Why Aren't There More Jewish Stamps?

"Ronald Scheiman, 74, of Boynton Beach, has been fighting the lonely fight for more Hanukkah stamps for nearly 20 years now," writes  Frank Cerabino in a column that appears on Florida's Palm Beach Post website.

Scheiman, a former postal clerk on Long Island, got involved with his stamp suggestion efforts after the U.S. Postal Service started issuing a Chinese New Year stamp according to Cerabino.

Cerabino goes on to say, "So Scheiman lobbied for the Hanukkah stamp in 1993, and three years later the postal service issued its first one, a colorful menorah design."

Scheiman wonders why have only been four different Hanukkah stamp designs since 1996 unlike Christmas stamps which have new designs each year. He also says that they don't get the same distribution as Christmas stamps and would like to have more post offices make them available.

Scheiman has created a website, www.Hanukkahstampquest.com,  in an effort "to get the United States Postal Service to issue a new and different Hanukkah stamp every year it issues a new stamp for Christmas."

On the site, Scheiman is also promoting the idea of having an American Jewish Heritage stamp and says there is a precedent for such a series of stamps citing the Black Heritage series which started in 1978.

"There are so many American Jews who could, and should, be recognized on such a series of stamps," Scheiman says, "The list includes Justices of the Supreme Court, Senators, Scientists, Patriots, etc. For a list of many of them please visit the website: www.fau.edu/library/depts/judaica9.htm. It is one of a few sites with listings of famous Jewish Americans."