A Post Celebrating Thanksgivvukah, Menrukeys and Solos (Reprisal)

This year, the Jewish holiday of Hanukah arrives early on the secular calendar, just a few days on the heels of Thanksgiving.  Which makes this year perfect to reprise one of my favorite posts here at MyShingle.  Enjoy!

Behold the Menurkey. Part Menorah, part Turkey, the Menurkey commemorates the intersection of Thanksgiving and Hanukah, two holidays that celebrate the triumph of religious freedom over oppression; of small outliers over large dynasties.  In many ways, both holidays represent the story of solos.

Although age-old holidays inspired the Menurkey, it came to life in decidedly 21st century fashion.  A nine-year old boy conceived of the mash-up and built a prototype with Tinkercad, a cloud-based computer-aided design (CAD) tool for creating digital designs ready for 3D printing. His parents created a Kickstarter Campaign to fund production, and since then, thousands of Menurkeys have been sold.  Two decades ago, the story of the Menurkey’s success would have seemed as improbable as, well – a few drops of oil burning for eight days or a small band of religious outcasts surviving a harsh New England winter.   Yet now we have, at our fingertips, the tools to speed from concept to commercialization in a matter of weeks.

Yet even as the world changes impossibly fast, what inspires and awes us remains constant and uniquely human.  The determination of the Pilgrims. The courage of the Maccabees.  The creativity that beats within a nine-year old boy and the inventors of the tools that propelled his vision.  And that’s why despite doubts that tech will replace lawyers, solos and smalls will not only survive but thrive.  Because technology can drive but never displace the enduring human characteristics that matter most, and that really, are the miracle.

Happy Thanksgivukkah to all! I’ll see you back here on the other side.