Announced by the USPS on May 3^rd:

The Postal Service continues its tradition of celebrating the joyous Jewish holiday of Hanukkah with a stamp design that features an original wall-hanging.

The fiber art was hand-dyed, appliquéd and quilted to form a colorful abstract image of a hanukiah, the nine-branch candelabra used only at Hanukkah.

Jeanette Kuvin Oren [her website] was the stamp designer and artist. Ethel Kessl was the art director.

Additional information will be posted below the line, with the most recent info near the top.

Updated December 1^st:
The Scott Catalog number for this issue is 5739.

Updated December 1^st:
Artist Jeanette Kuvin Oren advises there is a “second day ceremony” for this stamp on December 14^th at the Woodbridge (1449 Whalley Ave, New Haven, Conn.) post office “featuring local USPS dignitaries, light refreshments, and Second Day Covers. Dress warmly for this brief (free) indoor/outdoor program.” Kuvin Oren will be there. It starts at 2 pm.

Updated October 12^th:

The lettering on the Pictorial Postmark sample sent out last month was incorrect. Here is the correct design: The size is the same as reported below (2.74″x1.10″). The lettering on the left-hand face of the dreidel (also spelled “dreydl”) was incorrect. Here is a comparison of the two. As you can see, the ן or what I think was supposed to be a “final-nun” was replaced by the correct regular nun  נ

Updated September 13^th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.98″x 1.14” The Pictorial Postmark measures 2.74″ x 1.10″

Updated September 7^th:
Artist Jeanette Kuvin Oren tells The Virtual Stamp Club that she plans to be at the first-day ceremony. She has worked with other synagogues in the Cleveland area — mostly Torah (sacred scroll) covers, according to the list on her website — but not Temple Emanu El, where the ceremony is being held.

As noted in the September 6th entry, the stamp design bears a strong resemblance to Kuvin Oren’s wall hanging “Light Unto The Nations” [right] which has seven branches rather than nine. She says that is not coincidence: “Ethel Kessler from the USPS liked the “Light Unto the Nations” wall-hanging she saw on my website and asked if I would create a similar piece for the new Hanukkah Stamp,” Kuvin Oren said in email. “I made the new piece from hand-dyed silk, using quilting and other techniques.”

Updated September 6^th:
[ceremony advisory] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
USPS Celebrates Hanukkah With a New Stamp
Artwork Features an Original Wall Hanging of Abstract Hanukkiah Image

What: The U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of celebrating Hanukkah, the joyous Jewish holiday also known as the Festival of Lights, with the issuance of a new Hanukkah Forever stamp.

The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #HanukkahStamp.

Who: Lori Dym, USPS managing counsel for procurement and property law

When: Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, at 11 a.m. ET

Where: Temple Emanu El
4545 Brainard Road
Orange Village, OH 44022-1503

RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at: usps.com/hanukkah.

Background: Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, a date that falls in late November or December. In 2022, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Dec. 18.

The stamp art features an original wall hanging. The fiber art was hand-dyed, appliquéd and quilted to form an abstract image of a hanukkiah, the nine-branch candelabra used only at Hanukkah.

Jeanette Kuvin Oren was the stamp designer and artist. Ethel Kessler was the art director.

The Hanukkah stamp is being issued in panes of 20. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Preorders for the Hanukkah Forever stamp can be made online at usps.com/stamps, beginning Sept 20.

VSC Notes: The stamp design bears a strong resemblance to Kuvin Oren’s wall hanging “Light Unto The Nations,” which has seven branches rather than nine.

An article on Kuvin Oren appeared in the December 2014/January 2015 issue of Quilting magazine, reproduced on her website.

She is based in Woodbridge, Conn.

Updated June 15^th:
This stamp will be issued October 20 with a Chagrin Falls OH postmark.