'Tis the season for shopping: Your ultimate Hanukkah gift guide

Show friends and family you love them a whole latke

By SHARON FEIEREISEN
Anastasia's ready-to-gift food set. (photo credit: Courtesy)
Anastasia's ready-to-gift food set.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
As Adam Sandler so cleverly sang, instead of one day of presents “we have eight crazy nights” of the Festival of Lights, which means... there are a whole lot of gifts to buy! Whether you’re looking to pamper a beauty snob, a new mom, a booze connoisseur or a workout fanatic, we’ve got you covered, and then some, with our guide to the best 2019 holiday gifts.
FOODIE-INSPIRED PINS
There isn’t much you can get for NIS 10 in Israel, especially not at one of celebrity chef Eyal Shani’s restaurants, so we’re happy to report that for a limited time you can get pins, designed by Shenkar student Dana Ben Ami, at all locations of Shani’s popular restaurant Miznon. Proceeds of the food-themed pins are being donated to Latet (“to give”), an Israeli charitable organization dedicated to reducing poverty.
ATHLEISURE STAPLES
Factory 54 may get most of the glory, but for the best athleisure buys from brands like Koral, L’Urv, and Varley, there’s no beating Liky’s Wear. The Tel Aviv store and website – likys.co.il – were conceived by Israeli celebrity trainer Liky Rozenberg and, for the holidays, gift cards starting at NIS 100 are up for sale.
FLIGHT TO JAPAN
Israelis love Thailand and South America, but come 2020 they can add Japan to their list, given the recent announcement that El-Al has launched direct flights between Ben-Gurion and Tokyo. While the flights won’t be launching till March 2020, you can pre-book spots now. The 12-hour trip will operate three times a week on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
ON-TREND SNEAKERS
Forget Nike and Adidas. Those in the know are all sporting On Running or APL sneakers. For cloud-like cushioning while running, check out On Running’s new Cloudstratus, available at ING-Malha Mall, for NIS 799. Meanwhile, cross-training fitness fanatics will love APL’s Phantom style, which is available in a seemingly never-ending color and pattern assortment for NIS 849 to NIS 899 at Liky’s Wear.
DESIGNER FRAGRANCE
Gifting a loved one a classic Chanel bag might not be realistic, but the brand just launched a delightful new scent, Gabrielle Chanel Essence (NIS 560 for 50ml; NIS 730 for 100ml), available at the Ramat Aviv Mall and at TLV Fashion Mall.
GPS FITNESS WATCH
Bar none, Polar makes the best fitness watches. Whether you’re looking for something to track your heart rate while pregnant or whether you’re looking for detailed metrics to improve your game-day results, the brand has all bases covered. Polar’s latest launch, Ignite (NIS 999), offers advanced metrics and training recommendations, with new features including detailed insight into the amount and quality of sleep you’re getting, insight into how well you’re recovering from your workouts, along with a wrist-based heart rate system, meaning you won’t be dealing with cumbersome chest straps. The new watch also offers daily training guides.
HIGH-BROW GIN
Following the successful introduction of Alena Rosé, The Norman Hotel just launched a private label gin created in collaboration with Jullius Craft Distillery, located in Kibbutz Hanita. The Norman Gin is based on dates from the Jullius founder’s family plantations, as well as herbs collected in the Galilee, almonds, and roasted beans. If it’s anything like the rosé, it will sell out fast, so head over to The Norman’s Library Bar (where it’s also served as part of the gin-based cocktail menu) to pick up a gift-able bottle (NIS 275).
BOX DELIVERY
Thanks to buzzy upstarts like Shookit – which delivers market-fresh produce to your doorstep – box delivery services are having a moment. For new parents, It Momz offers monthly boxes for those with babies 0-2 years old. Products vary from development toys and design pieces, to food utensils and bath accessories. While the bulk of shipments go out around Israel, they also offer international shipping options. One-time boxes are NIS 249, while ongoing boxes are NIS 199/month (after the first NIS 249 box) at itmomz.com.
FOREVER JEWELRY
There are few status symbols as beloved across the board as a Rolex – translation: no matter what you buy at Rolex’s Israel boutiques, you can’t go wrong. The latest collection launched during Baselworld in March and is now in store, including the gorgeous Datejust 31, which pairs an olive-green dial with 18-carat yellow gold hands and a VI numeral set with 11 diamonds (NIS 51,650). Shopping for a man? Checkout the new Yacht-Master 42 (NIS 124,600). If five-figures-plus isn’t in the cards, Movado’s Museum Mesh watches are available at Planet stores throughout Israel, for men and women, starting at NIS 2,428.
DUTCH OVEN
From blue to red to purple, Le Creuset’s signature Round Dutch Ovens come in an array of colors, all of which make the perfect forever addition to home kitchens. Browse the selection (NIS 900 and up) at one of the brand’s two stores, which are located in Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan.
COOKING TOURS AND WORKSHOPS
Chef Tali Friedman, who has two decades of industry experience, found her true passion for food at Jerusalem’s famed Mahaneh Yehuda market. Today she shares that passion at her cooking studio, the Atelier, located in the heart of the market. It’s from there that she offers tours of the market (including tastings at various stalls) as well as a cooking workshop in which participants make a meal, from start to finish, using ingredients they just purchased at the market (including wine!). For more details and scheduling, email atelier.tali@gmail.com.
GOLDEN SKINCARE
Mimi Luzon, the esthetician to the world’s top models – like Naomi Campbell, Irina Shayk, Elsa Hosk, Sara Sampaio, and Alessandra Ambrosio – makes industry-leading skincare. For as close as any of us can hope to get to a model glow, checkout her 24k Pure Gold Dust Gift Set (NIS 349), available online and at her Petah Tikva beauty salon. The included powdered cosmetic-grade gold leaf can be added to any moisturizer to help tighten and smooth-out wrinkles.
FOODIE GIFT SET
The way to anyone’s heart is via their stomach and vegan favorite Anastasia is here to make it extra special with their ready-to-gift foodie gift set. Available online at 10bis.co.il, on Wolt, or by calling them directly and pre-ordering it, the set comes in small (NIS 245) or large (NIS 379). And yes, even vegans will delight in the treats, which include roasted vegetable quiche, non-dairy cheeses, bread, granola, chocolate chip cookies, babka and more.


Related Tags
guides
shopping