Woodland Hills Students Get a 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, which had submitted proposed stamp designs featuring dreidels and menorahs along with their letters.

Although the U.S. Postal Service has 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 personally 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 a postal employee for 15 years.

“The campaign obviously moved him.”

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

At that, kindergartner 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 next Tuesday, when the official Hanukkah stamp is unveiled at the B’nai B’rph Koutznick National Jewish Museum in Washington. It will go on sale in post offices in October.

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

The Postal Service does not want to single out only one of the many sources of requests for such a stamp in recent years, he said, but agreed that the Kadima campaign was unusual.

“We get groups lobbying for stamps all the time, but I don’t remember an entire school ever doing this,” he said.

Hannah Smotrich, graphic design instructor at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, designed the stamp, which kicks off the Postal Service’s new Holiday Celebration series.

“The stamp will tell about all of the people from all over the world who came here to enjoy the freedom and opportunity that they could only dream about in some lands,” said the letter written by Runyon. “Hanukkah has an inspiring message that reaches across cultural boundaries and touches a place deep in our hearts. . . . Shalom.”

Next Tuesday may be a long way from the Hannukah season, but U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Terri Bouffiou said the timing is consistent with the selection process.

“When you have a stamp like this, that is immensely popular, it is usually unveiled months ahead of time,” she said.

The children originally wrote to California’s two senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, who forwarded the letters and suggested designs to Runyon. Stamp designs are selected by the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee and then approved by Runyon.

The committee is made up of stamp collectors from all walks of life, including actor Karl Malden and retired basketball coach Digger Phelps. More than 40,000 requests for stamps are made every year, ranging from a stamp commemorating the Islamic month of Ramadan to a Bart Simpson stamp, Bouffiou said.

Kadima kindergarten teacher Annette Friedlander, who wrote a letter along with her students, said the idea for the letter campaign came from one pupil’s parents.

“I think it’s wonderful because it shows children how we can make things happen by taking positive action,” said Friedlander, as she passed out cookies and fruit juice at the announcement ceremony after recess Wednesday.

Local Postmaster Madrigal hopes that Kadima’s successful efforts send a message that writing letters, although considered a dying art to some, still works. As tokens of appreciation from the Postal Service, the students were given “We Deliver Love” coloring books, crayons and pins commemorating the service’s comic book series.

When the stamp goes on sale in Woodland Hills this fall, Kadima students hope to be the first in line.