At first glance, the appeal of kosher cannabis products might sound unexpected. After all, for decades, weed culture has been shaped by its underground, illegal past, far from the world of rabbinic supervision and hechsher symbols. But as legalization has expanded across the United States and cannabis has become more mainstream, a new trend has emerged: Jews, like many other communities, are openly embracing cannabis products too. Enter Tokin’ Jew.
Born in 2020 as an Instagram meme account back, the brand was created by Brooklynites Will Cohen and Ben Kraim. What started as a niche joke page quickly grew into a vibrant community at the intersection of cannabis and Jewish identity, bringing together people who may have always existed in this overlap but had rarely seen themselves reflected so explicitly.
Tokin’ Chew (courtesy of Tokin’ Jew)
“Tokin’ Jew started as an experiment,” Kraim told Unpacked. “It was a means of creative and humorous expression on Instagram. The page quickly grew, and that told us that there are a lot of people out there who connect with their Jewish identity and enjoy cannabis. They sort of need a smoke break from the chaos in our world.”
As their following exploded, Cohen and Kraim realized there was demand for something tangible, not just memes. In response, the duo began releasing products that function like physical, joke-forward extensions of the brand: the Holy Smoker (a bong shaped like a Manischewitz bottle), a kiddush-cup pipe, a shofar pipe, and, about a year and a half ago, a line of kosher-certified cannabis edibles.
Jake Cohen collaborated with Tokin’ Jew on a new lemon and sumac product (courtesy of Tokin’ Jew)
“Our audience is super engaged, and they asked us for edible products,” Kraim explained. The company launched gummies in flavors tailored to Jewish palates — familiar tastes the average non-Jewish consumer might not recognize, and certainly might not catch the tongue-in-cheek names of, like kosher dillight, watermelon sugar chai, guava nagila, and a special collaboration with Jewish chef Jake Cohen. That partnership produced a lemon-sumac gummy, dosed at 20 mg THC and 10 mg CBD (the same ratio as their other products), that nods to both contemporary Jewish cooking and the growing normalization of cannabis in Jewish spaces.
A hechsher on your high
But it is clearly not just the flavors that appeal to Jewish consumers; all the products are certified kosher. When asked about their decision to pursue a hashgacha, or formal kosher supervision, Kraim said that it felt like “a duty.”
“We’re a Jewish brand, and we are already catering to a niche within a niche within a niche, so why cut out observant Jews?” he noted. “Also, I grew up Modern Orthodox, so it wouldn’t feel right to sell a product to Jews that isn’t kosher.”
The effort has paid off. All over social media, kosher-keeping customers praise Tokin’ Jew’s products, both for their quality and for their commitment to religious standards. Many observant customers praised that the brand has gone above and beyond, creating products that are not just certified as kosher, but also kosher for Passover and pareve.
Tokin’ Chews marketing campaign (courtesy of Tokin’ Jew)
“I definitely found the edibles better than others because I knew they were kosher,” Noah, a 22-year-old Jewish customer from Bergen County, told Unpacked. “I got the guava nagillah, and they tasted really great, they didn’t have too bad of an aftertaste like other edibles do. They hit very well. Also, I didn’t have to worry about the guilt, and I am supporting a kosher business, which is cool.”
The appeal of the products crosses geographical borders as well. “My faith is very important to me, and they’ve been able to connect with me in a way nobody else ever has,” 31-year-old Joe from Manchester told Unpacked. For many observant Jews, seeing a hechsher (kosher certification symbol) on cannabis products can be the difference between opting out entirely and feeling fully comfortable lighting up or snacking on an edible.
Although other companies operate in the kosher edible space, including Kosher CBD, Hamsa, and Tauri-Gum, none have brought the category into the spotlight of the market quite like Tokin’ Jew.
“I think it’s the marketing,” said Joe. “It was a post on Instagram that showed up in my feed, and that’s how I discovered them.” For many customers, the brand’s mix of humor, aesthetics, and hyper-Jewish references makes it feel more like a community than just a product line. The fact that the company frequently attends Jewish holiday markets and events to sell its products doesn’t hurt either.
Lighting up Hanukkah
As popular as Tokin’ Jew’s merch and edibles have been, the brand seems to have really hit a new high (pun intended) this Hanukkah period. It released a ton of different holiday-themed products that almost immediately sold out, including dreidel pipes, branded sweaters, Hanukkah rolling papers, and even a menorah bong.
Tokin’ Jews advent calendar for Hanukkah (courtesy of Tokin’ Jews)
Menorah bong (courtesy of Tokin’ Jew)
On the edibles front, the brand’s cannabis-infused gelt has really resonated. “We created the infused chocolate gelt for Hanukkah,” Kraim explained. “It comes in those net patches that are nostalgic to us, and they are coins imprinted with menorahs or magen Davids.”
The gelt comes in two varieties: a pareve dark chocolate option and a dairy cookies-and-cream version. “There are eight coins in each, one for every night of the holiday with 10 mg of THC and 10 mg of CBD each,” Kraim added.
Kraim isn’t surprised that the holiday has been good for business.
“Hanukkah is a time to be happy and to remember miracles,” Kraim said. “It’s a miracle that we’re even around today. Spend just a few minutes in our comment section, and you’ll see what Jews are dealing with today. Sometimes, it’s nice to take the edge off with a light bite of an edible or a puff of a joint. We’re just happy to bring joy to Jews and lovers of the tribe around the country.”
