Judaica
Continued from Page 39
believe are trite. “People try to go beyond that.”
On a much larger scale is the National Museum of American
Jewish History (NMAJH) Museum Store (judaicashop.net).

Store Manager Kristen Kreider said the store sells some tradi-
tional items, but its patrons — both in-person and online
— are looking for something different.

“It’s more often they’re happy to see some-
thing they haven’t seen before,” she said.

“We do push the envelope a little. We try
to have more personality in the items
we carry.”
Those items range from a
pewter flask emblazoned with
“L’CHAIM” to Orthodox
Chews saltwater taffy to a
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
mug. One popular example
Kreider cited is the “YO
SEMITE” T-shirt, whose
designer was “inspired by her day
job at a Jewish summer camp near
Yosemite National Park,” according to
the museum website.

Also popular are ahava (Hebrew for “love”)
items, which include necklaces, T-shirts, tote
bags, earrings, bracelets and rings.

We do push
the envelope a little.

We try to have
more personality in
the items we carry.”
KRISTEN KREIDER
STORE MANAGER, NATIONAL MUSEUM
OF AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY
The YO SEMITE shirt is among the top-selling
items available at the National Museum of
American Jewish History Museum Store.

40 NOVEMBER 24, 2016
The word is written in the same style as
Philadelphia’s famous “LOVE” statue by
Robert Indiana. The artist created a 13-foot
“AHAVA” statue outside the Israel Museum in
Jerusalem in 1977, a year after the “LOVE”
statue went on display here.

Proceeds from ahava items benefit both the NMAJH and the
Israel Museum, Kreider said.

Other big sellers include handbags by Kent Stetson. One features
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the brightly illustrated words “KVETCH KVETCH KVETCH,”
while another features mahjong tiles. (Other handbags have more
secular themes, such as marijuana leaves or vinyl records.)
Fans of the World Series-winning Chicago Cubs can buy a team
hat with the name spelled out in Hebrew letters. Phillies hats are
also available, as are (gasp!) those for the Yankees and Red Sox.

No Judaica selection would be complete without some food-
related items, and Kreider said the inexpensive ($7.95) Bagel
Whizz, which scoops out bagel innards, is popular.

And of course there are a few nods to nostalgia, including a
replica key fob for the gone-but-not-forgotten Grossinger’s resort
in the Catskills.

Some of the museum’s top-selling items aren’t really Jewish at
all, such as jewelry fashioned out of piano wire.

“We joke that it’s made out of the strings of Irving Berlin’s
piano,” Kreider said, noting that the jewelry is crafted by a Jewish
artist in Atlanta.

And while this article isn’t about the old standbys such as
menorahs, Kreider said she expects to sell lots of travel meno-
rahs this year since Chanukah begins on Christmas Eve.

One particularly clever travel menorah is an Israeli-made
7-inch piece of anodized aluminum with a sleeve that opens each
This handbag is among several available from artist Kent Stetson,
who individually signs each one. Another handbag is emblazoned
with mah jong tiles.

See Judaica, Page 42
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