other must-haves for the mah jongg player in your family may be a mah jongg bracelet also made from tiles and a magnetic travel mah jongg set so she (or he) will always be ready for a game.
If trendy isn’t your taste, you can go the more traditional route and choose from the large selection of new chanukiot. There’s everything out there from sculptured pieces by artists like Gary Rosenthal and Lynn Rae Lowe to whimsical folk art and novelty styles. There are oil and wick-style chanukiot, and ones with nine free-standing candle holders that can be put together in whatever design you want.
Amy Hess of Amy’s Ark has been fashioning metal chanukiot with laser-cut flowers, leaves, teapots and other designs, including a whimsical table-and-chair arrangement. Her collection is available at Afikomen in Berkeley, Alef Bet Judaica in Los Gatos and bob and bob.
For the college student or elderly parent who is not allowed to burn candles in the room, there are electric chanukiot. As for how much these menorahs will cost you, prices are just as varied as the designs and range from a few dollars to a few hundred.
Artistic chanukiot abound at all Bay Area Judaica stores, and many are also sold at synagogues and Jewish community center gift shops.
There are also dreidels for every taste – hand-painted ceramic, glass or Russian-made styles with babushka dolls as handles.
Rushed for time? This year Afikomen is featuring prewrapped gifts, including a collection of Ahava skin products from Israel, floating candles and sterling silver jewelry. All packages are less than $20.
Ellen Bob of bob and bob points out that Chanukah gifts don’t have to be specifically related to the holiday. If there’s a set of Shabbat candlesticks you’ve been eyeing, Chanukah is a good time to give them to yourself. It’s also a good opportunity to move your adult children along on their collections of Judaica with a beautiful new seder plate, a tzedakah box, a havdallah set or maybe a piece of Jewish art for the wall.
As for gifts the whole family can enjoy, Velen says Alan King’s new “Great Jewish Joke Book” is “absolutely a stitch.” Another recommendation, “Hanukkah Trivia” by Jennie Miller Helderman and Mary Caulkins, can keep the whole family going — trying to answer such questions as where’s the biggest menorah and when was the first Chanukah stamp issued in the United States. The book also looks at the many different ways to spell the holiday.
Cookbooks, of course, always make wonderful gifts. They may not be read by everyone, but their products are enjoyed by all. In addition, many people who rarely cook like to read about the origins of Jewish cuisine, and many of the cookbooks are replete with stories. Synagogue and Jewish community center gift shops often carry their own cookbooks with members’ recipes, as well as those put out by other Jewish organizations, many of which are not available commercially.
Since Chanukah comes so early this year, Jewish gift stores and synagogue shops are well prepared for pre-Thanksgiving holiday shopping.
Where to shop…
The gift items featured on these pages are available at the stores below. Many of them are also sold at local synagogue and Jewish community center gift shops and on Jewish Internet sites.