Semitism Semantics

Recently, my predominantly-Jewish hometown has been experiencing quite a bit of controversy.

Here's my personal backstory:

Over the summer, I went into Hobby Lobby to buy a few crafts, since the store is marginally closer to my house than Michael's or AC Moore.

When I was in there, I overheard two employees having a "serious discussion."

Employee 1: So apparently a lot of people in this town celebrate "Hanukkah"
Employee 2: What is that?
Employee 1: A Jewish holiday
Employee 2: Oh. So?
Employee 1: We don't have any Hanukkah merchandise in stock
Employee 2: Well, it's too late to order anything

This was back in June.

A few days ago, this article surfaced online.

Soon after, we received a blast email from our mayor:

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Marlboro Resident:

Over the last few days, many Marlboro residents have been understandably upset by conversations they reported to have had with Hobby Lobby employees at both the local and corporate level.

Today, I spoke with both the owner of Marlboro Plaza and senior executives at Hobby Lobby. I made them all very aware of the concerns that were being raised by our residents. The Company assured me that they will revisit their holiday item buying in our area and would address any employees who gave the impression that somehow Hobby Lobby would not be welcoming to any segment of our population.  Below you will find the email I received from Hobby Lobby in response to our conversation.

We in Marlboro are proud of the great diversity of our population, and at every opportunity, we make an effort to celebrate it.   It has been my experience that our corporate citizens share in this sense of community and cultural pride, and, as such, I am hopeful that the Company's stated intent will be fully realized.

Mayor Jon Hornik


"Dear Mayor Hornik,

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. is currently working with our buyers over our merchandise selection. Our customers have brought this to our attention and we are currently evaluating our Holiday items and what we will carry in the future.

Alleged comments made by employees are currently being investigated and will be addressed accordingly. These comments are in no way indicative of Hobby Lobby culture, the owners and the operators.

Marlboro is a great city and has wonderful people and we are blessed to be a part the community.

Vince Parker
Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc."


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Similar articles, such as this one, keep appearing. My rabbi even weighed in.
We made it onto my favorite website in the entire world, Buzzfeed. (A blessing and a curse)

Whether intentional or not, this merchandise bigotry is going to backfire on them. Don't get me wrong; privately-owned stores are entitled to sell whatever they want. But, when stores start telling customers that they don't cater to certain "people," it begins to look a little too familiar.