Today’s First-Day-of-Issue Ceremony & dedication for the brand new USPS Hanukkah Forever stamp was held in our own South Florida backyard at Temple Beth El in Boca Raton. 
The standing room only crowd was treated to remarks from USPS COO/EVP David E. Williams. Rabbi Dan Levin and US Congressman Ted Deutch also spoke. I want to congratulate each of the speakers on their comments and give a shout out to Congressman Deutch’s on his observations about the USPS and the true value of the mail.
The mail offers us a genuine ability to connect with each other. It’s tactile – we can hold it in our hands. It has shelf-life – we can read it now or save it for another time.
Mail is Universal
We are truly fortunate that in the U.S., mail is universal. Everyone can send and receive mail and marketers can fine-tune their audience, target their best prospects and rest assured their message will be delivered right to their prospect’s door. There is no other marketing channel that can make that boast.
Unlike the receipt of email, which can be hit or miss, checked or not, a study by Epsilon showed that 77 percent of consumers sort through their physical mail as soon as they get it. Even better, data from the U.S. Postal Service showed that 98 percent of people check their mail daily.
“The Hanukkah stamp we’re dedicating today honors a religious observance that is more than 2,000 years old — and how appropriate that the word itself — Hanukkah — means ‘dedication’ in Hebrew,” said U.S. Postal Service Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President David Williams. Starting today, this beautiful image of remembrance, light and love will travel on letters and packages to millions of households and businesses throughout America and around the world.”
As Past-President of the Florida Direct Marketing Association and a member of Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County Board of Directors, I was doubly honored to participate at this first-day-of-issue ceremony.
#HanukkahStamps.