The World Wide Wrap and Tefillin Barbie
This Sunday was the World Wide Wrap, when Men's Clubs in Conservative synagogues around the world take a day to emphasize the mitzvah of t'fillin. At the synagogue where I work, the program director was in charge of this day for the past X years, but he has moved on to a new job and the Men's Club was putting the thing together themselves. I was, like a tennis player, spending the last few weeks winning and losing each email discussion based on which tasks I could relay back to the Men's Club and which ones I let slide past me to end on my side of the court.
One role that was definitely mine from the beginning was the job of giving the spiel on women and t'fillin. This was especially clear because the men in charge described themselves as "more traditional" and "still trying to get used to women in the synagogue wearing tallitot and kippot."
The conversation on women and t'fillin became a lot easier when, a few weeks before the WWW, Stefan mentioned one day, "You know, I own a Tefillin Barbie."
Turns out, he won it in a raffle and it lives in the den/storage room. And it was a huge hit at the WWW. And with all the kids as I brought it, show-and-tell, to the various classes.
Today, during the wrap-up of the weekend, one of the staff members pointed out how important it was to keep Tefillin Barbie in her original packaging, as she will really be worth something someday. I responded that she already costs $130 on Etsy, but I also pointed out that she's already not in perfect original packaging, since she was pulled out of it in order to get the Tefillin and the volume of the Talmud in her right hand.
"But," I added, "she's still in excellent condition. Because you know, in all the time Stefan's had her, he's never pulled her out to play with her."
"Or changed her clothes, or brushed her hair," a co-worker added.
Thanks to Stefan's restraint, Tefillin Barbie is in excellent condition.
One role that was definitely mine from the beginning was the job of giving the spiel on women and t'fillin. This was especially clear because the men in charge described themselves as "more traditional" and "still trying to get used to women in the synagogue wearing tallitot and kippot."
The conversation on women and t'fillin became a lot easier when, a few weeks before the WWW, Stefan mentioned one day, "You know, I own a Tefillin Barbie."
Turns out, he won it in a raffle and it lives in the den/storage room. And it was a huge hit at the WWW. And with all the kids as I brought it, show-and-tell, to the various classes.
Today, during the wrap-up of the weekend, one of the staff members pointed out how important it was to keep Tefillin Barbie in her original packaging, as she will really be worth something someday. I responded that she already costs $130 on Etsy, but I also pointed out that she's already not in perfect original packaging, since she was pulled out of it in order to get the Tefillin and the volume of the Talmud in her right hand.
"But," I added, "she's still in excellent condition. Because you know, in all the time Stefan's had her, he's never pulled her out to play with her."
"Or changed her clothes, or brushed her hair," a co-worker added.
Thanks to Stefan's restraint, Tefillin Barbie is in excellent condition.