The Hot Pink Menorah You Need for Hanukkah

Golda gang,

I launched this newsletter two years ago, just before Hanukkah, to celebrate the brightness and beauty of Jewish life. This time last year I threw the first GOLDA event: a Hanukkah shopping night at the Jewish Museum Shop. Since then, the GOLDA universe has grown to include our podcast GOLDA Girls, our pink mic Instagram video series, and our sold-out mahjong nights, film screenings, book talks, and more.

For our third Hanukkah, GOLDA is going big—and extra bright—with the launch of our new collab with Tchotchke. Meet The Pink Edition from Tchotchke x GOLDA, a limited edition of Tchotchke's bestselling aluminum bubble menorah, in our signature GOLDA pink.

The menorah is carved from a solid block of aluminum (!) and polished by hand in a high-shine chrome finish. It’s pink and shiny and absolutely stunning, but really my favorite thing about it is how the chrome acts as a mirror, reflecting its surroundings as it brightens them. It feels like a metaphor for what we want our Jewish lives to be.

It’s me, hi…

You can get your hands on The Pink Edition at shoptchotchke.com/golda. GOLDA readers get an exclusive discount with code THINKPINK10.

Keep reading for the behind-the-scenes story of how the collab came to be, plus fun upcoming events where you can find The Pink Edition in person.

GOLDA readers first met Anna and Adam Paskow, the married co-founders of Tchotchke, when we did a studio visit with them last November. This was one of our first videos (we didn’t even have our pink mics yet), and in it they shared how they started Tchotchke because they couldn’t find Jewish objects that fit their modern aesthetic. Adam has a background in product design and Anna in brand strategy, and they realized that they could just make the things they wanted to have in their home.

The result, as you can see in last year’s video, is a collection that brings style to the sacred, injecting color and whimsy into our Jewish lives.

I loved being in their studio, surrounded by bright and bold Judaica that recasts ritual into something that belongs out on our shelves all year round.

After we finished filming, we kept chatting, noting how aligned our respective projects were. It feels almost subversive to reach for beauty and levity in this moment, which means we need to keep doing it. I asked them if we could make something together.

They said yes immediately, and thus began the year-long process of creating The Pink Edition.

First we needed to decide on an object. Tchotchke designs and produces mezuzahs, kiddush cups, and candle sticks, but a menorah would give us an occasion to launch it for—and lots of lead time. I was obsessed with their Bubble Menorah, especially the aluminum version. It was so different and fun, and felt substantial without seeming overly serious.

“Can we just make this in pink?” I asked Anna and Adam.

The answer was yes—but precisely which pink would take many months to figure out.

Physical production is a world I didn’t know much about, so Anna and Adam walked me through the typical process. Then we looked for approximations of the pink color we were envisioning, and they sent photos—of mylar balloons, a purse Anna got for a 90s-theme birthday party, a pair of Stuart Weitzman heels—to their factory. The factory then sent back samples, which took the form of hilariously random objects:

Winner on the left!

It was a high-wire act of chromatics: We wanted loud but not tacky, bright but not Barbie (see: above right), fun but not juvenile. For someone like me who obsesses over things like words and clauses and paragraphs, it was thrilling to get to work on something so tangible.

Ultimately, we arrived at the perfect pink. The result is this Hanukkah showstopper:

Mid-photo shoot with the goods.

Check her out at shoptchotchke.com/golda—and don’t forget the discount code THINKPINK10.

You can also find The Pink Edition in-person at the Jewish Museum Shop, a nice full-circle moment from last year’s GOLDA shopping event, where Tchotchke was our featured vendor. Keep scrolling for where you can find GOLDA—and the menorah!—in the lead-up to Hanukkah.

Tis the season for GOLDA events!

First, tomorrow morning I’ll be at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan’s Holiday Bazaar, where The Pink Edition will be front and center at Tchotchke’s table. Come say hi!

Wednesday, Nov. 18 — New York City: GOLDA is hosting a night of Hanukkah shopping (with optional mahjong open play!) at NYC’s iconic Harmonie Club. Enjoy cocktails and light bites while you shop the latest from our favorite brands, including Tchotchke, Rachie Shnay, Goldie Home, NESSI, Little Lines by Alix, Darcy Miller, Live Rainbowfully, Lyss & Kat, and more. 6:30 - 9:30 p.m shopping; mahjong begins at 7:30 p.m.; 4 East 60th Street. Tickets here.

Tuesday, December 1 — New York City: I’ll be moderating Defying No, a conversation about women’s health from a Jewish perspective, featuring Red Tent Fund founder Alli Tombros Korman (our guest on GOLDA Girls last week!) and Millennial Menopause author Lauren Tetenbaum. The event will also include featured vendors for some holiday shopping beforehand. 7 p.m.; Congregation Rodeph Sholom, 7 West 83rd Street. Register here.

Thursday, December 10 — New York City: Join GOLDA and The Jewish Museum for a special night of Hanukkah mahjong. Enjoy festive holiday treats and a menorah lighting in front of the Museum’s display of more than 130 Hanukkah lamps from around the world, before settling in for an evening of mahjong open play. 6 p.m.; 1109 Fifth Ave. Tickets here.

You can find all our upcoming events at goldaguide.com/events. Get in touch to bring us to your community: [email protected].

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