Hobby Lobby is facing renewed criticism for not stocking Hanukkah decorations in the lead-up to the Jewish festival of lights.
Customers of the Christian chain store expressed disapproval after noticing it was now stocking Christmas merchandise but not other religious holiday wares, with one shopper claiming on Tuesday that the company was "antisemitic"—something which Jewish hate watchdogs have previously denied.
Hobby Lobby has said that it has not stocked Hanukkah decorations for several years due to low customer demand, and that its sister company, Mardel, stocks such items.
Newsweek approached the company via email for comment on Friday.
"I think it's upsetting for the fact that every religion, especially now in 2023, should have decorations...they can go and buy," Kerri Bestwick, a resident of Providence, Rhode Island, told local news channel WJAR on Wednesday.
"They should definitely represent every religion and make people feel like they can come and support and make crafts based on whatever religion they celebrate," Gabrielle Riccio, a resident of North Kingstown, told the news outlet.
According to fact-checkers Snopes, it is not the first time Hobby Lobby has been condemned for a lack of dreidels and menorahs. It stopped stocking the seasonal merchandise in 2013 and again in 2021—something it noted to local news channels.
Hobby Lobby, which has over a thousand stores, was established by the Green family in Oklahoma City, and promotes Christian values. Its website states that it operates "in a manner consistent with Biblical principles" and is committed to "sharing the Lord's blessings with our employees."
In 2013, the chain sparked controversy following reports that one customer had asked about the lack of Hanukkah decorations and was told: "We don't cater to you people."
This prompted a public apology from Steve Green, the company's president, a few days later in which he said "comments like these do not reflect the feelings of our family or Hobby Lobby," and noted it was "proud contributors" to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust remembrance organization, as well as synagogues and Jewish museums.
"Our family has a deep respect for the Jewish faith and those who hold its traditions dear," he added. "We do not have any policies that discriminate; in fact, we have policies that specifically prohibit discrimination."
The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish hate watchdog, accepted the apology, writing in a statement that Hobby Lobby had "assured us in unequivocal terms that their company has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and that decisions on the merchandise they carry are based on consumer demand, not out of a lack of respect for other faiths."
It added: "At the end of the day, merchandisers have the right to decide which items to include in their inventory."
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Aleks Phillips is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter based in London. His focus is on U.S. politics and the environment. ... Read more
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