American Maidel

08/12/2023

29/05/2023

Chag sameach!! We joined our dear friend, (instagram: https://instagram.com/asmallsanctuary) and her lovely community at their first annual Retreat! Yonatan and Chaya stayed up learning all night at the tikkun leil Shavuot!

10/05/2023

Happy !! We were out late enjoying a with friends tonight!

09/04/2023

Chag Sameach! Of course we had our own ! How were your seders? Here in America (and everywhere in the diaspora), most people have two seders but did you know that in Israel only one night of chag is observed? Here, Ruti is breaking the middle in half. The larger piece will become the which Yonatan is eager to hide for everyone to find! At the end of the meal, the afikomen is eaten before the seder can continue! Did you find the afikomen this year? Did you get a prize or ransom it?

Our beautiful seder plate, afikomen bag, and matzah were made by Posey & Fossett!

05/04/2023

We are ready for bedikat chametz, the search to remove all throughout the house in our final preparations for ! Yonatan is determined to find it all himself!

07/03/2023

It's time to tell the story and make some noise!! We read the Book of Esther from the which tells the story of brave Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai saving the Jewish people from evil Haman. Everyone shakes their and boos at the mention of Haman and we dress up in fun or silly costumes, sometimes like our heroes from the story too - as and !

06/03/2023

It's not too late to get your for this 's ! In addition to the standard Girl Scout Hamentaschen we've all come to love, Geveret Zehavi's troop is also selling these festive shalach manos gift baskets full of delightful goodies so that everyone can fulfill the mitzvah of giving ! All items are kosher l'mehadrin, pareve, and nut-free, of course! They will be available up until the reading tonight!

View all of the Hamentaschen for sale at: https://www.facebook.com/JewWhoHasItAll/posts/209963354945989 Happy Purim to all of !! (thanks Jew Who Has It All!)

06/03/2023

Making sweets for our to give to our friends on ! Yonatan and Chaya are making an Ashkenazi treat - hamentashen or Haman's pockets in Yiddish. They are also called אוזני המן (oznei haman) in Hebrew which means Haman's ears. They are a triangular cookie filled with a variety of sweet things, often jams, prune, or poppyseeds. Orit is making Haman's fingers, a flaky pastry originating from Turkey and Greece filled with warm spices and nuts! Which is your favorite? 🤤😋 Yum!!!

29/01/2023

Two Jewish girls getting ready for yesterday!

26/12/2022

Hanukkah sameach!! This is the eighth and final night of !

23/12/2022

The Hebrew letters on dreidels in the diaspora stand for נס גדול היה שם / nes gadol haya sham which means "a great miracle happened there" but in Israel, they say נס גדול היה פה / nes gadol haya po or "a great miracle happened here!" In this photo, Meital, who is Israeli, and Alex, who is American, are showing each other their dreidels and you can see the differences!

20/12/2022

Why do we light our hanukiyot so that they are visible to the outside world? The Rabbis of the Talmud stressed that פרסומי ניסא or publicizing the miracle is one of the most important parts of the observance. That's also why we are not supposed to use the light for any other purpose! So we let the glow of our Hanukkah lights burn visibly from our windows or balconies!

19/12/2022

We're having a great big party with Cantor Vera Broekhuysen to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah! Come and enjoy some sufganiyot, latkes, playing dreidel, and of course lighting our hanukiyot! חג אורים שמח! Happy Hanukah everyone!

13/12/2022

Dolly hasidut...



[Photo depicts a doll wearing a kippa, button up shirt, and vest holds two scraps of paper. In one hand, the paper reads, "I am but vinyl and plastic." And the other reads, "The whole store was created for me." Behind him, a doll with curly black hair, a blue tam, and rose print sweater looks at him...]

30/11/2022

I am this committed to representing authentic Jewish experiences in doll form.



[Photo shows a small doll hand holding two tiny kippa clips and an adult hand holding two regular sized kippa clips.]

18/11/2022

Shabbat shalom!! We welcome shabbat so early now in North America! Here is Hannah lighting and saying the blessing over the Shabbat candles in her home. Did you know there are different traditions for how the candles are lit? We are going to talk about different Shabbat traditions in the coming weeks! Hannah is Ashkenazi so she lights a match, then the candles. As she prepares to say the bracha over the candles, she waves her hands over the candles drawing the warm glow towards her. Then, covering her eyes with her hands, Hannah recites the blessing:

ברוך אתה יי אלוהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להדליק נר של שבת

Many Sephardim (Jews from Spain and Portugal) and Mizrachim (Jews from the middle east) say the blessing before lighting the candles and not after. Tell us more about YOUR traditions!

Gathering with friends and family is part of the loveliness of shabbat! Her friend, Penina, has come to join for Shabbat dinner and singing zemirot!

31/10/2022

This past Shabbat we read parashat Noach and retold the story where Noach gathered two of each animal and his family onto the ark before Hashem created a great flood that swept over the entire earth! Did you know that there is a bracha we make when we see a rainbow to recognize the awe of God's wonders and remember the promise that God made Noah?
ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם, זוכר הברית ונאמן בבריתו וקים במאמרו



[Photo caption: Samantha, Kirsten, and Molly are playing with a toy boat representing the food with Noah, his wife, Na'amah, and many pairs of animals! Behind them a rainbow can be seen!]

25/10/2022

When you're not a morning person but you love Rosh Chodesh...



[Photo shows Yiska with a tikkun on her face having fallen asleep on the sofa while brushing up on the Road Chodesh Torah reading...]

18/10/2022

Dancing and singing hakafot with our Sifrei Torah is a very special and joyous way that we celebrate on Simchat Torah! This holiday is all about rejoicing in the Torah as we finish the cycle of reading the parshiyot for the year and begin anew! !!חג שמח / Chag sameach!! (Special thanks to Heritage Judaica for the tiny Sifrei Torah in our Simchat Torah posts! Please note that while small, they do contain the full text and must be treated with respect!)

11/10/2022

Ruti, Yonatan, Yiska and the whole kehila are lining up with their arba minim for the hakafot while singing hoshanot! The arba minim are the four species of plants ritually important for this chag and hakafot are like a special parade we do with our lulav and etrog for the festival of Sukkot. For each round or hakafah we sing a different piyyut or liturgical poem. They are called hoshanot / הושענות because they all include the request, "הושע נא." In plural, we call them hoshanot. !!חג שמח / Chag sameach!!



[Ruti, Yonatan, and Yiska are carrying their arba minim around singing and parading around with the congregation! Each is wearing a talit and kippa as is customary traditional egalitarian communities. Behind them, is a sukkah they build together for the holiday.]

09/10/2022

Who put these sukkah lights away last year?? This is a balagan!! It sure helps to build our sukkah together with friends and family though! חג שמח!! / Chag sameach!!



[Photo shows dolls building their sukkah! Yoni and Yiska are untangling the sukkah lights while Ruti is adjusting the skhach. Lulavim and etrogim can be seen on the table inside the sukkah.]

07/10/2022

We are making decorations for our sukkah! The idea of enhancing our holidays and rituals by making them even more special and pretty is called הידור מצווה / hidur mitzvah - literally beautifying a commandment! This can mean making a really fancy tallit, finding the most gorgeous etrog, or adding beautiful decorations made with special friends to your sukkah! Yoni can't wait to hang them high up!

[Photo shows dolls around a table constructing a garland out of glittery stars. Each doll is holding a different star up to show the beautiful glimmering fall colors. Yoni stands on a chair in excitement!]

06/10/2022

Double bagel break fast!

[Photo shows a doll holding two bagels standing behind a table full of different foods (blintz souffle with blueberry sauce, bagels and cream cheese, roasted potatoes) to break the fast after Yom Kippur.]

04/10/2022

Of course we daven nusach unicorn! !גמר חתימה טובה / G'mar hatima tova!

Special thanks to Hazan Jesse Merlin Holzer who graciously gave permission to make this. Please take a moment to watch his original: https://www.facebook.com/801732/videos/900934017177742/

[Video shows three dolls davening, the hazan can be heard leading the kehila in aleinu hagadol, during which all three dolls prostrate fully to the ground.]

03/10/2022

Don't forget to keep hydrating if you are fasting for Yom Kippur!

[Photo shows two dolls holding up glasses of water to show that they are hydrating and preparing their bodies to fast on Yom Kippur.]

03/10/2022

שנה טובה ומתוקה!

May 5783 be a good and sweet year!

[Photo shows a diverse group of Jewish dolls gathered for Rosh Hashanah dinner together, about to eat apples and honey. On the table are a few places settings, candle sticks, a kiddush cup, covered round challot, a jar of honey, and a tray of apples with honey drizzled over it.]