Get Outta Town
Continued from Page 19
plore the parks and elegant prewar
boulevards of Kreuzberg, where the
chatter of Hebrew-speaking families
mingles with Arabic, Turkish, and a
variety of accents from all over Ger-
many. Pick up a copy of Spitz, the
Hebrew-language magazine of the
Berlin Israeli community, for the lat-
est on Chanukah happenings at
Habait, the Israeli-expat cultural so-
ciety that hosts the coolest parties,
poetry readings and concerts.

Chanukah fairs are popping up in
a city famous for its Christmas mar-
kets, with handcrafted menorahs and
rugelach where once there were only
fruitcakes and glühwein (the latter, hot
spiced mulled wine, remains an ecu-
menical holiday pleasure and the per-
fect antidote for winter’s chill). The
monthlong market at the Jewish Mu-
seum Berlin is reportedly on hiatus
this season — but visitors to the mu-
seum can enjoy Chanukah family fes-
tivals on December weekends, with
games and retellings of the Maccabee
story. Wind down in the café’s sunny glassed-in courtyard, a pleasant
setting for contemporary Jewish fare — a cuisine enlivened by the di-
verse cultures that are reinvigorating Berlin.

Winter is always full of candlelight in Berlin, as
evidenced by the scene at this Habait party.

— as well as the sad reality that every
Jewish event and institution still
must be heavily guarded.

Still, it is a sight no Jew could
have imagined only 50 years ago —
public menorahs lighting up crowd-
ed plazas all over Berlin. Nor could
they have imagined the public rev-
elry of Berlin’s annual Chanukah
Ball, held each year on the Saturday
of the holiday at the Grand Hyatt
Berlin, with a live band and DJs
spinning sets all night. Or the most
improbable and lovely sight of all —
capacity crowds of young people
and children of all ages, singing and
dancing and gobbling down suf-
ganiyot during Chanukah festivities
at Fraenkelufer Synagogue, a vibrant
nexus of Jewish community in the
Kreuzberg district.

How to catch the Berlin-Israeli
vibe this Chanukah: Shop for Jewish tunes at Gordon Café and
Record Store in Neukölln, a Berlin offshoot of the Tel Aviv music
store. Debate the relative merits of the hummus at Zula, Djimalaya
or Shiloh Vegetarian Café, three of the most popular hummusiyas
that are sprouting up like dandelions in Israeli neighborhoods. Ex-
Hilary Danailova is spending this Chanukah at an undisclosed location.

Name: Gertrude Hawk Chocolates
Width: 7.5"
Depth: 4.75"
Color: Black plus one
Comment: Holiday Guide
20 NOVEMBER 19, 2015
WINTER HOLIDAY GUIDE
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



A custom-made ring from
Ben Sorkin Jewelers.

A Jewel-Worthy Selection
The Philadelphia area is home to some of the best independent
places to shop for precious stones and metals of all kinds.

JON MARKS | JE STAFF
es, diamonds are still a girl’s best friend. But when it comes
to buying jewelry for the holidays, they’re by no means your
only option.

Depending upon a number of factors — your bankroll, whether
you want to schlep into the city, deal with the crowds at the mall or
venture someplace else — there should be something for everybody.

With Chanukah almost here, it’s getting to be a busy time in the
jewelry business.

Only, it’s not quite as busy as it used to be.

“In the past, jewelers used to do about 60 percent of their busi-
ness from the end of November to December,” said Ben Sorkin of
Ben Sorkin Jewelers, who’s been on Sansom Street for 35 years. “It’s
not quite like that anymore with the advent of the Internet and
other factors.

“So you have to work harder to get business. Make the phone
calls. Get out and hustle.”
Those on Jeweler’s Row like Sorkin face a different challenge.

Not only do they have to lure customers into Center City, where
they often have to deal with traffic, parking and other hassles, but
they have to compete with each other.

If you don’t like the merchandise in one store, there are plenty
of others eager for your business. Since no one wants to price them-
selves out of the running, you may get more bang for your buck.

Y “This is still the street of dreams,” said Steve Rosen of Sydney
Rosen Co., whose late father founded the business 70 years ago “Ab-
solutely. For those who like to come into town for some significant
shopping, Jeweler’s Row is still a significant draw. They can go into
dozens of stores for some serious comparison-shopping. They don’t
pay mall prices since we’re all competing with each other, so we keep
the prices down. They can see a lot of choices all on one trip. And
they’re dealing with family-owned businesses rather than corpora-
tions. Many people like that.”
On the other hand, Jake Spiegelman, of Jay Roberts Jewelers in
Marlton, says he offers the best of both worlds: affordable prices with-
out having to deal with the annoyances of coming into the city.

“What we have here, rather than an open smaller location, is one
super location,” said Spiegelman, who opened the business with
Roberts 30 years ago, moving to its current location in 1991. “We’re
all under one roof, with a full-time jeweler and watchmaker. This
is kind of a supermarket of jewelry all located in one spot.”
While he’s working the Jersey market and people like Sorkin,
Rosen and Robert Schwartz of Harry Merrill & Son — which has
been around for 61 years — try to drive customers to their respective
stores, Joy Stember does it a bit differently.

Now in her fifth year running her own company, she’s become
one of the experts in the relatively small field of metal arts, special-
See Selection, Page 22
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM WINTER HOLIDAY GUIDE
NOVEMBER 19, 2015 21