For high resolution image of stamps contact: congetta.chirichello@usps.gov
New York, NY—On November 19, 2013 at 11:00am at the Jewish Community Center, 334 Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, the postal service will unveil the beautiful Hanukkah Lights stamps. The stamps arrive in time for the holidays to help send warm wishes in remembrance of this special holiday and spirit of the season. The event is free and open to the public and media.
Renowned guests and speakers have confirmed their attendance. Mark your calendar to attend this wonderful event!
The stamps and other Hanukkah memorabilia will be on display and for sale at the ceremony.
The stamp art is a photograph of a contemporary forged-iron hanukiah created by Vermont blacksmith Steven Bronstein. Nine lighted white beeswax candles top each of the branches. The word “Hanukkah” is spelled out across the top of the stamp in yellow letters. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp. George E. Brown was the photographer.
The Hanukkah stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.
The stamps go on sale Nov 19th and will be available during the unveiling ceremony. Why not be among the first to own the stamps! The stamps will also be available for purchase at post offices nationwide, by calling USPS Stamps at 800-STAMP-24 or online at The Postal Store, www.usps/stamps.
Background:
Celebrated by Jews around the world, Hanukkah, the joyous Festival of Lights, spans eight nights and days of remembrance and ritual. Observance begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, a date that falls in late November or December. In 2013, Hanukkah begins at sundown on November 27.
Central to the celebration is the hanukiah, a nine-branched menorah used only at Hanukkah. Eight of its branches represent each of the eight nights and days of Hanukkah, and the ninth, the shamash or “the servant,” is used to light the other candles.
Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for “dedication.” Tradition relates how a miracle took place during the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been desecrated. The sacramental oil, thought to be enough for only one day, burned for eight days. The miracle of the oil is at the heart of the ritual of the lighting of the hanukiah.
The celebration of Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, a date that falls in late November or December. In 2013, Hanukkah begins at sundown on November 27.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.###
Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.
For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: 152 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With more than 31,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private-sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 42nd in the 2012 Fortune 500. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for seven years and the fourth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
Follow the Postal Service on twitter.com/USPS and at facebook.com/USPS.
