Thursday, August 28, 2008

SHUL POLITICS: THE CANDY MAN

I missed one important person who is a big part of every shul where children go. That man is THE CANDY MAN. He's every child's favorite person (of course he bribes them), giving them lollis, bazooka bubble gum, anything made by Leibers or Bloomie's and Laffy taffy. (of course there is much more, I'm just not gonna write it all out).

When I was younger I would go over to the candy man in the shul I went to, countless times always asking for more junk so my teeth can rot. I wasnt the only one who did this. So I am wondering how can a candy man daven and hand out to children countless items of tastiness. What happens in middle of Shmona Esray with tons of kids asking for candy and tugging at his pants? Maybe that's why he gives them the lollis so they keep it in their mouths and it acts as a passifier.

We interrupt this important post with breaking news: We are outside live in front of a famous shuls rabbis house. there seems to be a protest by many people who want a Kugel man in shul for all the older people. They appear to be reasoning they will keep quiet in shul if there plan goes through also the kugel will be sponsored by the new Kugel man. We now return to our interrupted post.

The candy man has one of the most "important" jobs in the whole shul (keeping the kid community in a none whiny state) and its one of the more favorite jobs. This wasn't in my shul but I have heard that every year there is (in certain shuls) an election for who gets to be the famed candy man. In some shuls they have a room designated for all the nosh kids like. Where I went it wasn't as high tech as I described a sentence before. It was this one guy who had some candy in his tails bag which he kept in shul.

Ill end this post with a question. What happens if there happens to be two candy men in one shul. As said by some famous blogger "Ill leave the rest to the comments".

28 people gave their 2 cents:

Lion of Zion said...

only one of the shuls that i daven in with my son has a candyman, and he knows to stay far away from him.

"What happens if there happens to be two candy men in one shul."

not possible in some shuls, where the position is an official one. that's right. it goes to the highest bidder (on שמחת תורה i think) and he get a special tallis bag that is passed down from candy man to candy man. (i'm not making this up.)

Mikeinmidwood said...

Cant believe your kid isnt tempted to get some candy. Oh what a tradition the famous hands that talis bag has been through.

Mikeinmidwood said...

Lion O zion

May I ask how high the bidding goes.

Lion of Zion said...

my kid knows not to approach the candyman, but more importantly . . . i've made it clear to the candyman to stay away from my son.

in my shul the candyman is a permanent position. i'm not sure how high the bidding goes in the shuls i was referring to, but my recollection is that it is very fierce, just as much as the other kibbudim.

MAK said...

Would you believe I never even heard of the candy man in shul till a few years ago. None of the shuls that I went to had a candy man. Apparently I missed out on a lot. And yeah, at my step-father's shul, the first place I had heard of having a candy man, also does bidding for it. I don't recall how high it goes, but it was some ridiculous number.

Originally From Brooklyn said...

I forgot to mention this in my post on my diverse shul but the place is run by the candy man and not a rav. It's no wonder it is the type of shul that it is.

Lion of Zion said...

is candyman an MO thing or do RW shuls have it also?

Mikeinmidwood said...

No its an all over thing even Sfardi shuls have one.

Anonymous said...

in my shul its also like that (the whole shul tallis bag thing) but this year the guy who got the "candy man" job was a very young guy and he got married and moved away i dont know who the candy man is now?

EndOfWorld said...

You know, the candyman in the shuls I've seen has always been a grumpy old man. Which doesnt add up- candy=happy!

I like the kugel man idea. I think there should be someone handing out kugel (preferably hot potato kugel)during the Rabbi's speech. Oh, and he should have a special guest pass to the women's section, like the guy who holds the sefer torah on simchas torah.

Anonymous said...

The candyman in my shul is small fish as the Rav doesn't encourage it...in my grandfather's shul it's the cutest wizened old man, I would go to him for his smile. And my other grandfather's shul, I don't know who the candyman is, but on Simchas Torah, I was the envy of all, first I went to my grandfather's shul which gave out HUMONGOUS pecklach in brown paper bags with EVERYTHING inside, then I went to mine and the contrast was very obvious...

Also, there is no such thing as two candyman's. There may be for a short while, but one will run the other out. It's an all or nothing position.

Mikeinmidwood said...

End-O-world

What child wants candy fom a grumpy old man. If you want the kugel man you can join the protest outside the famous shuls rabbis house. (you seem to like protests)

SporadicIntel

I guess youre right. No two for long period of time, now im gonna take over the old candyman.

Anonymous said...

this shul only has young guys in it

EndOfWorld said...

Mike: I do believe that the thought of sticky candy treats can override any fear of any grumpy guy.

Why are there protests? Kugel is a good thing!

Mikeinmidwood said...

End-O-World

The Rabbi is against the idea of the Kugel Man.

EndOfWorld said...

He's just worried that there won't be any left for him. If you promise to hide a piece for him, he'll probably change his mind...

Mikeinmidwood said...

What you think the rabbi cant send his gabbai to go and get some kugel for him, thats not the reason. come to think of it I really dont know why. Ohh I got it the rabbi is afraid people will talk with their mouths full which is against halacha.

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

The candy man is a great thing, but there is a difference between the candy man and the kiddush club. Children are still in the Chinuch age where they need candy/rewards for them to want to go to shul/daven. While adults, shouldn't need kugel to bring them to shul, they are at an age where they should be davening, and coming to shul, for its sake alone.

I think some shul's have a rule of when children could come to the candy man, that they can't come during shmone esrei, thereby avoiding that problem.

I've never been by a shul where they had 2 candy men, never seen elections for it either.

Lion Of Zion: that sounds so cool, so chushuv. But why would people want that position?

Candy man is deffinitly not a MO thing. I've got to chassidish and lubavich shul's and they had candy men.

sam the organizing man: Why do you say it with a question, as if your expecting Mikeinmidwood to answer you and tell you who the new candy man is?

MikeInMidwood: they need a grumpy old man to give out the candy, otherwise there wouldn't be any candy left at the end, it would be all given away. The old man could say no, and limit the amount the kids get. Or make the kids too afraid to ask for second when they know better.

EndOfWorld said...

I would think that the Rabbi would be happy if people would be eating-they're less likely to talk that way, especially if you serve a really sticky kugel

Mikeinmidwood said...

Babycity

Hmm... I think that Sam is trying to push my buttons trying to see if I will slip up and let him find out if he knows me (if he does). Well guess what Sam I aint falling for it (if thats what you meant).

End-O-World

Now who would want sticky kugel? You want the ones that crunch reall well.

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

M in M: lol ok I'll take your word for it. About Kugel I always take off the top of it.

Anonymous said...

Babycity

M in M, I like that one. (Can I keep it)

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

M in M: yes you may.

btw, have you started drinking lately or something?

Mikeinmidwood said...

Babycity

Now what makes you think that and no I haven't. Maybe its my jumpier mood.

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

I thought perhaps you were getting influenced from some of the other bloggers, lol.

You do seem a bit more jumpier, if that is the word for it. All the nicknames and 'funny' comments. It's a different MikeInMidwood that I'm used to.

Nothing good or bad, just different.

Mikeinmidwood said...

Babycity

I think the influence is from End O WOrld and her quirkiness.

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

M in M: could very well possibly be.

The Webman said...

I have a candy man in my shul, but there are not that many little kids to give them to. Also I think he's retiring because he's very old and someone else started giving candies.