New Hanukkah forever stamp dedicated

NEW YORK CITY – Temple Emanu-El was host to a dedication ceremony on Oct. 20 for the U.S. Postal Service’s vibrant new Hanukkah stamp.

Lori Dym, U.S. Postal Service managing counsel for procurement and property law, opened the dedication ceremony by saying, “On behalf of the 655,000 men and women of the United States Postal Service, I am honored to participate in the unveiling of our new stamp celebrating this joyous Jewish holiday.”

Dym was joined by Susan Krantz, president of Temple Emanu-El; Rabbi Matt Cohen; Jeanette Kuvin Oren, the stamp’s designer and artist; and others.

“Temple Emanu-El is honored that the United States Postal Service approached our congregation to host the first-day-of-issue ceremony for the launch of the 2022 Hanukkah stamp,” Krantz said.

Cohen said, “While our Hanukkah menorahs are not yet kindled, this communal celebration reminds us that despite all odds, throughout time and history, the lights of the Jewish people have miraculously continued to grow brightly and illuminate the world with wholeness, blessing and peace.”

The stamp art features a design from an original wall-hanging. The fiber art was hand-dyed, appliquéd and quilted to form an abstract image of a hanukkiah.

The blue and purple colors represent the sky, while the greens and browns represent the earth. The bright yellows and oranges represent the Festival of Lights, as Hanukkah is also known. Along the bottom of the stamp, the words Hanukkah, Forever and USA appear in white capital letters.

News of the stamp is being shared on social media with the hashtag #HanukkahStamp. Followers of the Postal Service’s Facebook page can view the stamp’s story at facebook.com/usps.

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, or at post offices nationwide.  However, not all post offices stock all stamps so your local post office may not carry the Hanukkah stamp.

Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, a date that falls in late November or December on the Gregorian Calendar. This year, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Dec. 18.