Why Ducks?
Why Not?
What started as one woman hiding ducks to make strangers smile has grown into a global movement carrying mitzvahs that float.
The Kosher Duck Revolution is a global movement spreading Jewish joy, unity, and kindness, one duck at a time. It pairs collectible kosher-themed rubber ducks with a global community of Quackers, an interactive sightings map, and educational and interfaith programming. From cruise ships to city parks, from Atlanta to Athens, the ducks carry mitzvahs that float.
Kosher Duck Revolution is an initiative of the Atlanta Israel Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
how it started
It Started on a Cruise Ship.
People have been hiding little rubber ducks on cruise ships for years, for whoever finds them. Cheryl Dorchinsky liked the idea enough to give it a Jewish spin. She kashered a handful of ducks by hand, a little hat or kippah on each one and a tag tied on, and hid them all over the ship on a family cruise. The tag read: "Conquackulations! You found a very special Kosher cruising duck!"
One of them found a woman who posted it to a cruising-duck group hundreds of thousands strong. She and Cheryl got talking. The talking turned into a friendship, and the two of them ended up at a Shabbat service onboard together, trading stories about Jewish life. One duck, two strangers, one Shabbat. That is still the whole idea.
Cheryl hid the first ducks herself, around town and on cruises after that, and a Facebook group grew up around the people who kept finding them. Quackers took it from there. They buy ducks, hide ducks, find ducks, and pass them on, and today the ducks turn up everywhere from Yellowstone to Venice.
the hunch
Kosher Duck Revolution started with Cheryl Dorchinsky, Founder & Executive Director of AIC (the Atlanta Israel Coalition), one rubber duck, and a hunch that a stranger's smile is worth the trouble. Why ducks? Why not.
Cheryl Dorchinsky · Founder
A few of the flock in the wild, from Yellowstone to Venice to the Chagall windows in Jerusalem, every one a photo a stranger sent in.
the word is spreading
Written Up.
Featured in the Atlanta Jewish Times and the Times of Israel.
The Floor, and the Surface
The floor is real: Jewish pride, kindness, and a stand against antisemitism. The surface is joy. KDR does the work by spreading smiles, and the smiles are the strategy, not a softening.
A duck on the table at an airport gate is the work. A neighbor asking about the little blue duck with שלום on its chest is the work. The doors are wide, and the Jewish core doesn't move.
I got tired of watching hate travel faster than anything kind, so I answered it with a rubber duck. One duck, hidden for one stranger, to say we're still here and we can still laugh. The ducks did the rest of the talking.Cheryl Dorchinsky, founder
the community
Quackers
Quackers are the community: people who buy ducks, hide ducks, find ducks, share photos, host duck parties, and run drops. They are the lifeblood of the map and the movement.
an initiative of AICWho's Behind the Ducks?
KDR is an initiative of AIC, the nonprofit Cheryl leads. Every duck adopted helps fund its education, community, and relief work. The duck is the joyful front door; the work behind it is real.
questions?
We've Got Answers.
What makes the duck "kosher"?
It's a wink, not a hechsher. The duck is kosher-themed: bright blue, a Star of David, שלום across the chest, Jewish pride worn out loud. (And no, you can't eat it. If people ate Tide Pods, we wouldn't risk it either.)
Are the ducks safe for kids?
They're made for play and display, and kids love them. Just not for infants, or as a teether. Once a little one is past the everything-in-the-mouth stage, a duck is good company for years.
Do I have to be Jewish for this?
Not even a little. KDR is about Jewish joy, pride, and kindness, and it turns out those travel well. The ducks are found and loved by people of every background; a Hindu man once asked whether we make one for Diwali. If a rubber duck can make you smile, you belong here. The doors are wide.
I don't know much about Jewish life. Where do I start?
Right here, and no background needed. Our Jewish Joy pages are short, friendly reads on the warmest parts of Jewish life: Shabbat, the holidays, a few good words, the bread on the table. Many people meet these ideas (and, honestly, sometimes their first Jewish anything) through a little blue duck. Come curious; that's the whole prerequisite.
Do the ducks really have a QR code?
Every duck comes with a little tag, and the tag carries the code. Scan it and you land on the page where you add where you found it. Then the map shows everywhere the flock has been. One duck, many hands, a map that keeps growing.
I found a duck. Now what?
Scan the QR code on its tag and it opens the page where you add where it turned up. Then keep it or hide it again for the next person. The full how-to is on the submit page.
Where does my money go?
Most of what you pay for a duck is a tax-deductible gift to AIC, and it funds education, community-building, and relief work. How much exactly depends on which ducks you pick, and the receipt we email you shows the figure to the cent.
Can I give ducks away instead of keeping them?
Yes. Sponsor a drop, and we'll send your ducks out into the community for strangers to find. You get the mitzvah (and a fully tax-deductible receipt); someone else gets the smile. Every $6 sends one duck out. Start on the shop page.
Can I get ducks for my event, school, or synagogue?
Yes, and that's some of our favorite mail. Quackers have seeded bar mitzvahs, shul open houses, JCC celebrations, and community festivals. Start with the Community Duck Pack (ten for $120), or reach out about a bigger drop.
Can my community run its own chapter?
A mitzvah project, a simcha, a jeep club, a cruise, a classroom, a shul, or a crew of friends can charter a local chapter. It's a one-time $180, plus shipping, for 18 ducks, print-ready co-branded tag artwork with your own QR codes, a spot on the map, and the drop playbook. Bigger organizations get their own path. See the Start a Chapter page.
What's a Quacker?
Anyone in on it. You buy ducks, hide ducks, find ducks, photograph them, and pass them along. Quackers are the whole movement. The ducks just float where they're carried.
Who started this?
Cheryl Dorchinsky, Founder & Executive Director of AIC, hid the first ducks herself. Quackers took it from there.
Do you ship internationally?
We do. The flock travels. Every order ships from Atlanta: a flat $7.50 via USPS inside the U.S., and a flat $25 anywhere international. Wherever your duck lands, it's ready to float.
Is KDR a charity?
Kosher Duck Revolution is an initiative of the Atlanta Israel Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Every duck adopted helps fund its education, community, and relief work.
What happens to my photo after I send it?
A volunteer looks at it before anything goes public: your words first, then the photo, against our photo rules. If it passes, your pin, your words, and your photo go up on the map together. If something needs a change, it comes back to you to fix. The whole checklist is on the photo rules page.