Gift Ideas for Jewish Traditions

Rosh Hashanah, Shavuot, Purim, Passover and Hanukah are all Jewish holidays with rich traditions and customs. In accordance with Jewish law, some Jewish holidays commemorate great moments in Jewish history while others are festivals given or passed down by the Torah.

Many of these celebrations involve gift giving, Jewish feasts and tasty treats. Traditionally most would prepare their own feasts and treats for the holidays. Nonetheless, as schedules have become more hectic, many are interested in purchasing prepared items. As a result, various manufacturers and retailers have responded to the need for kosher gifts and other kosher items.

Kosher Foods & Treats to Help With or Add to Your Upcoming Feast

There are many prepared foods and treats on the market that can help in the preparation of or add to your traditional Jewish feast. These include smoked fish, shrimp, dried fruits and nuts, tourquoise, soup mixes and baked goods such as hamantashen or babkahs.

Kosher Gift Ideas

Holiday Gifts - To celebrate the holiday, consider a gift basket with traditional Jewish treats like sugar sticks, mixed nuts, bamba snacks, gilboa or other cheeses and festive wines. If looking to purchase gifts in large quantities, consider customizable gift boxes of Enstrom's toffees or truffles.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah - Tasty treats will be a welcome gift for the young man or woman celebrating their coming of age. Combine kosher treats in a festive tin can, popcorn bowl or coffee mug. Some kosher goodies to consider include jelly beans, lollipops, popcorn, licorice or hot cocoa mixes.

Shiva (Condolence) - Gourmet snacks and foods can be a wonderful way of showing others that you care. Show your concern with a gift basket with assorted coffees or teas, dried fruits, rugelach or smoked fish with crackers.

Wedding - Commemorate this festive occasion by presenting the bride and groom with a jar of clover honey along with a honey dish or server. Other ideas include a wine and cheese basket, candy dish with assorted candies or a gift box of condiments such as mustards, hummus dip, relishes, olives and pickles.

Kosher foods also make great gifts for other occasions such as birthdays, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day, new home, retirement or a new baby.

How to Buy Kosher Items

Kosher products must be handled and prepared according to specific regulations. Because of fraud and misrepresentations, it is important for a consumer to research a company and learn about its policies before making purchases. Look for a commitment or statement from that retailer ensuring consumers that products sold by them meet regulatory kosher standards. Most often this assurance is made through kosher certification such as those offered by agencies like the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, Star-K, Kosher Supervision of America, OK or the BCK Kosher Certifying Agency.

Written by Dee Dee Smith

Why Give Kosher For The Holidays?

Jewish holiday traditions celebrate faith, family, long-standing traditions and kosher food. Important aspects of some Jewish holiday traditions include gift giving and following stricter than usual kosher dietary laws.

Why Give Kosher for the Holidays?

For busy families, eating kosher is not possible at every meal. During the holidays, some families make a concerted effort to follow Jewish holiday traditions and eat kosher meals and give kosher gifts. Kosher giving shows respect for Jewish spirituality and overall health, and it pays homage to Jewish holiday traditions. Consuming kosher also teaches us to respect other living animals. It also teaches us self-discipline.

Kosher 101

When looking for kosher holiday gifts, keep in mind the three kosher categories of dairy, meat and pareve. Dairy and meat may not be consumed together or prepared together. Keep this in mind when looking for kosher gifts, as any product containing both meat products and dairy products would not be kosher.

Pareve is neither meat or dairy and can be eaten with either dairy foods or meat products.

Identifying Kosher Food Gifts

Kosher food gifts bear a "hechsher," or a symbol that ensures the food item meets the kosher standards of a supervising rabbi. One common hechsner is the OU of the Orthodox Union. The Star-K is another kosher symbol found on foods that you can find on products when shopping for kosher holiday gifts.

Kosher Gift-Giving Holidays

Kosher Holiday Gifts for Hanukkah

While it's usually children who receive gifts for Hanukkah, you can still partake in kosher giving at your family's or friend's Hanukkah party. In addition to the ceremonial menorah lighting, serving a dairy-based not meat-based meal is also becoming a popular Jewish holiday tradition for Hanukah. Because meat and dairy cannot be served or eaten together and remain kosher, a holiday with a kosher dairy-based meal is the perfect holiday to give the kosher gift of Enstrom's almond toffee.

Because the sweet treat is dairy based, it can be enjoyed without having to wait six hours after you've eaten the main meal to dive into the sweet kosher gift, as would be true with a meat-based holiday meal.

Remember to burn the used menorah's wicks or wrap them properly before discarding them.

Shavuot Kosher Giving

On Shavuot, Jewish holiday traditions historically include dairy-based meals. A top kosher gift for Shauvot would be some OU-certified kosher cheese. Another nice touch would be to give aromatic flowers with lush greens, for decorating the home.

Kosher Ideas for Tu B'Shvat

Tu B'Shvat is "New Year for the trees." Jewish holiday traditions for Tu B'Shvat involve eating seven different fruits for which the Land of Israel is praised. A top kosher gift idea would be to assemble a simple basket containing honey, olives, figs, pomegranates, grapes, barley and wheat. Kosher foods with those ingredients would also make tasty kosher gifts.

Top Kosher Gifts for Purim

Purim brings some of the most festive Jewish holiday traditions into our homes. The Book of Esther is at the heart of the holiday.

Purim is also a holiday with fun costumes, revelry and wine, balance the day with healthy kosher gifts. A Jewish holiday tradition on Purism includes giving charity to at least two people. Also give two ready-to-eat kosher foods to friends, to symbolize kinship. Consider sending spicy salsa, guacamole, mixed nuts, gourmet dried fruits or a homemade bean salad, all kosher.

Written by Pam Gaulin

Jewish Holiday Traditions

Jewish holiday traditions in regards to gift giving are different from those associated with Christian holidays. For example, while Christians like to give gifts to all the important people in their lives during the Christmas holiday, Jews generally only give Hanukah gifts to their own children. This is not to say that people of the Jewish faith don't enjoy gift giving. In fact, they excel in the spirit of generosity. However, they focus their gift giving efforts on a spring holiday known as Purim, as opposed to their winter holiday of Hanukah.

Contemporary Jewish Holiday Gift Giving

In the United States the melting pot effect has evolved the way that many American Jews celebrate their holidays, especially in regards to gift giving. For example, many Jewish families who are headed by a couple of mixed faiths or have friends who are Christian exchange Christmas gifts. Business owners who are Jewish have also started to give their customers and employees, who many be Jewish, Christian or another religion, holiday gifts as a way to say thank you for their business or service.

Kosher Giving During the Holidays

Kosher gifts are attractive to both people of the Jewish faith as well as to people of other faiths. Kosher is a Jewish term that refers to religious laws for food items. The basic rules of being kosher require that meat come from specific "clean" sources, that it is slaughtered properly and that it is not manufactured, processed or served with dairy products. When you are selecting a kosher gift to give to someone this year or next, make sure you keep the rules for being kosher in mind. However, if you are unsure what items are kosher and what items are not, just look for an "OU" symbol on the label of the item you are buying; this means that it has been certified as kosher.

Kosher Ideas for Holiday Gifts

Nearly everyone enjoys a food gift, and because of this many businesses and people decide to give food gift baskets. If you are interested in kosher giving you will need to pay attention to what items are included in your baskets. First of all make sure dairy and meat items are not mixed in a single basket. For example, you can put together a kosher dairy gift basket with items like kosher cheese spreads, kosher certified dairy candies (like the ones produced by Enstrom's) and kosher dairy beverage mixes.

If you want a hardier gift basket, then put together meat baskets or soup baskets. For example, a kosher chili-making gift basket makes a great gift. These baskets tend to include a pot for making chili, a seasoning mix, beans and serving bowls. To ensure this gift basket is appropriate for a kosher gift you need to make sure that the meat that is included is kosher, or simply remove the non-kosher meat from the basket and replace it with a can of certified kosher chili meat.

While kosher holiday gifts of any type will be appreciated, the top kosher gifts will come from the heart and be backed up by your sincere appreciation or love.

References

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/kosher

http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm

Stritof, Sheri and Stritof Bob. (2008). "Observing the winter holidays as a Jewish-Christian interfaith couple."

Written by JB Robbins