Hobby Lobby responds to anti-Semitism claims

Here’s a line from the “Our Company” page on Hobby Lobby’s website: “We believe that it is by God’s grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured.”

To ensure that the chain endures further, the company’s executives are taking action to address claims that a lack of holiday items for Jewish customers is a sign of anti-Semitism.

NJ.com reported that Hobby Lobby Vice President Peter Dobelbower said: “Hobby Lobby is currently working with our buyers over our merchandise selection. Our customers have brought this to our attention, and we are currently evaluating our holiday items and what we will carry in the future.”

The controversy stems from a weekend blog post by Ken Berwitz, co-author of the book “Hopelessly Partisan.” Berwitz wrote in the post that when a friend asked about why a new store in Marlboro, N.J., didn’t have any bar mitzvah cards in stock, she was told, “We don’t cater to you people.”

Because Berwitz’s story was secondhand, he wrote that he personally called the store and asked whether it would be stocking Hanukkah merchandise. He was told it wouldn’t.