American synagogue debuts vending machine with 'everyday Jewish' items

What started out as a "what if" during a staff meeting has come to fruition — Temple Israel has just launched what it says is one of the first Jewish vending machines in the world.

And it sits in the lobby of the synagogue, available to people as they walk in.

The idea is to sell Jewish traditional and ritual items for members of the congregation in an easy, accessible way, Assistant Rabbi Zachary Plesent said.

Among the offerings: yarmulkes, mezuzot, parchment for the inside of a mezuzah, "mazel tov" cards and yahrzeit candles for death anniversaries.

"This is the everyday Judaism," Plesent said.

There will also be rotating items based on the holiday and some Kosher food. Recently, the vending machine had traditional hamentaschen — triangular-shaped cookies — for Purim. Plesent said he also wants to add Temple Israel merchandise as an option.

Combining modern technology with Jewish culture 

"Our Jewish Vending Machine marries the efficiency of modern technology with the depth of Jewish culture. It's designed to resonate with our tech-savvy younger members while providing a service that congregants of all ages will find invaluable," John Kaufman, president of the board of trustees, said in a media release.

Part of why Plesent loves working at Temple Israel is that innovation and creativity are part of the Reform temple's stated values, he said.

Plesent said Senior Rabbi Michael Friedman pushed him to lean into those values; Friedman was the one who initially threw around the idea of the vending machine.

When the idea of a vending machine came up again a few months later, Plesent said he decided to make it a reality.

"I feel really proud to work at a synagogue like Temple Israel that encouraged me to use my time — in addition to my other rabbinic duties — to pursue this idea," Plesent said.

He cold-called some vending machine companies, particularly ones that handle fragile and non-food products, before finding The Discount Vending store, which he worked closely with to build and customize the machine, which the temple now owns.

The machine went into operation March 22.

"It's been wildly successful," Plesent said.

Plesent said part of living a Jewish life is emphasis on the values of joy and celebration, inclusivity, creativity and innovation, Jewish ritual, Jewish pride, Jewish resilience and Israel being central to Jewish life.

To go along with Judaism's principles of charity and community, the temple has added a donation card for $36 that can be brought to the front office, and the temple will make a donation to Homes with Hope or Mazon, a Jewish organization to combat hunger.

The temple's staff is responsible for stocking the machine. So far, they've already had to restock some of the food items and the greeting cards have been popular, officials said.

"We think this is the beginning of a conversation about delivering accessible Jewish rituals and practices to our community," Plesent said.