USPS Issues New Hanukkah Stamp

Today the U.S. Postal Service is issuing a new Hanukkah Forever stamp to celebrate the Jewish holiday. The First-Day-Of-Issue dedication is at Tour Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island.

The stamp is being dedicated in conjunction with a new stamp being issued by Israel Post.
 
The new Hanukkah stamp artwork features a menorah created using the techniques of the traditional Jewish folk art of papercutting. Artist Tamar Fishman made a pencil sketch of the design and then with a fine blade, cut the two-dimensional image on white paper. She chose blue-purple and green papers for the background to highlight the central design. Behind the menorah is a shape reminiscent of an ancient oil jug that represents the heart of Hanukkah. Additional design elements include dreidels — spinning tops used to play a children’s game during the holiday — and a pomegranate plant with fruit and flowers.

Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp. As a Forever stamp, Hanukkah will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.

News about the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #HanukkahStamps.

Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, a date that falls in late November or December. In 2018, Hanukkah begins at sundown December 2.