South Bay : Students Help Hanukkah Design Get Stamp of Approval

Wondering as they celebrated Hanukkah in December why holiday postage stamps showed only Christmas scenes, the students of the Kadima Hebrew Academy set out to fill the gap, launching a letter-writing campaign to government officials for a Hanukkah stamp.

On Wednesday, they got it.

Woodland Hills Postmaster Mike Madrigal delivered the news to Kadima’s kindergarten class, who had submitted proposed stamp designs featuring dreidels and menorahs along with their letters.

Although the U.S. Postal Service had received thousands of requests for a Hanukkah stamp throughout the years, the letters from the Woodland Hills students were the catalyst that brought the first such stamp to life, Madrigal said.

Postmaster General Marvin Runyon pushed the stamp through after receiving the children’s letters, Madrigal said, and wrote to the students to tell them their request had been granted.

“I’ve never seen the postmaster send out such a personal letter in response to a stamp request. I mean, this guy is the CEO of the Postal Service,” said Madrigal, who has been with the Postal Service for 15 years. “The campaign obviously moved him.”

“I think your idea is a good one,” read the letter from Runyon to the students, “and I am happy to tell you the Postal Service will be issuing a Hanukkah stamp this year.”

At that, kindergartener Zippy Berman squealed with delight and nudged classmate Alex Fard.

“My design had some green in it, so I hope it’s green,” Alex said.

No one will know that until Tuesday, when the official Hanukkah stamp is unveiled at the B’nai B’rph Koutznick National Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. It will go on sale in October.

There won’t, however, be any mention of the Kadima campaign at the unveiling, even though the Postal Service acknowledges its key role in bringing about the stamp, said Postal Service spokesman Robin Wright.