The Menurkey - A Thanksgivukkah Candelabra Created By A 9 Year Old.

above: glazed textured Menurkey shown

Although I won't be adding it to my carefully curated list of modern menorahs, the Menurkey is something us Jews celebrating Hanukkah this year ought to at least know of.


above: smooth plaster Menurkey shown

Since this year's Festival of Lights falls on Turkey Day (an extremely rare occurrence that last time happened in 1861), it was inevitable that someone would create something such as this. The fact that it's the brainchild of a 9 year old makes it even better.



The Menurkey is a combination Menorah/Turkey conceived of, designed and named by 9 year old Asher Weintraub, a fourth grader from New York City, who thought of the idea and the name when he learned of this strange calendar anomaly. He says one of the reasons he thought people might like to have a turkey menorah was because the holidays were similar – because in some way both commemorate being ‘thankful.’


above image of Asher with his Menurkey courtesy of WSJ


How he made it: 
Asher used Tinkercad, a 3D modeling platform, to make the first sketches of the prototype:


Makerbot Studios then stepped in to help out by printing the 3D prototype:


Ceramic artist Connie Smith of the Etsy shop doters adapted Asher's design to create the first prototypes for the Menurkey in plasticene, with two different exterior textures:





The Finished Editions
The Menurkeys are being made in a limited run of textured ceramic glazed Menurkeys and a higher volume edition of smooth plaster Menurkeys. The ceramic editions will be offered in two versions – white or blue )both shown below). The white plaster editions will be smooth (also shown below). Having already sold out of the limited glazed ceramic versions, you can still purchase the white plaster Menurkey.

The White Ceramic Glazed Menurkey:



The Blue Ceramic Glazed Menurkey:


The White Plaster Menurkey:


What began as a way to encourage one of their son’s ideas has grown into a mission – whomever Caroline Baron and Anthony Weintraub (Asher's parents) tell about the Menurkey smiles and asks questions, and it’s a great way to discuss these two holidays. What better way to celebrate this strange but amazing occurrence with your family than with this funny and fascinating conversation starter?


above: Asher Weintraub with his parents and younger brother



BUY IT
Plaster Menurkey (White)
6.5” h X 8.5” w X 5.5” d
$50.00 + Shipping & Handling
buy it here.

They also have an iMenurkey app created by the makers of the iMenorah

images and information courtesy of Menurkey.com

201 Beautiful Modern Menorahs (The Megile Modern Menorah List.)

Beginning in 2006, I began making annual lists of beautifully designed and unusual modern menorahs for those who wanted to participate in the tradition of the nightly lighting of the candles in observance of Hanukkah (or Chanukah) without the old style Hanukkia or Menorah.

At that time is was hard to find any accessible and affordable Judaica that was contemporary, let alone modern, but that has since changed. Artists, designers and popular stores like Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Target all carry menorahs now, most sold online, but that doesn't mean they are all attractive or well-designed. So, I've separated the wheat from the chaff for you.



above: Online stores like Modern Tribe make a point of carrying the latest contemporary Judaica, like the Nail Mountain menorah by Seth Nagelberg shown above

This list doesn't include cheesy novelty menorahs made in the shape of shoes, trains, school buses, dogs, dancing rabbis or cats. Okay, admittedly I did include the Motherboard Menorah, the giant Matchstick Menorah and the Galvanized Pipe Menorah, which may border on novelty to some, but have a Pop art and Dada-like style.


above: The motherboard menorah, pipe menorah and matchstick menorah made the list because of their Pop art and Dada qualities

The list does include modern and functional menorahs that range from high end menorahs by well-known luxury brands like Tiffany, Christofle, Steuben, Waterford, Spode, Lenox and Nambé to artisan menorahs by some of Israel's finest artists, metalsmiths and jewelers.


above: Nambé Illume Menorah, new for 2009


above: an unusual menorah from Reddish Design Studio suspends found candleholders in a white frame.

The list also includes ultra modern versions from such hip designers as Jonathan Adler and Karim Rashid and even menorahs by world renowned modern artists like Dali, Agam and Britto.


above: the Levels menorah by Yaacov Agam is layered 24kt gold over bronze and was designed in 1966

Other respected brands with their own line of items like David Mellor, Michael Aram, Simon Pearce, Umbra and Jay Strongwater also have menorahs on this list.


above: Corin Mellor's Stainless Steel Menorah for David Mellon Design is limited to 6 editions

Blown glass, borosilicate glass, hand-forged iron, gold, gold-plated, sterling silver, silver plate, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, pewter, exotic woods, stone, cement, lucite, acrylic, resin and even Swarovski studded menorahs can be found on the list.


above: the most blingy on the list is a menorah encrusted in Swarovski crystals

There's a huge range of prices, from $14.00 to over $100,000.00, so you can see that price was not a criteria for the list. Some are limited editions, some are one of a kind and some may already be sold out.

All you have to do is click on the menorah below that interests you and you'll be taken to thisnext.com where you can find more details and a link to the store or dealer to purchase it.


The 201 Modern Menorahs:

You may have noticed that the menorahs by MacKenzie-Child's are not included in my list, but if you are a fan of those, you can find those here.

Between now and the first night of Hanukkah, I will be adding more modern menorahs I find to my list so be sure to continue to check it out here.

The first night to light the candles this year, 2009, begins December 11th. So, if you don't have a menorah you like by now, you'd better start shopping. And if you can't find a menorah you like in this exhaustive list, then you're meshugge.