For numerous Jewish kids around the world, candies, chocolates, and specialty treats handed out at synagogues on Shabbat or Jewish holidays are among the sweetest memories of their early years. These goodies might be handed out by the resident “candy man” or “candy lady,” be tossed during a bar or bat mitzvah ceremony, or appear at holiday festivities like Simchat Torah.
History of throwing candy in synagogues
In fact, Simchat Torah may help explain how the candy-flinging practice began in the first place. In some Central European communities, congregants historically tossed fruit inside the synagogue before the Musaf prayers on Simchat Torah. In other European Jewish communities, throwing fruit indoors was considered inappropriate, so the custom took place outdoors.
Though the exact symbolism behind the tradition is somewhat unclear, the general interpretation today is that since fruit is sweet, it was a literal way to commemorate the “sweetness” of learning Torah. That same symbolism now carries over into modern celebrations, as b’nai mitzvah kids are showered with sweets.
From a practical perspective, it makes logical sense that the fruit-throwing would evolve into candy-throwing, something a little easier to clean and less wasteful; one can only imagine the mess after mass fruit-throwing occasions. Plus, let’s be honest, getting hit in the face with a flying apple or plum is hardly a pleasant spiritual experience. Who knows, perhaps there were many flying-fruit injuries in shtetls across the Austro-Hungarian Empire back then that history has recorded.
Hence: candy.
The Candies that defined North American Jewish childhoods
Some treats became iconic within particular Jewish communities and eras. For instance, Jews growing up in the United States and Canada in the 1980’s and 1990’s recall flying Sunkist Fruit Gems soaring through synagogue sanctuaries during communal celebrations. Fruit Gems played a dual practical role as a perfect congregational confection: not only were they kosher (and in the era where consumer products were constantly marketed as such, fat-free!), but those small chewy jelly-like candies were soft. That meant when the celebrant inevitably got bonked in the head by flying candies while the congregants shouted out mazel tov, the risk of injury via airborne junk food remained relatively low.
Read more: 7 iconic American snacks that were revolutionized by Jewish immigrants
Personally, I recall a lot of Hershey’s Kisses and Miniatures circulating through synagogue life during my childhood, though Fruit Gems were certainly preferable in terms of being smacked in the face by small objects. Passover, of course, brought its own sugary ecosystem, shaped by stricter kosher requirements: Barton’s chocolates, Joyva marshmallow twists and Jell Rings, and brightly colored jelly fruit slices remain high in the nostalgia factor for many North American Jews.
A sweet tour around the Jewish world
Elsewhere around the globe, Jewish kids grew up with entirely different sweet traditions shaped by local tastes, available ingredients, and regional kosher certification.
In Mexico, Jewish kids get a kick out of spicy tamarind and chili mango wrapped candies and the ever-classic peanut De La Rosa Mazapán, all happily certified kosher. As a liquid treat after colder-weather celebrations, there’s the cinnamon-spiced Abuelita hot chocolate.
Argentinian Jewish children get the glory of alfajores cookies, a sandwich cookie with dulce de leche inside, which has become beloved across much of the Jewish community there. Israeli coffee drinkers may recognize them from Aroma cafés, where the cookies became increasingly popular thanks in part to Argentinian Jewish immigration to Israel. In terms of packaged treats, since 2009, the popular Nucrem bar has received kosher certification.
South African Jewish kids might fondly remember noshing on Peppermint Crisp fridge tarts for special occasions and getting to pig out on Beacon Smoothies hard sucking candies and brightly colored Fizz Pop lollipops. Further south in Oceania, New Zealand Jewish youth enjoy easy access to kosher-certified Whittaker’s chocolate — and what would be an Aussie childhood without Milo, the popular chocolate malt drink?
Speaking of chocolate, Central European Jewish communities have the advantage of some of the world’s most beloved chocolate traditions. International favorites like Milka, Toblerone, and many of the Ritter Sport bars are kosher-certified and originate in countries like Switzerland and Germany. Admittedly, these are admittedly superior alternatives to the Hershey’s of my childhood.
In Israel, the candy landscape takes on its own iconic flavor. There’s the classic Elite Pesek Zman cream wafer bar, the flaky Mekupelet chocolate, Klik chocolate-covered crunchy bites, and even Elite’s popping candy chocolate bar. During the cooler months, many Israelis eagerly anticipate the return of Krembo, the beloved seasonal treat made of marshmallow filling atop a biscuit base coated in a thin chocolate shell.
Regardless of the community or nationality that Jewish kids around the world grow up in, the rituals and sweet memories of these synagogue treats provide a commonality and shared memories. Taste is often one of the more overlooked elements of sensory experiences when it comes to rituals and celebrations, but in the case of candy, the linkage of a childhood passion for treats with Jewish holiday and communal events often creates a warm, positive association between the two. This can be a simple yet lovely way for Jews around the world to find common ground- talk candy!
