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Join Smashing Life, our membership community to create meaningful Jewish friendships

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Smashing Life and Brides Club members met up at Karen ‘s home for a Challah Bake, pre-pandemic!

What a fantastic week we’re having in our Passover Prep Party. In just a few days, we’ve built a warm, vibrant community as we all prepare for our second (and hopefully last) COVID Passover. This incredible group has brought SO much joy to our holiday prep – and while the party’s almost over, the incredible sense of support, community, and belonging doesn’t have end here.


Zoom Shabbat dinner with Smashing Life

The Passover Prep Party is just a taste of what goes on 365 days a year in Smashing Life,  Smashing The Glass’s warm, inclusive lifestyle community for Jewish and Jew-ish women, whether you’re single, engaged, married, or anything else.

It’s like the warmth of freshly baked challah and Shabbat candles fused with fashion, interiors, lifestyle, recipes, a healthy dose of fun, and a whole lotta heartfelt love and support.


Smashing Life and Brides Club members met up with Karen on her visit to NYC pre-pandemic!

And for the next few days until Wednesday, March 24, the doors to this life-changing community – a space that, in the words of one of our members, “feels like coming home” – are open. If you’re looking to make new friends, lean into your Jewish identity, and find a space where you are enough – what are you waiting for? Join now to see what it’s all about.


When Smashing Life member Sam Levitz recently moved into a new apartment, fellow SL’er Jenna sent her the sweetest housewarming gift!

Not sure if Smashing Life is for you? Have a read through these heartwarming words from one of our dear members. Sam Levitz.

Sam Levitz, New York City:

Growing up I was a part of many different Jewish circles but found in my adult years that those circles had faded into only fond memories. I was struggling to find a space that felt curated for me and my needs as a Jewish adult, and wanting to create a space for myself and my future family that felt true to my Jewish identity. Smashing Life gave me that power and inspiration. 

I’ve made connections and friendships inside Smashing Life that I know will last a lifetime. From virtual Shabbat dinners and in-person happy hours (one day again soon!), to support and love when things get difficult, I know that Smashing Life is the place I can go to where I will find the most incredible people to lift me up.

And I hope they know that I’m there for them. When the going gets tough, you don’t need to look further. We’re not just an online group, we’re a family, a community, and we’re there for each other. 

To be part of a group of Jewish women to connect, engage, and share life’s struggles and triumphs is more important to me than I ever realized. 

Our Jewish or Jew-ish connections may have initially brought us together, but it’s the kindness and compassion of this group that keeps me coming back. I don’t know what I’d do without it and I feel so lucky and fortunate to be a part of it.

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These Menorahs Are Guaranteed to Light Up Hanukkah 2020

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Nosh Menorah by Modern Mensch via ModernTribe
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

PSA: Hanukkah’s less than a week away! (It starts the evening of Thursday, December 10.)

Are you ready?

Here at Team STG, we definitely are! We’re putting up our Hanukkah decor, mailing out some carefully selected gifts and cards, planning our Hanukkah menus, listening to the new Daveed Diggs Hanukkah song on repeat – and, most importantly, dusting off our menorahs!

Lighting the menorah (aka chanukiah aka hanukkiah), a nine-branched candelabra lit, is the key ritual performed each night during Hanukkah. Each night, one additional candle is lit – so there’s one candle on the first night, two on the second night, three on the third night, and so on, until the final night when all eight candles are lit. That extra ninth candle? It’s the shamash (which means “helper” or “servant”), set aflame first on each night and used to light all the other candles.

Lighting the menorah, reciting the customary blessings, and watching the candles do their thing is such a special experience – and it’s even more special when you have a menorah you love using, whether that’s because it’s a family heirloom, you crafted it yourself, it was gifted to you by someone special, or its style is a perfect fit with yours.

These days there’s such a diversity of menorah styles, and we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of our favorites – so if you’re currently using one that doesn’t spark joy, have a look through our roundup and see if you find something that speaks to you.

Another thing that can make your Hanukkah extra bright this year? Smashing The Glass’s FREE online 8 Days of Hanukkah Festival, starting this Tuesday, December 8. Come together with our wonderful community of Jewish and Jew-ish women from around the world to share recipes, crafts, decor, music, and more – and to make some new friends, of course! Sign up to reserve your spot today.

RBG “I Dissent” Menorah by the Glamorous Elephant via ModernTribe
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

You went crazy for this menorah honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg when we shared it on Instagram @yourjewishlife!

Leah Menorah  by Joy Stember via ModernTribe
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

How fun is this modular menorah? You can arrange it however you like (even a different setup each night if you want!), while the sleek design of pewter blocks keeps things firmly grounded in contemporary style.

Brass Bird Chanukiah by Jonathan Adler via Contemporary Judaica
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

This elegant brass bird menorah is just the right of amount of unexpected to bring some fun to your Hanukkah setup while still keeping things chic.

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Hanukkah Cards: The Holiday Tradition We All Need in 2020

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Jewish Museum Boxed Hanukkah Cards: Zoomukkah? Hanuzoom? by Jenny Rozbruch

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Hanukkah 2020 is going to be a holiday unlike any other. A lot of us are going to be missing family and friends we’d ordinarily celebrate with, and all kinds of eagerly anticipated festivities – from Hanukkah parties to public menorah lightings – are a no go due to the pandemic.

But we’d like to propose one small custom to add to your Hanukkah toolbox that can help you stay connected even while social distancing: the Hanukkah greeting card. Sending a cute card with a heartfelt message is such an underrated – and easy – way to reach out across the miles and make your loved ones feel cared for. Plus, these days there are so many fun designs to choose from – and today we’re sharing some of our very favorites. 

While sending (and hopefully also receiving!) some gorgeous greeting cards to those loved ones you won’t be able to see in person this year is a great way to alleviate some of that pandemic gloom, we realize it may not be quite enough to get you through all eight days – and for that reason, we’re running a FREE online 8 Days of Hanukkah Festival, starting December 8. Come together with our wonderful community of Jewish and Jew-ish women from around the world to share recipes, crafts, decor, music, and more – and to make some new friends, of course! Sign up to reserve your spot today.

Mighty Maccabees Hanukkah Card by ThePaperPonyCo via Etsy

We love the way this fun card illustrates key elements of the Hanukkah story, from the Maccabees to the menorah to that miraculous jug of olive oil!

 

Blue Hanukkah Scene Card by Paula & Waffle via ModernTribe
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

We’re loving the folkloric vibes of this blue and white design.

 

Saguaro Cactus Menorah Card by SketchyNotions via Etsy

Attention all Southwesterners: rep your regional pride with this fun saguaro menorah card! Also appropriate for those of us just dreaming about a warmer climate this time of year…

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The Ultimate 2020 Hanukkah Gifting Guide

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With Hanukkah just weeks away we’re rounding up our favorite Hanukkah gifts below. And have you downloaded our free Hanukkah guide packed with everything you need for a lit Hanukkah? It’s packed with easy recipe and decor ideas, songs, gift ideas, blessings, symbolism, and how to feel part of a community – even when it’s 2020. Download it here.

The Ultimate Chanukah Sweater by Sefira Lightstone

We’re obsessed with this totally gorgeous and 100% non-cheesy Hanukkah sweatshirt from artist and illustrator Sefira Lightstone. Featuring the skyline of ancient Jerusalem, a 7-branch menorah (the kind in the temple in Jerusalem that was miraculously kept burning for 8 days in the holiday’s origin story), and Hebrew text reading “A Great Miracle Happened There,” this is one holiday sweatshirt we’d be more than happy to wear year-round.

Marzipan Sufganiyot by Marzipops from ModernTribe
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

It’s sufganiyot! No, it’s marzipan! Wait, it’s… marzipan sufganiyot! If you’re into foods that look like other foods, this sweet kosher-certified box of assorted Hanukkah doughnuts (that are actually almond paste) is going to be RIGHT up your alley. Bonus: it’ll stay fresh a whole lot longer than a box of actual sufganiyot.

Flora Petite Keepsake Gift Box by New York & Narrative
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

Jewish-owned small business New York & Narrative puts together some of the most stylish gift boxes we’ve ever seen – and Flora, which comes packed goodies including a dark chocolate bar, a botanical facial steam, a soy travel candle scented with cedar, amber, and bay leaves, and a bundle of hand-dried florals –  is perfect for anyone in your life who deserves some serious pampering this Hanukkah.

Hanukkah Candy from See’s Candies

How cute would a bowl full of these little berry-flavored Star of David hard candies look on your Hanukkah table?Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Outfit Your Home for Hanukkah 2020

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Hanukkah Garland by SheepFarmFelt via Etsy

Chances are, you’re spending a lot more time at home this year than usual. And while the reasons for that are obviously not so happy, it doesn’t mean some of the outcomes can’t be – like the fact that in 2020 more people than ever seem to be decorating for the holidays. 

And there’s no reason that can’t include Hanukkah – in fact, here at Team STG we feel strongly that it should! We know Hanukkah’s not traditionally a big decorating holiday, but there’s nothing like some joyous reminders of the upcoming Festival of Lights to inject some cheer into your living space – something just about all of us could use right now.

And lest you think Hanukkah decor’s just for kids, think again: these days, there are so many beautiful, sophisticated, not-at-all -cheesy pieces to choose from, whether your preferred style skews contemporary, rustic, vintage, or boho. Read on for some of our top picks.

Star of David Botanical Hanukkah Decoration from Peace Love Light
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

We are loving the rustic vibes of these Star of David botanical hanging decorations!

Mini Hanukkah Garland from the Kitcut via ModernTribe
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

This cute mini Hanukkah garland is just the right size for perking up your work-from-home office digs!

Lights of Hanukkah Plate Set from The Jewish Museum Shop

Fun fact: latkes and sufganiyot taste better when you eat them off these festive dessert plates featuring four different Hanukkah lamps from the collections of the Jewish Museum in New York City.

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