National crafts chain under fire for not stocking Hanukkah merchandise

(JTA) — The national arts and crafts store chain Hobby Lobby is under fire for not stocking Hanukkah decorations.

Ken Berwitz, in his Hopelessly Partisan blog, wrote over the weekend that a friend who asked about Hanukkah goods in the store’s Marlboro, N.J. location, was told “We don’t cater to you people.”

Berwitz reported that he called the company’s home office in Oklahoma and was told that Hanukkah is not on the store’s list of holidays and that it would not be stocking Hanukkah merchandise “(b)ecause Mr. Green is the owner of the company, he’s a Christian, and those are his values.”

Berwitz called the chain’s owner David Green, an evangelical pastor, an “anti-Semitic idiot.”

In a statement issued Monday on Entrepreneur.com, the chain said that it “is currently working with our buyers over our merchandise selection. Due to multiple customer requests, 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.”

Legally, the company is not required to sell Hanukkah or any other Jewish-related merchandise.