Last minute gift ideas from The Jewish Star

Issue of December 11, 2009/ 24 Kislev 5770

Meet Rebecca, the latest in the American Girl doll company’s historial series. In nine-year-old Rebecca Rubin’s world the year is 1914 — she’s growing up on the Lower East Side in New York City. There are even a number of Jewish holiday-related accessories such as the menorah, dreidel and Chanukah gelt set, and the items in the photo at left. Rebecca doesn’t come cheap — $114 for the doll, a book with her history and back story, and accessories. The entire kit and kaboodle — the Rebecca doll and all the available accessories (matching winter coats for doll and owner, for instance) will set you back some $580 plus tax.

Finally, something just for oblivious parents in Jewish families to throw away while cleaning  the attic or the basement. From the American Jewish Historical Society comes the Jewish Major Leaguers “Record Setters” edition of their Jewish baseball cards. Featuring Marquis, Youkilis and others — the 50 cards focus on historical record-setters as well as updates on current players, highlights of the ‘08 season, career leaders, and all-time roster. Kids! Beware of Pesach cleaning.

Tootsie Rolls? Yep, you bet. The famous chocolate candy is finally kosher — newly under the supervision of the Orthodox Union. The kosher packages will begin distribution in the next few weeks bearing a standard OU symbol. Also becoming kosher are other Tootsie Roll-related products: Frooties, Tootsie Fruit Rolls, and DOTS. Though as of yet, Tootsie Roll's trademark Tootsie Roll Pops are still not kosher and therefore no Jewish child will be able to tell you how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop.*

Remember Ferbie? How about Tickle me, Elmo? You may be getting a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach or you may be thinking, “Ferbie ... mmmmm.” Either way, the Zhu Zhu Pets — a virtual pet in hamster form — is one of the top sellers of the holiday toy season around the country, and locally too, according to Nancy Bloomberg of La Toys Etc in Cedarhurst. It’s suitable for children as young as three and, perhaps best of all, they presumably don’t smell like real  hamsters.

The soulful Chaim Dovid is back with a new album, Hamevaser Tov, and delivers nicely. He and his band, the Good News Bearers (get it?) perform 10 solid songs including nine of his original compositions and Carlebach’s Pitchu Li. One favorite on second or third listen was the country-tinged Likrat Kallah. The most curious may be Aussie Jig — call us crazy but the first few bars evoke the Gilligan’s Island theme.

It’s an album with roots in the Five Towns — track 6, Brach Dodi, is “inspired by my Rebbe, R’ Moshe Weinberger at Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY,” Chaim Dovid writes in the liner notes. Other locals mentioned therein include Azriel Ganz, producer of the Shirei Shmuel music series “for constant support in making this possible,” and Avi Feinberg “for taking care of everything in the US.” Feinberg, a drummer, also accompanied Chaim Dovid during a recent appearance for the Ossie Schonfeld Memorial Toy Fund, playing a rather unusual drum chair that was perfect for a kumzitz — the chair was the drum.

The Sing-Along Star Mike is another top-selling toy, according to Nancy Bloomberg at La Toys Etc. It’s a karioke-type stand up microphone for thebudding Yeshiva Boys Choir soloist in your home

Magformers are a magnetic building toy that connect in any shape and position thanks to neodymium magnets that rotate when two magnets are brought together. Do you know what this means? We certainly don’t. But we do know that kids love building complicated shapes and models out of Magformers.

Finally, where would we be without the original Rody, the inflatable horse?

*This story reflects a correction made after the Jewish Star went to print.