About This Stamp
Families come together each year to celebrate Hanukkah, the joyous Jewish holiday also called the Festival of Lights.
The story of Hanukkah — “dedication” in Hebrew — tells of reclaiming the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been desecrated by a conquering army. Worshippers prepared to rededicate the holy space but discovered that only one small jar of consecrated oil remained, enough to last one day. Rather than wait for more oil to arrive, they lit the Temple menorah, which burned for eight days. This miracle of the oil is celebrated during Hanukkah with the ceremonial lighting of the hanukiah, the nine-branched menorah used during the holiday.
The stamp art’s colorful digital illustration shows the lighting of the hanukiah on the last evening of Hanukkah. Artist Jing Jing Tsong chose her colors intentionally to evoke Hanukkah traditions as seen through the eyes of children. The darker blue colors in the background symbolize winter, while the brightly colored flaming candles reflect the spirit and warmth of sharing the holiday traditions.
Hanukkah is a family-centered celebration, particularly the lighting of the hanukiah. The family gathers to recite blessings each night, one before the lighting and one as the candles are lit; a third blessing, known as the Shehecheyanu, is recited or sung only on the first night of the festival just as it is on other special family occasions. The candle for the first night is put on the far right side of the hanukiah. On each subsequent night, an additional candle is placed to the immediate left of the previous night’s candle — right to left, the direction in which Hebrew is read. The candles are then lit from left to right, so that the lighting begins with the newest candle. Some families take this opportunity to explain more about their heritage and the symbolism behind the ritual.
After the lighting of the candles, families might play games, host a sing-along of favorite Hanukkah tunes, or prepare and eat fried foods traditionally consumed during the holiday.
In 2020, Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 10.
Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp with original art by Tsong.
The Hanukkah stamp is issued as a Forever® stamp in a pane of 20. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director, Stamp Designer
Ethel Kessler
Ethel Kessler is an award-winning designer and art director who has worked with corporations, museums, public and private institutions, professional service organizations, and now, the United States Postal Service.
After earning a B.F.A. in visual communications from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Kessler worked as a graphic designer and project manager for the exhibits division of the United States Information Agency. Her work was distributed internationally on subjects such as Immigration, Entrepreneurship, Renovation of American Cities, and the Bicentennial of 1976. She was also responsible for exhibits in Morocco, Botswana, and El Salvador.
In 1981, she established Kessler Design, Inc., for which she is creative director and designer. Clients have included the Clinton Government reorganization, the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Television, the National Park Service, and the American Institute of Architects.
She has been an art director for the U.S. Postal Service’s stamp development program for more than 25 years. As an art director for USPS, Kessler has been responsible for creating more than 500 stamp designs, including the Breast Cancer Research stamp illustrated by Whitney Sherman. Issued in 1998, the stamp is still on sale and has raised more $98 million for breast cancer research. Other Kessler projects include the popular and highly regarded Nature of America 120 stamp series, a collaboration with nationally acclaimed nature illustrator John Dawson, the 12-year Lunar New Year series with Kam Mak, the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes 10 stamps issued in 2003, a 2016 pane of stamps celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and the 2023 stamp honoring Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And many, many others.
Stamp Artist
Jing Jing Tsong
Illustrator Jing Jing Tsong received a B.A. with a focus in graphic design from Pennsylvania State University in 1987. Her work, characterized by vibrant collages of color and texture, is influenced by her experiences working in traditional stone lithography and monoprints. Her projects range from creating television advertising to illustrating children’s books.
The first children’s book Tsong illustrated, Bucket of Blessings (2014), was a New York Times bestseller. Shanghai Sukkah (2015), illustrated by Tsong, was the 2016 American Jewish Libraries’ Sydney Taylor Award Honor Picture Book. The artist created the beautiful illustrations for Feathers and Hair, What Animals Wear (2017), which earned a prestigious Silver Award from Parents’ Choice and was named one of the 2017 New York Public Library Best Book for Kids and Teens and a 2018 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book.
In 2015, Tsong created the official artwork for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Two years later, McDonald's commissioned her for the 2017 Year of the Rooster promotions.
Tsong lives on an island in Washington state. Two of Tsong’s existing illustrations were featured in the stamp issuance Winter Fun (2014). Hanukkah (2020) is the first stamp for which she has created original stamp art for the Postal Service.