蜜桃影像AV

On an exploratory drive through their new hometown, Eliot Kohen and Marilyn 鈥淢ickii鈥� Cohen were inspired by one of Tucson鈥檚 saguaro cacti. This one resembled a menorah.

They had just moved to Tucson from Santa Fe that year, 2012, and found themselves enchanted with the saguaros dotting the landscape.

鈥淚 get wildly enthusiastic about them,鈥� Mickii, 69, said. 鈥淲hen we first moved here, I was running around trying to name them all.鈥�

Eliot, 72, sat down soon after that drive and began sketching a design. The final product would be a menorah that resembles a saguaro cactus. They sell for $26.97 online or about $45 in some stores.

Eliot said he grew up as a nominal Jew but both he and Mickii have vivid memories of celebrating Hanukkah with their families. The eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights begins at sunset Sunday, Dec. 6, and ends Monday, Dec. 14. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in second century B.C.E.

鈥淚 remember getting the menorah out and meticulously cleaning the handle for any residual wax and deciding where it was going to go,鈥� Mickii said.

For her, the continuity of the tradition was particularly special 鈥� with her father in the U.S. Air Force, she attended 13 schools before college.

鈥淚 remember the excitement of lighting that first candle, and my mom always made potato pancakes,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was all of that for me 鈥� that smell and the sizzle of the frying pan.鈥�

Mickii鈥檚 mother lived with the couple in New Mexico during the last eight years of her life. Still, she made latkes for her daughter and her husband.

鈥淪he was very spiritual and very Jewish in the nicest possible way,鈥� Eliot said. 鈥淪he taught me as much about Judaism as I think I ever knew.鈥�

This will be the couple鈥檚 first year celebrating with the Sonora Menorah.

Because the arms vary in height, it is not a kosher menorah, said Sarah Chen, the associate director of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division. The office sells the menorahs.

The process from idea to manufactured product took Eliot and Mickii almost three years. The menorahs finally arrived in February 2015.

鈥淣either of us is a designer or an artist,鈥� Eliot said.

Mickii chimed in.

鈥淎nd I would add that Eliot has never had anything to do with manufacturing,鈥� she said.

Before retiring, Eliot worked in advertising, and Mickii was a copywriter.

They invested more than $20,000 in Sonora Menorah, but even if they don鈥檛 make a profit, the project has been worthwhile, Eliot said. When stock runs out, they are not sure if they will do this again.

鈥淲e came here to retire and take it easy and put our feet up and watch TV and go for walks,鈥� Eliot said, laughing. 鈥淎nd now we鈥檙e packing and shipping.鈥�

After Eliot鈥檚 initial sketch, they had a 3D file of the menorah made using CAD/CAM software and then took it to a 3D printer. At each step of the way, they fussed with and tweaked their project. Finally, they sent it to a manufacturer.

They had 2,000 menorahs made and had half packaged to emphasize the product鈥檚 Jewish heritage and the other half packaged to appeal more to the menorah鈥檚 Southwestern flair. The latter set includes information about the menorah in English and Spanish.

Eliot and his wife also sell the menorahs in several shops around Tucson, including at the Congregation Anshei Israel gift shop at 5550 E. Fifth St.

鈥淚t鈥檚 Southwestern and it鈥檚 Judaic, and we get lots of out-of-towners during the year who want to combine the two,鈥� said Phyllis Becker, the chairwoman of the congregation鈥檚 gift shop. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something Jewish and Southwestern to remind them of their trip.鈥�

The Tohono Chul museum shop La Fuente is another brick-and-mortar retailer that carries the menorahs. It approached Eliot about selling the menorahs in-house, said Colleen Slater, the assistant museum shop manager. The gift shop tries to focus on promoting local artists and craftsmen.

鈥淭he park is here to promote the Sonoran Desert and the flora and fauna of the desert, and any representations of the desert we have in jewelry or food or whatever, we鈥檙e interested in,鈥� Slater said. 鈥淭his is unique and unusual.鈥�

They hope to expand into other shops. An airport gift store would be a prime location, Mickii said.

Sonora Menorah also sells . Just last week, they shipped a menorah out to Israel, Eliot said.

For Mickii, connecting Judaism with the saguaro wasn鈥檛 much of a stretch. Both survive, she said.

鈥淔or me, some of the parallels were the endurance, the spirit of community, the raising of arms, the sheltering and the opening wide,鈥� she said.

鈥淢y mother, we brought her down (from Santa Fe) a couple of times to see family in Scottsdale, and she was almost brought to tears by the saguaros. She thought they were some of the most amazing things she had ever seen in her life.鈥�