Shark Tank measures Marblehead mensch

On Friday night, a Marblehead native will appear on television before approximately 6.5 million American viewers and a panel of business celebrities to pitch … a joke.”My son asked for an Elf on a Shelf, and I said, ?No, dude. Jews don’t do elves on shelves, you can have a Mensch on a Bench,'” Neal Hoffman, 37, recalled Tuesday. “Two years from when I made an offhand joke, I’ve gone to selling $750,000-plus worth of Mensches and going on Shark Tank.”The Mensch on a Bench is a 12-inch doll named Moshe, “the unsung hero” of Hanukkah who sat and watched the small amount of lamp oil as it burned for eight full days and nights. The doll, an accompanying picture book telling his story, and a bench are all sold together and can be found at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Barnes and Noble, Target, and online for between $29.99 and $34.99.But The Mensch on a Bench is more than a toy for Hoffman. It’s a new way to teach children about Jewish traditions.”For me, I moved to Cincinnati away from my family and didn’t have a real Jewish foundation,” Hoffman said. “I needed another tool to help me bring more Judaism into the household and to teach Jewish traditions and Jewish values. I thought a way to celebrate Judaism was to have a character that we can rally around.”So Moshe teaches children about the Hanukkah story, cooking latkes and playing dreidel.Similarly to the Elf on the Shelf, Moshe also comes with some rules.Moshe is supposed to hold a Shamash candle that is later used to light the menorah. If children misbehave, Moshe might not let go of the candle and gifts can’t be given. Moshe has to be moved every night or else he’ll get sore from sitting. And since “a true Mensch is one who puts smiles on other people’s faces,” one night of Hanukkah is dedicated to giving presents to those in need.Hoffman has the education and experience to be a successful entrepreneur. After Marblehead High School, Hoffman earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA at University of Virginia and joined Hasbro Toys. But he said the success of the Mensch on a Bench has surprised him.”I thought it could be a fun hobby on the side that I could maybe take a vacation on,” Hoffman said.With only “a logo and a rhyming name,” Hoffman raised $22,000 via the crowdfunding website Kickstarter – enough to make 1,000 Mensches. He began selling them online Nov. 1, 2013 and was sold out a week later.And while he could not share whether the business executives on Shark Tank accepted his pitch and decided to invest in the company, Hoffman said he had fun on the show.”There’s a scene where you walk down that hallway, and I was walking down and smiling from ear-to-ear,” Hoffman said. “It was like, ?I did this. How many people walk through this door?’ I thought it was an incredible experience.”He also said he was proud of his pitch.”At the end of it, I felt I stood my ground, represented my family well, and did my company proud,” Hoffman said. “I haven’t seen the edit of what happens on Friday either, though, so I’m as anxious as anybody to see it, probably more so.”Shark Tank airs at 9 p.m. Friday on ABC. For more information about The Mensch on a Bench, visit www.themenschonabench.com.