Each year, mainstream retailers are offering wider collections of Hanukkah merchandise, focused mostly on gifts, entertaining, and traditional items used during the holiday (and some other Jewish celebrations). Over the years, licensed or collaborative products have occasionally been found within these assortments, but the examples have been few and far between and the number of SKUs limited.
As Hanukkah approaches this year (the dates are December 4-12 in 2026), two new pairings have popped up that feature big names, a wide array of offerings, and good early reviews for selection and design:
- Michaels is working with celebrity interior designer Jonathan Adler for a range of Hanukkah products, as part of a broader home décor and DIY partnership that began earlier this year. Some of the items include menorahs, candles, dreidels, gelt coins, ceramic bowls and serving plates, table runners, gift tags, and napkin rings. Adler often incorporates the traditions of his Jewish faith and culture into his designs, so he brings credibility to the product array. Last year, the retailer attracted some criticism from Jewish influencers and consumers for the quality and authenticity of its program, but this time the reaction has been largely positive.
- West Elm introduced a collection with Russ & Daughters, the long-established New York café and retail outlet specializing in Jewish-American foods, for a 20-piece, blue-and-white collection of products suitable for Hanukkah and the High Holidays in September and October. Some of the platters, trays, candles and candle holders, keepsake matchboxes, napkins and towels, serving boards, menorahs, and other items feature illustrations of deli foods like pickles, challah, and fish.
Other retail collaborations focused on Hanukkah have emerged from time to time over the years. Target has offered items within its Opalhouse home goods private label, a partnership with Jungalow by Justina Blakeney, and Crate and Barrel paired with Rebekah Lowin, a Jewish lifestyle influencer, for a curated display of blue, white, and silver home goods and a menorah, among other examples. But significant licensing deals are still rare.
The high profile of the two collaborations mentioned above, alongside the year-on-year expansion of in-house-designed Hanukkah-themed products at retail in general, could mark a turning point. The opportunity is relatively small, as just 2.4% of Americans are Jewish, according to the most recent 2020 figures from Brandeis University’s American Jewish Population Project. So most specialist products will likely appear as part of broader collaborations with IP owners who have the appropriate credibility.
The power of brands like Russ & Daughters and Jonathan Adler to bring authenticity to a retail category that over the years has generated its share of criticism for the kitschy quality of the merchandise, not to mention occasional misuse of Jewish imagery and symbols, certainly represents a competitive advantage for marketers in this space.
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