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Trends In
Jewish Gifts
Rave Shifted

ABIGAIL PICKUS

Special to the Jewish News

Chicago

hen Hava and Adam
Holzhauer got married three
years ago, they received a
curious package from a relative. It was
heavy. It was large. It was a stone bust of
Moses.
"It looks like it was carved out of a
mountain. It's huge and ridiculous,"
said Hava, who lives with Adam and
their toddler son in Buffalo Grove, Ill.
. Moses, however, who is carrying the
Ten Commandments in his hands, has
been situated in a place of honor: on
top of an armoire in the main room.
"It's like Moses is looking down on
us all," said Hava.
Ah, to receive an unusual Jewish
wedding gift! After all, how many
mezzuzot can a couple get? "Well, we
got 13 mezzuzot," said Hava, adding
that only half of them came with the
claff the parchment that goes inside.
So what is the buzz on the street
when it comes to Jewish wedding
gifts? It seems that, busts of Moses
aside, they haven't changed that much
since the days of old.
Sure, you can plan your whole
Jewish wedding through the guidance
of a CD-ROM. And true, the father-
in-law typically doesn't throw in some
chickens once the bridegroom has
agreed to the match.
But when the time comes to buy a
happy couple a gift, people are still
venturing into Judaica stores —
despite the fact that they can order
practically everything on-line. And
they continue to buy everything from
books and music to jewelry and ritual
objects. Those objects include mezzu-
zot, seder plates, Kiddush cups and
challa covers.
In fact, many Judaic retailers have
seen a strong return to tradition, espe-
cially among young couples.
"Young people are definitely going

WI

Abigail Pickus writes for the JUYF
News in Chicago.

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