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Is It Proper To Buy A Yarmulke?


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Betcha ya never thought to see this on a shooting forum :) But where else am I likely to find a quicker (and honest) answer than here with my extended family :wub:

So... David's in Israel. His Grandparents are Jewish. His Grandfather's 90th Birthday party is less than a month away. PERFECT GIFT BUYING OPPORTUNITY!

If it's not proper to buy a yarmulke as a gift, what could he buy for him while he is there?

Oh, and is there a woman's equivalent?

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Umm, my experience with 90 year old men, Jewish or otherwise is that they already have their favorite clothes, shoes, yarmulke's etc. and you're not going to get them to change no matter how awesome the replacement is. Old men like visits from family and sweets. It won't have any deep sentimental/religious significance but if it was my grandpa, he'd be just as happy with a card and a bag of jelly beans. Ok, he really wouldn't even care about the card.

:)

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David's 90 year old grandfather is diabetic, no candy for him :) Oh, at his birthday party, we are also celebrating his 10th wedding anniversary. His wife is 64 - the same age as David's Dad!

Thanks for the advice guys, but I really need to have the question answered. Guess it's time to hit up google.

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My grandfather's favorite gifts (aside from visits from his kids and grandkids) were pocket knives (he would wear one out in about two years...he worked hard), Jelly Beans and semi-racy birthday cards. You know, the ones that we would consider very, very tame now but 30 years ago would have been "out there".

Not knowing any background he might like something physical from Israel. A hunk of geology carved into some shape (or not) or something made of olive wood from there. A lot of people put a lot of stock in that sort of stuff. Must be why I have a bottle of dirt from my grandparent's farm, my folks house where I grew up, etc.

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"we are also celebrating his 10th wedding anniversary. His wife is 64 - the same age as David's Dad!"

She is 26 years his younger?!?! Cradle robber!!!!

Seriously though, I think that there are plenty of appropriate gifts; I have been to Israel twice and in both Tel Aviv and the capital, Jerusalem, there are many stores that specialize in Judaica, often run by Orthodox jews. Being gentiles, we were a bit timid at first to browse these stores but in every single case, we were welcomed in and encouraged to browse, ask questions, etc.

As for appropriate gifts, I think a Shabbat plate would be appropriate. It is a great Jewish tradition, especially in Israel, that every eve of the Sabath (Friday night) families gather for a Shabbat or "Shabbat dinner"; special serving plates, usually painted with a blessing in Hebrew, are usually used. Such a plate (unless its silver) could break on the return trip though.

Another option would be a silver Kiddush cup or wine cup; used on the Shabbat as well as the high holidays. Two other suitable gifts would be a Shofar (horn of a goat blown on certian holidays/ocassions) or anything with a Hamsa - the "evil eye" that looks like a hand with an eye in the center - this is considered a good luck charm in Israel and it adorns most Israeli homes.

I loved my time visiting the Jewish state & felt extremely comfortable there; it was one of the few countries I have visited that made me feel as if I could live there (though I'll likely live out my days right here in the US). Regards,

D.C. Johnson

ps - I grew up in several predominently Jewish areas and graduated from American University (which has a large percentage of Jewish students) - all this got me invited to many great Jewish celebrations like Bar/bat mitsva, weddings, Shabbats, Saders - and some not-so-great ones like bris.

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