County residents hunt for Hanukkah items

Jewish families look online, shop at synagogue gift shops

By ELISHA SAUERS, Staff Writer

Capital Gazette Communications

Published 12/17/09

Despite some well-known verses of a popular Hanukkah song, most members of the Jewish community don't make their dreidels out of clay.

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Shannon Lee Zirkle — The Capital Mallory Gersh, 8, and her brother, A.J. Gersh, 12, celebrate Hanukkah this week with a game of dreidel at their Severna Park home. Though it can be hard to find items in Anne Arundel County to celebrate Hanukkah, parents Diane Lebedeff and Steve Gersh have managed to collect a plethora of decorations.

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Unless the children want their little holiday tops to keel over rather than spin, they usually buy a wooden or plastic one from a store.

But for Jewish families throughout the county, it's a common struggle to find dreidels or any other Hanukkah-themed items - be they gift wrap, decorations, a box of greeting cards or traditional foods - at local retail outlets.

Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights that commemorates the Maccabees' rededication of the Temple...

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good business - 2009-12-17 17:40:18

It would seem to me that some enterprising vendors and stores (namely the ones that have been called out in this article) would take this as a call to supply and demand. A small stock of supplies at a Target or a Godiva would go a long way to satisfying a spending clientle. Not to mention creating customer loyalty the year round. Ho ho ho.

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Amy Bird - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

County offers plenty for Jewish res - 2009-12-17 13:52:51

While you might have to hunt for special Chanukah wrapping paper if you feel the need, our county is actually quite hospitable to Jews. There are four active congregations spanning the range of Jewish observance, a Jewish day school ready to break ground on a brand new building, and welcoming neighbors of all faiths.

All the area groceries are well stocked with kosher foods--although meat choices are slim--and most liquor stores maintain selections of kosher wine. In fact, Italian Market in Annapolis brings in hard to get kosher wines from Italy just for a handful of customers. Giant, Shoppers, and Whole Foods also offer candles for Chanukah and the Jewish sabbath.

Each of the congregations sets up a nice gift shop for Chanukah, and maintains a smaller shop for Jewish themed gifts year round.

As a Jew, I'm thankful to live in a community that more than welcomes me and my family, and offers a range of opportunities for the diversity of modern Jewish life.

- Steve Lebowitz, Annapolis

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Steve Lebowitz - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral