The Make-A-Menorah project was conceived to encourage greater Jewish observance for young children by getting them involved early. By making it fun, the idea is to have them look forward to celebrating Chanukah every year. One of the highlights will be lighting candles on ‘their own’ Menorah, that they made themselves!

We designed a Menorah kit that the club could make, and the children could assemble and decorate, under adult supervision. We made a couple prototypes (see 1.0 Prototype 1-01, 2-01 & 2-02), which we used to refine the design and conduct some tests (see Burn Test 01, 02, 03, 04 & 05). The kit materials were not expensive, important because the Club wanted to supply the kits to the Temple youth free of charge.

The Club Board of Trustees approved the program, allocating $300 to purchase the necessary materials. We then pitched the idea to the Temple’s Executive Director and Youth Coordinator. They both loved the idea. Having planned a Temple Chanukah Fair, they wanted to include this as one of the children’s activities.

Our original design (Make-A-Menorah 1.0) included a solid wood base, wood dowels, and metal candle holder cups. We cut the wood and dowels to specified sizes, then drilled holes partially into the wood base for where the dowels would be placed. We also drilled smaller holes into one end of each dowel piece to hold the metal candle holder cups. Instruction sheets completed the kits. The wood is readily available from Home Depot, Lowes, and most lumber yards. The metal candle cups are available from Jewish Innovations through Amazon.

Our Chief Engineer, Marty Golden, designed the prototype kit. He adjusted the design based on feedback from evaluating the tests performed. Our kit included the following pieces:
• One base of solid wood 2 ½” x 11 ½” x ¾”
• Eight ¾” diameter dowels, 1 ¾” long for the eight candles
• One ¾” diameter dowel, 2 ¾” long for the Shamash
• Nine Metal Candle Cups
• One sheet detailing assembly instructions (see Assembly Instructions.docx)

Marty also provided the use of his woodworking shop, and he designed the templates we used to ensure the pieces were cut to the proper size, and the holes were drilled in the proper places. (See Wood Shop 01, 03, 07, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 & 17)

We packaged the kits as follows:
• Nine Metal Candle Cups in a snack size Ziploc bag
• All wood pieces, the instruction sheet, and the snack size Ziploc bag above in a poly bag
• A label on the outside of the poly bag identifying the kit (see Bag Label.docx)

We made 30 kits, which we felt would be sufficient. Any leftover kits could be sold or kept for the following year. Additional needed supplies not included in the kits included: Elmer’s Glue, Sharpie markers, and/or paints.

The Chanukah Fair was held on December 4, 2022. It included several vendors for people who might be shopping for Judaica holiday gifts. It also included several children’s activities and Chanukah themed snacks (sufganyot and potato latkes). The Temple promoted the Chanukah Fair using paper flyers sent in the mail, and PDF Flyers (see Flyer) sent via email. They advertised it on their website, and in the Rabbi’s pre-Shabbat phone message and bimah announcements. Additionally, the Club advertised it on its Facebook page, and via emails to our mailing list.

Several Men’s Club members manned the Make-A-Menorah tables, helping the children assemble, glue, and decorate their menorahs. Another organization had a table where they had children decorate Menorah trays. When children finished making their menorahs, we sent them to the Menorah Tray table, and vice versa. (See Table 01, 02, 03, 09, 11, 13, 15 & 18.)

The program was extremely successful. We sold out all 30 kits, and put some people on a wait list, in case we were able to make more. The children were extremely excited and proud having made their very own menorahs!

Feedback from some concerned parents led us to redesign the kit for Make-A-Menorah 2.0. Our new design is made entirely out of ceramic tiles, plus the metal candle cups from the original design (see 2.0_Prototype 1 & 2). Going forward, we will use the new design because it affords these advantages:

• The materials are less expensive than the previous design (see 2.0_Cost Estimate.xlsx).
• There is no need to cut or drill the materials. All one needs to do is purchase the parts and package them with instructions. This makes the kit easier to make.
• One may pre-glue the pieces used to support the Shamash, but this is not necessary. However, if the pieces are not pre-glued, the instructions need to include a step to glue them together.
• This design is 100% fireproof (see 2.0 Specs.docx).