The Sweetest Offerings: Our Annual Rosh HaShanah Gift Guide

Pure and Sweet

The idea for Zach and Zoe Sweet Bee Farm in Pittstown, N.J., grew out of a family’s desire to relieve their son’s asthma and allergy symptoms. Raw honey, which is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, can be a boost to health — and helped the boy. The family began buying lots of raw honey from local farmers, and then became interested in beekeeping and learning about the recent decline in the honeybee population. After much research, they became beekeepers and named their farm for their two children. Now, they produce extraordinary raw honey, as well as honey infused with organic superfoods like blueberries, ginger root, lavender, matcha and others. Available in gift packs (mix and match flavors) at Chelsea Market.

$15 (6-oz. jar); $7 (2-oz. jar) or 3 jars, $15 or 4 jars, $20 (Chelsea Market only); Zach and Zoe Sweet Bee Farm, Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave., Manhattan, Zachandzoe.co.

Jewelry with a Message

Each necklace and bracelet in singer and songwriter Neshama Carlebach’s brand-new line of eye-catching jewelry features the word “Believe” in her handwriting, on a sterling silver pendant. Many are set amidst multicolored gemstones and shining glass beads; wrap bracelets are made of silk. She says, “‘Believe,’ the title of my latest album, is a word that, for me, represents choice, something we each need to work hard to achieve, something that can be within our reach if we commit to growth.”

The handmade jewelry, created in collaboration with jeweler Pam Moskowitz, is available in a variety of colors, styles and lengths including stones like hematite, moonstone, garnet, labradorite, “which contain properties of calm, generosity, health and emotional grounding.” As Carlebach explains, “The word ‘Believe’ is a mantra for me and we hope that the pieces you wear bring you strength, joy and peace. It is so perfect that the jewelry line is being launched close to the Jewish New Year, a time of renewal, hope and rejuvenation.”

$50-$70, at Neshama Carlebach’s shows or at https://100percentbeads.com/collections/believe

Sustainable Serving

Made of bronze, this serving set — perfect for apples and honey, or hummus and crackers, or left empty, to highlight its design — features a platter that is safe for serving food and a small bowl. The insides and outsides have contrasting texture; polished, smooth interiors and hammered exteriors. The Brooklyn company called THIS works with indigenous artists in developing countries to add a modern aesthetic to functional objects for the home. 

$188 ($169.20 museum members), The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. (92nd Street), Manhattan, (212) 423-3211, shop.thejewishmuseum.org.

Seeds of Beauty

Hand-painted porcelain sculptures celebrate the pomegranate, a symbol of fruitfulness and of Rosh HaShanah. Each is one-of-a kind, featuring gold accents and striking, colorful designs, made by Dima and Nadya Gurevich, at their SIND Studio in Tel Aviv. This husband-and-wife team is known for handcrafting conceptual objects with a playful sensibility and rich meaning.

$48, The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. (92nd Street), Manhattan, (212) 423-3211, shop.thejewishmuseum.org.

A Fruitful New Year!

Bright red pomegranates grace these square dish towels by Kei and Molly Textiles, made of pure cotton flour sacks, and hand-printed in Albuquerque, N.M., using eco-friendly inks. With their bold and beautiful design, they can be used as table covers, gift wrapping and sukkah hangings as well as tea towels. The owners of Kei and Molly are visionary social entrepreneurs who employ and train immigrants, refugees and skilled artisans from around the world — offering them secure jobs, support in health and education and leadership.

$13, Magpie, 488 Amsterdam Ave. (83rd Street), Manhattan, (212) 579-3003, magpienewyork.com.

613 Seeds

Rabbi Yael Buechler designs holiday-related items, and for 5780 offers a pure satin scrunchie — for hair, “the ultimate ’80s fashion piece,” she says  — with the theme of pomegranates “as a reminder for us to be mindful of our presence in this world and do more mitzvot in the year ahead!”

$10, West Side Judaica, 2412 Broadway (89th Street), Manhattan, (212) 362-7846, midrashmanicures.com.

Welcoming Guests

Israeli artist Tamar Messer creates sukkah banners in a feminist spirit, featuring her distinctive drawings of seven ushpizoth, or female guests, including Sarah, Miriam and Ruth. Messer, who is based in Haifa, bases her vivid illustrations on text study. The banners, printed on tarpaulin, are available in yellow or sky blue, with Hebrew and English writing.

$70, tamarmesser.com.

A Big Sukkah Story

An aging, singing elephant that has been replaced by a younger elephant in the circus finds his way to a neighborhood family’s sukkah. From outside, he learns the songs they are singing, but can’t fit inside to join in. A young boy named Ori finds a happy solution, spreading hospitality, kindness and music in “The Elephant in the Sukkah” (ages 3-8). Sherri Mandell is also the author of the National Jewish Book Award-winning “The Blessing of a Broken Heart,” about her son Koby, who was killed in a terrorist attack. The award-winning illustrator, Ivana Kuman, lives in Zagreb.

$17.99 (cloth); $7.99 (paper); in bookstores and at karben.com.

From Earth to Earth

Keep up the environmental values and spirit of Sukkot with simple and stylish paper plates in the shape of oak leaves, made of pure paper pulp, that are biodegradable, water-resistant, microwave-safe, heat-resistant, stackable and easy to hold.

Package of 4, $8 (smaller); $12 (larger size); Magpie, 488 Amsterdam Ave. (83rd Street), Manhattan, (212) 579-3003, magpienewyork.com.

Beads and Breakfast

These brightly colored beaded bracelets are made by mothers, members of the nomadic Samburu people, in Kenya, who live in an isolated part of the country. The American-based Thorn Tree Project helps send their children to school. Many of the children have been the first in their families to attend school, and some of the first students they helped are now attending university. The purchase of a bracelet provides daily breakfast for one student for one year.

$25, Blackbarn, Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave., Manhattan, (212) 620-3110, thorntreeproject.org.