Barbie Wears Tefillin, Do You? Exploring Ritual Garb
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Barbie Wears Tefillin, Do You? Exploring Ritual Garb

Lesson Summary:

Explore Jewish tradition and ritual garb with a picture of Tefillin Barbie, created by soferet (female ritual scribe) Jen Taylor Friedman. Through interviews, discussion, and craft activities, students can think about which Jewish practices are most meaningful to them.

Enduring Understandings:

  1. In Judaism, religious and cultural traditions are often dictated by aspects of identity such as age and gender. 
  2. Wearing ritual garments create deeper meaning and connection to ritual practice for some people. People have the power to shape their own identities and the traditions in their communities.

Essential Questions:

  1. How do people use actions to express their beliefs? 
  2. How can wearing ritual garb impact our religious/spiritual practice? 
  3. How do people s traditions or religious practices change over time? 
  4. In Judaism, how does one s gender identity impact the way one practices traditions or observes holidays?


Lesson Plan Components

For the educatorJewish Thought, Text, and Traditionsmore

Jewish every dayIncorporate Jewish Valuesmore

Materials and resourcesmore


(materials available via link in procedure section, below)

  • Examples of ritual garb (tallit, tefillin, etc.) to show to students 
  • copies of photo of Tefillin Barbie 
  • copies of excerpt from Ruth Handler s obituary
  • sample questions for family interview activity (prepare ahead of time or brainstorm as a group) 
  • guest speaker to talk about changes around ritual within your community (like a rabbi or cantor)
  • craft supplies for creating kippot, tallitot, tying tzitzit, or making paper dolls.


Explore, Discover, and More Extension and Reinforcement Activitiesmore

Music Connectionsmore

Evidence of Learningmore

•Participants will know the norms around wearing ritual garb in their own communities and will describe the relationship between gender and ritual garb in their community.
• Participants will be able to explain how ritual garb can change or enhance one s spiritual or religious observance.
• Participants will be able to identify their goals and desires around wearing ritual garb or participating in Jewish ritual.


Lesson Contributors
