Get your 3D Printed Menurkey!

OK, so the final product is actually made of ceramic, but 3D printing was integral in its prototyping stage.  The original design was created using TinkerCAD, and prototypes printed by Makerbot.  There are even some related designs on Thingiverse, but in this case, I think the original is still the best!

The Menurkey is a menorah shaped like a turkey.  The brainchild behind the Menurkey is 4th grade Asher, "an inventor and aspiring video game designer who also loves to read and play golf."  He and his family put his project on Kickstarter in August, 2013, and it was funded almost 200%!  (You can still buy your own today, but it may arrive after the holiday.)

Why you may ask?  If you haven't already heard:

The reason Hanukkah and Thanksgiving will overlap this year is because the Jewish calendar repeats on a 19 year cycle, and Thanksgiving repeats on a 7 year cycle.  You would therefore expect them to coincide roughly every 19×7 = 133 years.  Which is correct – the last time it would have happened is 1861.  But Thanksgiving was only formally established by President Lincoln in 1863 (which is why it has never happened before).  It may not happen again because the Jewish calendar is very slowly getting out of sync with the solar calendar, at a rate of 4 days per 1000 years.  This means that while presently Hanukkah can be as early as 11/28, over the years the calendar will drift forward, such that the earliest Hanukkah can be is 11/29.  The last time Hanukkah falls on 11/28 is 2146 (which happens to be a Monday).  Therefore, 2013 is the only time Hanukkah will ever overlap with Thanksgiving.  Of course, if the Jewish calendar is never modified in any way, then it will slowly move forward through the Gregorian calendar, until it loops all the way back to where it is now. So, Hanukkah will again fall on Thursday, 11/28…in the year 79811.

You can read more about the Menurkey and the Menurkey Team on their website.  You can also like them on Facebook. :)