Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
News

Giving the Gift of Kitsch

When it comes to the Festival of Lights, there is no shortage of gift schmaltz. Since the Forward first published festive holiday picks under the headline “Give the Gift of Kitsch” in 2005, schlock options have grown exponentially. The phenomenon originally explored in these pages has expanded to include such winners as the new Latka Spatula — the kitchen implement that sounds like Yiddish.

So which gifts take the prize on the fifth anniversary of our kitsch guide? Strictly the kitchiest of the kitsch: those celebrating Jewish tradition with whimsy, humor and innovation. Our recommendations, culled from sources coast to coast, are ranked in ascending order, growing light by light until the schmaltz glows in full eight-candle splendor. And the “shamash round” of honorable mentions, named for the ninth “helper” candle, shmears the love a little further.

Should you decide to take the plunge for the loved ones on your shopping list, be sure to order soon. The first night of Hanukkah is December 11.


Shamash Round: Honorable Mentions

Who wouldn’t want to fry and flip latkes on a stainless steel latke server?

The Latke Spatula. SpertusShop.com, (888) 322-1740, $5.

Gag Menorah Glasses offer an aura of goofiness and UV protection — seriously!


Lisa Alcalay Klug is the author of “Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe” (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2008), a humorous exploration of Jewish identity, pop culture and kitsch, and is a National Jewish Book Award finalist.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.