How to Get Wax Off Your Menorah

Well, Chanukah is officially over. Which means it is time for the decorations to come down, and for all of us to focus on cleaning the wax off our menorahs! It's a task that we all seem to dread, which is why we love the product Wax-Off. With just a spritz, Wax-Off spray prevents the wax drippings from sticking to your menorah in the first place. Although it may be too late for this year, Wax-Off is now on sale at PopJudaica.com so now is the time to buy it for next year.

As for how to get the wax off this year's menorah? If you have any good tips, please share them in the comments section below!

8 Days of Giveaways: Nice Jewish Guys Calendar Giveaway!

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PopJudaica.com is celebrating Chanukah with 8 Days of Giveaways! Each day this week, we'll be gifting one lucky blog reader with a special Chanukah gift. As Chanukah ends tonight, this will be our last giveaway!

Today's prize is the Nice Jewish Guys Calendar. Firemen and Chippendale's have had their spotlight long enough! This Nice Jewish Guys Calendar turns the spotlight on the underrated characteristic that pecs and tight buns can't deliver...niceness. Featuring a different mensch for every month of the calendar year; meet Ira the businessman and Noah, who doesn't look Jewish, but is. The calendar is marked with the Jewish holidays too!

To enter to win the Nice Jewish Guys Calendar, tell us what "Nice Jewish Guy" you would nominate to appear in next year's version of the calendar. Leave your nomination in the comments section below by midnight PT tonight 12/28/08. Be sure to have your comment link to your twitter, blog, facebook profile, etc. so we can contact you if you are the winner!

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8 Days of Giveaways:Say-a-Blessing Keychain Giveaway!

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PopJudaica.com is celebrating Chanukah with 8 Days of Giveaways! Each day this week, we'll be gifting one lucky blog reader with a special Chanukah gift.

Today's prize is the Say-a-Blessing Keychain. With just a touch of the button, this pocket sized keychain recites one of 10 blessings of your choice including the blessings over challah, wine, and washing of the hands. Also included are the prayers of "Modeh Ani" and the "Shema." The blessing is first stated in Hebrew and then translated into English, leaving you enough time after each word to repeat the blessing.

To enter to win the Say-a-Blessing Keychain, tell us about something you consider to be a blessing in your life. So many of us focus on the negatives in life. Here's an opportunity to focus on what we are thankful for! Leave your comment below by midnight PT tonight 12/27/08.
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8 Days of Giveaways: Kroc Kippah Giveaway!

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PopJudaica.com is celebrating Chanukah with 8 Days of Giveaways! Each day this week, we'll be gifting one lucky blog reader with a special Chanukah gift.

Today's prize is the Kroc Kippah. Now you can coordinate your shoes with your kippah! The Kroc Kippah is the coolest kippah we've ever come across. It comes with 4 sports charms which can be interchanged with "jibbitz" from your own collection.

To enter to win the Kroc Kippah, tell us - if you were to create your own kippah - what would it look like? Leave your idea in the comments section below by midnight PT tonight 12/26/08.

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8 Days of Giveaways:Fan Favorite Giveaway!

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PopJudaica.com is celebrating Chanukah with 8 Days of Giveaways! Each day this week, we'll be gifting one lucky blog reader with a special Chanukah gift.

Today's prize is entirely up to you! That's right - we are allowing you to choose your own prize from PopJudaica.com! Take a look at the website, and tell us what your favorite product is from PopJudaica.com in the comments section below. Today's giveaway winner will win the prize of their choice! (How's that for a fifth night of Chanukah gift?)

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Chanukah Craft Project: The Star Wars Dreidel

Oh how we love a good craft project! When a customer of ours (Thanks Daniel B!) pointed out this DYI Star Wars Dreidel (aka "The Droidel") we couldn't resist sharing it with you! After all, wasn't George Lucas's Star Wars inspired by Biblical stories? And can't you already hear the song "Droidel, Droidel, Droidel" in your head?

Sure, you could make a dreidel out of clay, but this version (using a PDF printout, cardboard or paper, and a pencil) is a lot more fun and a bit less dirty. Click Here For Directions.

8 Days of Giveaways!Jewish Fortune Cookie Giveaway

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PopJudaica.com is celebrating Chanukah with 8 Days of Giveaways! Each day this week, we'll be gifting one lucky blog reader with a special Chanukah gift.

Today's prize is the Jewish Fortune Cookies in honor of our love of eating Chinese Food on Christmas! This Jewish Fortune Cookie "take out" box includes 8 individually wrapped fortune cookies filled with Jewish folk sayings, proverbs, and witticisms. Even if Bubbie doesn't make it to dinner, these cookies will provide words of wisdom in her absence.

The 4th night of Chanukah also falls on Christmas Eve. To enter to win the Jewish Fortune Cookies, tell us about your plans for tonight. Will you be attending an event, or having Chinese food dinner? Let us know your plans in the comments section below by midnight PT tonight 12/24/09.

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8 Days of Giveaways! No Limit Texas Dreidel Giveaway

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PopJudaica.com is celebrating Chanukah with 8 Days of Giveaways! Each day this week, we'll be gifting one lucky blog reader with a special Chanukah gift.

Today's prize is the No Limit Texas Dreidel Game. This ain't your Bubbie's old dreidel game! This clever new version combines the traditional Chanukah game with No Limit Texas Hold Em. Enjoyable for both adults and children over the age of nine who love poker!

We want to know - if you were to combine two of your favorite games, which games would they be? To enter to win, leave your response in the comments section below by midnight PT tonight 12/23/09.

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8 Days of Giveaways! Menorah Cork Giveaway

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PopJudaica.com is celebrating Chanukah with 8 Days of Giveaways! Each day this week, we'll be gifting one lucky blog reader with a special Chanukah gift.

Today's prize is the Menorah Cork. Wondering what to do with all those empty bottles of Manischwitz? Now you can turn it in to a menorah! It's possible with this Menorah Cork which fits into any standard wine bottle. (We also like to use He'brew Beer and Jones Soda bottles!)

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Enter to win the Menorah Cork by telling us about your favorite holiday beverage! (It can be alcoholic, non-alcoholic - whatever gets you in to the holiday spirit. You can even share cocktail recipes!) Let us know your drink of choice in the comments section below by Midnight PT tonight 12/22/09.

Happy Chanukah!

8 Days of Giveaways! First Prize: Schlep Tote

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PopJudaica.com is celebrating Chanukah with 8 Days of Giveaways! Each day this week, beginning today, we'll be gifting one lucky blog reader with a special Chanukah gift.

The first prize is a Schlep Tote bag. Eco-friendly and uber chic, this tote will have all your friends kvelling!

To enter to win, leave your favorite Yiddish word in the comments section below by midnight PT tonight 12/21/08. We'll pick a winner at random and notify the winning entry via email.

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Planning a Chanukah Party Part II: Decorations, Drinks, Games & Nosh!

Chanukah begins this Sunday! Have you got a Chanukah or Holiday Party in the works? In our last post we offered up some Chanukah jams to set the tone for your celebration. This time, we are focusing on all the other elements - decorations, drinks, games, and of course nosh!

We are LOVING Jones Soda's Chanukah 4 Pack featuring flavors like Latke, Apple Sauce, Chocolate Coins (yum!), and Jelly Doughnut. It is the perfect Chanukah party drink, and best yet, Jones Soda is Kosher!

For a fun alcoholic beverage, try The Manischewitz Sangria recipe by our friend and Schlep Tote designer Sari Victoria. This drink is always a huge hit at parties. Once you've emptied your Manischewitz bottle, pop in the Menorah Cork. Voila! You've got instant party decor, as well as a functioning menorah.

Speaking of decor, if you're planning to have non-Jewish folk at your Chanukah party, are planning a generic holiday party (or celebrate Chrismukkah) check out the Tree Menorah. It will make everyone feel included. Trim your Chanukah Bush with menorah string lights and Dreidel Hustler String Dolls.

This year, Chanukah coincides with Christmas. Are you planning to have the traditional Chinese food dinner on Christmas this year? Then our Jewish Fortune Cookies are a must. Filled with Yiddish proverbs and wittisisms, these cookies are always a party hit. As are Mashuga Nuts, the cinnamon sugar covered meringue pecans. YUM.

Lastly, you'll want to have games and favors! No Limit Texas Dreidel is the hottest Chanukah gift this year. This clever game combines the tradition of dreidel with No Limit Texas Poker. The Star of David Hologram Glasses are our favorite party favor. They turn any bright source of light (including menorah candles!) into glowing Jewish stars.

Have any other great party planning tips? Feel free to share in the comments section below!

Planning a Chanukah Party Part 1: Music

Do you know what we love best about the holidays? All the parties! If you are throwing a Chanukah or holiday bash, we're here to help you with your planning! There are a million components to making your festival of lights a true festival -- food, drinks, decorations, and games, but first we'll start with the music. We're offering up some suggestions for making sure your party goers are moving and grooving like a life-size dreidel.

A (sort of) old standby is a disc by The LeeVees -- Hanukkah Rocks. The band is the work of Guster's Adam Gardner and some other indie-rock hipsters. You can't go wrong with "Latke Clan," "Goyim Friends," and "Applesauce vs. Sour Cream," an homage to the ages-old debate about what to pair with your latkes. Here's a taste, with "How Do You Spell Channukkahh."


If you're into some more kid-friendly songs, check out Mama Doni , who has a holiday EP available on her website with free downloads this month, including the songs "Latke Man" and "La Vida Dreidel." Mama Doni's tunes are definitely upbeat and good for making sure your party stays up and alive, no matter the age of your partiers. Mama Doni's "The Funky Gold Menorah," below, is a trippy-fun tune!


If you're looking for some variety in your Chanukah tunes, the new album by Erran Baron Cohen, famed brother of Borat (also known as Sascha Baron Cohen), might be just right. Erran's previous musical stylings appear in the work of the band Zohar, but this new CD -- Songs in the Key of Hanukkah -- is full of Chanukah toe-tappers. The stellar thing about Erran's new work is that he teams up with the likes of Y-Love and Idan Raichel. "Dreidel" (found below) is an intense, rock-out version of the classic song, and the tunes cover as many genres as there are options on how to spell Chanukah (or is it Hanukkah or Hanukah ...). "Look to the Light" reminds me of something out of the 1960s, "Rock of Ages" has a very light rock feel to it, and many of the tracks are superloaded with Hebrew and Yiddish lyrics. Basically, no matter the preferences of your guests, Erran Baron Cohen has made an album that anyone and everyone can jive to on Chanukah.


Of course, for those classic music lovers, there's the traditional favorite -- Adam Sandler singing the "Chanukah Song." After all, Sandler paved the way for the aforementioned musicians to belt love for the latke noshing holiday, right?


Whatever tunes you pick up for your Chanukah festivities, make sure you stay tuned for future installments on preparing for your party. And be sure to check out Erran Baron Cohen and Y-Love on Conan O'Brien tonight!

Chanukah Events in Your Hood!

Chanukah is less than two weeks away, and we can already feel the excitement! Last year we posted about cool Chanukah events happening all across the country. This year, it's your turn! Know about a great public menorah lighting, or a cool Chanukah party? Leave a comment sharing the details of an exciting Chanukah event happening in your city. Note that these should be events that are open to the public so all can attend!

Chanukah VS. Hanukkah

How do you spell Hanukkah?..or is it Chanukah? Each year we run in to the same dilemma at PopJudaica.com! How do we refer to "The Festival of Lights" on the website? Is it spelled "Hanukkah" or is it spelled "Chanukah"? While most Jewish organizations refer to it as "Chanukah," most retailers and Hallmark cards refer to the holiday as "Hanukkah." We want to know what you think!
Take our survey and cast your vote for the preferred spelling on the right sidebar.

Light the menorah and pass the candle!

Remember our awesome PopJudaica.com Chanukah video from last year? Well our friend William Levin of Shabot 6000 and The Jewish Robot has done it again! This year he and his partner-in-crime Michelle Citrin have come up with Pass The Candle. This participatory video project allows you to submit footage of yourself lighting a menorah. William and Michelle will then string the segment together to form a worldwide chain of menorah lightings! Cool, huh? Go ahead, pass the candle.

How to make the perfect latkes

What is Chanukah without latkes? Meredith Jacobs, author of The Modern Jewish Mom's Guide to Shabbat appeared on iVillage TV yesterday and demonstrated the way it's done! Watch the segment here and see how Meredith attempts to teach Kim Coles how to pronounce "Shabbat."

Happy Chanukah!

The view from our Pop Judaica office window. Pretty nice, huh?

Menorah Lighting 101

It's hard to believe, but Tuesday night is the first night of Chanukah! Chanukah is so early this year, that many people have not even realized that the holiday is just days away.

While we are on the subject of Chanukah, do you know how to light your menorah properly? Yes, it is true, there is a right and a wrong way to light.

Here are some tips:

1- There is always a candle that is higher than all other candles and is usually located in the center of the menorah. This candle is called the shamash and is the candle used to light all other candles.

2- The candles are always PLACED on the menorah from right to left. On the first night, the candle will be placed on the menorah in the spot farthest to your right as you are facing the menorah.

3- The candles are always LIT from the candle farthest to the left all the way down to the candle farthest to the right.

Got it? Good! Enjoy the holiday!

Press! The New York Times

Each year The New York Times features a handful of menorahs, and we were thrilled that they chose to feature our Tree Menorah this year! The tree menorah is perfect for holiday parties and for those who celebrate Chrismukkah (remember the holiday from the OC?) The Times also featured two other products we carry - the dreidel menorah, designed by Israeli artist Avner Agayof and wax-off, one of the greatest inventions ever!