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Ring in ‘Thanksgivukkah’ With a ‘Menurkey’

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah overlap this year; accessorize accordingly

by
Stephanie Butnick
August 21, 2013
The Menurkey.(Kickstarter)
The Menurkey.(Kickstarter)

I remember where I was on Thursday, November 22, 2012, when I discovered that the first night of Hanukkah the following year would be Wednesday, November 27, 2013. As in, the night before Thanksgiving, which falls on November 28, 2013 (there’s a Twitter account dedicated to Thanksgivukkah, so it’s a thing). I was excited—after all, this hasn’t happened since Thanksgiving was established in 1863 and won’t again until the year 79,811. As the day looms ever closer though, I find myself growing more and more nervous about the convergence of the two major events. Something about it just seems a little spooky. And culinarily confusing.

But here to quell our collective holiday mash-up anxiety is none other than nine-year-old Asher Weintraub, inventor and rising fourth-grader, who designed the ultimate Thanksgivukkah accessory: the Menurkey. Yes, that is a menorah-turkey (I’d advise a four-month stay abroad for the Semitically portmanteau-averse), and he’s already teamed up with Makerbot studios to create a 3D-printed prototype. I’m happy to report that the hybrid hanukkiah is actually pretty adorable.

Now Asher and his dad are seeking $25,000 (!) through Kickstarter to bring their Menurkeys into homes across the country in time for November 27. It’s going to take a Thanksgivukkah miracle—will you help them make their flock a reality?

Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.

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