WAYNE – In a world mostly decorated with XChristmas lights this time of year, the Chabad Center of Passaic County has opened a store where dreidels and menorahs abound.
Chabad Center of Passaic County has opened a store where dreidels and menorahs abound.

Chanukah Wonderland in the Wedgewood Plaza on the Hamburg Turnpike is the place to buy everything you ever needed for the holiday — and discover a few things you never imagine you wanted, Levi Sanowicz, who runs the store, pointed out.

There you’ll find electric menorahs, ceramic menorahs with the New York City skyline, menorahs with ceramic cats holding up the candles. And instead of a gingerbread house, you can get a Hannukah cookie-making kit. There is even the Texas Dreidel game, a holiday version of Texas hold ‘em.

“I feel like there is not a lot of holiday atmosphere here,’’ said Sanowicz’s wife, Dena, who helps her husband run the store.

“There is a lot of the other holiday,’’ she said. “And for Jewish people — and there are many Jewish people here — it’s a great place to get their decorations, and feel like we are also important. Not everything should be Christmas, and this is something special.’’

The shop used to open every season for about 14 years, but it had been on hiatus the last four because the couple had trouble finding a storefront and people with time to help out.

For members of Chabad, an orthodox congregation on Ratzer Road, the store provides an opportunity to meet people in the community and share the story of Chanukah, which commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. A drop of oil found in the Temple that was only enough to light the menorah for one day lasted eight days. This year Hannukah starts Friday.

Levi Sanowicz said the store, open through Dec. 15, has drawn shoppers from all over Bergen and Passaic counties and New York City. He estimates that about 2,500 Jewish families live in the Wayne area. Rabbi Stephen Wylen of Temple Beth Tikvah, a reform congregation in Wayne, estimated that about 4,000 Jewish people live in the township.

For some people out shopping this week for the holidays, Chanukah Wonderland was a happy discovery.

“When you grow up Jewish your whole life it’s Christmas everywhere,’’ said Jenn Kay, of Wayne, “But you come in here, and it’s all Hannukah.”

She said her nephews are being raised to celebrate both Hannukah and Christmas, but only Christmas decorations fill their home. She said she planned to buy them a few presents in the store so they could also decorate for Hannukah.