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Jewish dolls for Jewish girls
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For those of you who have young girls into dolls, you might be interested to know that American Girl will be putting its newest doll on the market on May 31’st and that doll is Jewish. Yes, indeed, she’s 9-year-old Rebecca Rubin, a Jewish-American girl who lives with her family on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1914.
The much-anticipated latest addition to the American Girl series of historical characters, Rebecca comes with six books about her life. Much like the other dolls, she costs $95 with one book, or $118 if accompanied by the complete set.
Rebecca joins 14 other historical dolls in the series -- from Kaya, a Nez Perce girl set in 1764, to African-American Addy, a Civil War doll, to World War II-era Molly, part of an Irish immigrant family. However, her entry into the world will include a tie-in at the Tenement Museum in New York City and a harbor cruise with "kosher-style" food, according to USA Today.
My daughter had several American Girl dolls, including one that looked like her. They did cost a fortune, especially once you started buying all the accessories. If the kids read the books, however, they do learn a bit about history.
Now, if you want to really go the Jewish route with a similar type of doll, check out the Gali Girls. I discovered these dolls when the woman who asked me to compile a Jewish celebrity cookbook handed me one during our meeting to sign a publishing contract. Seems she was also involved in the doll business, which actually become her primary business, which is why, I think, she didn’t publish the book in the end. (For more on the Jewish celebrity cookbook that still needs a publisher, read this blog post.)
These dolls have Jewish ideals at their very foundation. According to the website, "Gali Girls: Jewish Dolls for Jewish Girls™ was created to give young Jewish girls an opportunity to incorporate positive values into their doll play. While the majority of dolls in today's market focus on fashion, makeup and boyfriends, Gali Girls Jewish dolls reinforce the positive values that have kept Jewish tradition alive and growing for over 5,000 years."
In light of its purpose, Gali Girls values represent such things as kindness, respect, and honesty and the accessories create a connection between the contemporary Jewish girl and her heritage. That’s why the company’s motto is: "Learn and play the Jewish way."
Much like American Girl dolls, historical Gali Girl dolls come with a variety of items plus a book and cost $89.95. You can also purchase a more modern Gali Girl without a book or accessories. These cost a mere $59. 99. Books can be purchased separately for $12 and, of course, you can purchase a variety of accessories for the dolls.
I’ve still got my Gali Girl doll up in my closet on a shelf. My daughter was too old for it when I received it. I’m going to offer it as a silent auction item at the upcoming Aleph: Alliance for Jewish Renewal kallah in Columbus, OH. If you are there, you can bid on it and help support Aleph.
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