Hanukkah & Jewish-Themed Spreader Sets
I haven’t done a new post for a while, but I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while and now it’s timely: Today’s post is about the surprisingly extensive collection of spreaders that have been made by various companies to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays and customs.
Now, compared with the vast number of Christmas-themed spreader sets, Hanukkah-themed ones are admittedly rare. There must be hundreds of Christmas sets, by far the most popular theme for spreader sets, since most American families do their most major entertaining over the Christmas holiday.
Nevertheless, there are probably almost 30 different designs that were made for Hanukkah, Passover and Jewish themes in general — which is a more-than-respectable showing in terms of numbers, and these also represent some of the better-designed sets out there.
There were three main smaller brands which made Hanukkah and Jewish-themed spreader sets, mostly during the 1990s and 2000s: Rite Lite, Aviv Judaica and Davida Aprons. Additionally, a few of the larger spreader brands such as Boston Warehouse, Cardinal and Christopher Radko issued one or two sets. And a few department stores briefly sold Hanukkah-themed spreader sets. Below I’ll tell a little about the three main brands, all of which are still in business (although none still issue spreader sets):
Rite Lite
Rite Lite, a wholesale importer and manufacturer of Judaica (Jewish products including gifts, tableware, toys, and ceremonial items) was established in 1949. (Their website is here.) Rite Lite issued at least five different sets of 4 spreaders, and one dip bowl & spreader set. These mostly have dates in the mid-2000s.
Rite Lite spreader sets that I have seen online: 1) A Matzah (unleavened bread) set; 2) Passover set with matzah and kosher grape wine cups; 3) a ceramic Hanukkah set depicting Stars of David and dreidel toys; 4) a resin dreidel and gifts set; 5) a ceramic dip bowl depicting a menorah candleholder with four accompanying ceramic dreidel and Star of David spreaders (designed by Susan Fischer Weis for Rite Lite’s Jacob Rosenthal Judiaca Collection); 6) and a fun ceramic “Bagel Party” set designed by Ann D. Koffsky for the Jacob Rosenthal Collection.
My favorite of these sets is the Matzah one at top left — there’s something about the texture and miniaturization of the little breads that’s very appealing. I’d love to own that set.
Aviv Judiaca
Aviv Judaica Imports Ltd., a Brooklyn, NY wholesale Jewish giftware company established in 1976, has a website here. Aviv Judaica has issued around a half dozen spreader sets in Hanukkah themes (as well as the “Fiddler on the Roof” set, which is a wonderful set).
The Cardinal “Spreadables” company manufactured most of Aviv’s spreader sets for them, with the exception of the top left ceramic set, below, which was designed by Jessica Sporn for Aviv.
Aviv Judaica issued at least six spreader sets: 1) a ceramic pictorial-handled set designed by Jessica Sporn for Aviv; 2 & 3) two Cardinal Spreadables resin largely pictorial sets stamped with Hanukkah symbols; 4) an intricately molded and painted Cardinal Spreadables resin set depicting dreidel toys; 5) a wonderful resin “Fiddler on the Roof” set by Cardinal Spreadables; and 6) a Cardinal Spreadables spreader house set of a dreidel house with four spreaders depicting Jewish family members in traditional European dress with a violin, menorah, boy with dreidel and girl with plate of latke potato pancakes.
My favorite of the Aviv sets must be the utterly marvelous “Fiddler on the Roof” set, which I’ve been looking for for years.
Davida Aprons
Davida Aprons, a Los Angeles apron and accessories company established in 1980, has a website here. (The company’s most iconic product was their singing and dancing “Matzah Man” doll — one later version, “Sam the Matzah Man,” rapped instead of singing… seriously, watch it on Youtube.)
Davida issued at least four spreader sets with Jewish themes such as Hanukkah dreidels, bagels and challah bread, a mah jongg set, and also the sushi set below, one of the most delightful sets ever created; also at least one spreader house (a large challah bread with six challah bread spreaders).
Davida Aprons issued at least four sets of spreaders and a spreader house set: 1) a set of dreidels; 2) a very nicely designed set of everything bagels (with cream cheese!); 3) a set of four challah breads; 4) One of the best spreader sets ever issued, a completely realistic and delicious-looking sushi set; 5) a challah bread spreader house with six challah bread spreaders; a set of mah jongg tile spreaders.
Davida didn’t make many sets, but they were uniformly well-designed and wonderful.
Other Brands
At least ten other sets of Hanukkah or Jewish-themed spreaders have been issued by the larger spreader brands, as well by one-off generic and off-label manufacturers for department stores:
1) Dillards issued a set ; 2) an unbranded ceramic spreader house and spreaders; 3) a set issued by the major brand Boston Warehouse; 4) a matzah set issued by Gourmet Art Spreaders; 5 & 6) two ceramic sets issued by Mikasa; 6) a luxuriously shiny gold, silver and blue set of dreidels and gold coins by Christopher Radko; 7) a blue ceramic set of two by Christopher Radko; 8) a non-branded ceramic pictorial set; 9) a set in my own collection issued by Cardinal similar to the spreader house set they made for Aviv Judaica, above, but likely a slightly different knock-off set sold under their own brand name (and alas, missing the neck of the violin).
Thanks for reading this timely survey of the many different spreader sets that were issued to make it easier for our Jewish friends to celebrate the well-known “Festival of Lights”, as well as Passover, and to simply appreciate Jewish-American customs and foods. Happy Hanukkah!
