These Jewish diversity puppets are the perfect project for promoting unity! When you’re done, try this aleph bet coloring page puppet too. This post contains affiliate links.

As you walk through the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, you see one of the most beautiful things: the ingathering of the exiles.

In fact, our people started out as twelve different tribes, and our diversity is beautiful. I hope that if I have any voice in the Jewish world, that I use it to promote unity – achdut. That was the inspiration behind the Jews Around the World Jewish Diversity Puppets.

I’m going to share a LOT of background on this subject, including the struggles I had with it as a sort of “disclaimer”, an intro to each character, and some crafting and use tips. So this post has quite an intro – some of what is included in the download, but if you want to skip it, you can just download it here.

For a while, I wanted to create this project: a set of puppets of Jewish kids from around the world. I wanted to create a puppet representing each diaspora. That is, every single one. That’s why this project sat on my to-do list for over five years.

The scope of the project in my mind: make a list of every single Jewish diaspora, and find a way to illustrate puppets for kids to color, with each one representing a different type of Jew. And each one, a boy AND a girl. I realized that I needed to make the project more realistic in scope.

So I whittled it down to a broad representation of various Jews from different backgrounds – both hashkafic (religious) and diasporic. Each one is drawn to be cute, friendly, and relatable, with arms outstretched so that they can hold hands.

Approaching the Jewish Diversity Puppets with care

One of the big challenges with a project like this is being sensitive to the feelings of kids. The whole goal is to help all kids feel included. The last thing I want is to “other” them. Or leave out a community.

And that’s why I kept it a bit more broad. You can “adapt” each puppet to different communities as needed. I based some on different ways of observance, some on area of diaspora, and you can mix and match those based on the approach you need.

As far as making them feel othered: again, I tried to keep things as normal as possible. I avoided caricaturizing them, and while I did largely base my drawings on researched images – including styes of dress – I tried to use just slight influences into what they’re wearing.

There was no way to do this perfectly. For example, most Teimani (Yemenite) Jewish kids in Israel will be wearing a t-shirt and jeans – but in the original diaspora, as they came, they were often wearing things like mandarin collars and slightly more formal wear like blazers.

Another issue I faced was keeping it hashkafically appropriate for (almost) everyone. While I truly wanted to present the idea that there are many ways to be a good Jew in the puppets, I also didn’t want it to be inappropriate for large swaths of institutions. And I don’t see a Bais Yaakov school bringing this in as a unity project with a girl wearing shorts – they might view it as an “endorsement”.

So I tried to keep it ambiguous and neutral.

The truth is, I also offer the puppets as individual images in the download, so you can just print what you want. It would just be a shame if a group felt they couldn’t use this beautiful unity- encouraging project or had to leave one off because of a small detail like dress.

So yes, I did put one girl in pants, to broaden representation a bit, but hopefully this project overwhelmingly resonates.

Understand that a LOT of thought went into this. I wanted it to appeal to as many Jewish communities as possible – the goal IS unity, we are one. And yet, most of Jewish diversity visuals for kids comes through PJ Library, which, while a beautiful initiative, is not always hashkafically-appropriate for right wing homes. If I’m just going to create another project along those lines, what am I really accomplishing?

Download the Jewish Diversity Puppets

A project like this takes an incredible amount of time and research and while I would love to offer everything for free, the Jewish crafting/education niche is too tight to be only ad-supported.

These Jewish Diversity puppets are therefore available for a few bucks in my shop, as well as on Etsy and on TpT. Purchasing premium products from me enables me to keep doing what I do, to give more focus to my Jewish blog, creating authentically Jewish resources for homes, educators, and parents.

About the Jewish Diversity Puppets

Here’s some background on assembly instructions, ways to use them in the classroom or outside, and an intro to them all. Please note: this info is all in your download instructions file!

Meet them here

I did NOT give them names 🙂 I’m just sharing my inspiration behind each. I don’t necessarily encourage outlining all the details to kids – let it be natural and not stereotyping. I’m just sharing it with you from the grown-up perspective.

I WILL share fashion influences as well, and really fashion is universal. Other groups might wear it. But by looking at popular or tradition-based styles, I just got a broad range of ways to dress in as well!

Again, this was very touchy to draw, hard without stereotyping, but I want it to feel real and representative. So I toed the line and hope I did a good job.

There are six boys and six girls – I thought twelve was the perfect number because we have twelve tribes! (And they are NOT a representation of the specific twelve tribes.)

1. Mizrahi/Sephardi girl – Curly/wavy hair, a loose, flowy dress, and a hamsa necklace.
2. Ethiopian girl- Two buns, high cheekbones (I tried) and a slight touch of tradition on the dress.
3. Haredi/Yerushalmi girl- I tried to go for the very right-wing segments of Ashkenazi Jewish society here, with a blouse, a long skirt, and even braids. She can also be colored like the Yemenite diaspora (which had strong Satmar influence in later years).
4. Russian/former Soviet girl – This was a hard one! I went with straight hair for this one, and a proud star of David necklace!
5. Religious Zionist (Dati Leumi) – This girl was inspired by the Gush Katif exilees. I felt that they especially needed representation now!!
6. An American-style Bais Yaakov girl – As you can see, there’s no real criteria here for representation! I just tried to get as many different vibes as I can. She has a ponytail, and a more casual blouse with sleeves rolled up, and a shorter skirt.
7. Yemenite Boy – With long peyot, and slightly more formal dress.
8. Bukharan Boy – With a Bukharan style kippah.
9. Persian boy – With a Persian-style kippah and thick hair.
10. Hassidic boy – Think Boro Park! He wears a collared shirt and a large kippah with sidecurls.
11. All-American boy – This boy might be secular, he might be religious, but he’s definitely a Jewish American. He wears a baseball cap, t-shirt, and athletic pants.
12. Israeli boy – With a knit kippah and casual dress, he can belong to any non-Charedi religious element of Israeli society.

As you can see, it’s not a clear subdivision. I did this intentionally. The Ethiopian girl might be religious, she might not. The Bais Yaakov girl might be Ashkenazi or Sephardi. And the Israeli boy can be Ethiopian, a redhead, or whatever you want.

While I do hope to offer a colorized version of this project eventually, for now it’s a color-in craft!

Fun ways to use them

I had in mind different ways to use them both in the classroom and at home.

First of all, your files come in two formats: PDF and PNG.

The PDF files are puppet-sized, two to a page, and easy to just hit “print on. The PNG files are much more flexible – you can use them to format whichever size you want, print full page, print just the ones you want to use, etc.

Here are some uses:

• Print them as large as you can and use them as a bulletin board in the classroom or throughout a school hallway.
• Instead of adding sticks, let them hold hands.
• You can laminate these after coloring for longer-lasting puppets
• Use them as paper toys or to narrate stories.
• Use them as visual cues for teaching holidays, so that kids can see all types of Jews celebrating the way they do.
• Use them as a unity project for Lag Ba’omer/sefirat Ha’omer or the Three Weeks/Tish’ah B’av

Assembly Instructions

To assemble these you’ll need:

• Crayons, markers – make sure to get a skin tone set as well, such as Crayola’s Color of the World crayons that I used in my staged photos
• The puppets printed on cardstock (download them here if you haven’t yet)
• Scissors
• Craft sticks
• Glue or double sided tape.

Process:

1. Color the puppets.

2. Cut them out.

3. Glue or tape a craft stick to the back.

That’s it! They’re ready to play with!

If you haven’t yet, you can download these Jewish diversity puppets here!

The post Jews Around the World – Jewish Diversity Puppets appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

This year even more than any other year I’ve been wanting to do a project for the Nine Days, and Tish’ah B’av – days when we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem, and every tragedy that has befallen our people since.

To tell you the truth, I wanted to do something more unity-minded, but then, when scanning my personal craft idea list of things I wanted to try, this one popped out. I decided it’s worth giving it a go.

I used tissue paper to create a “Kotel” and cut the word “Mizrach from cardstock to turn it into a DIY Mizrach Sign. I made it using a picture frame with the backing removed, leaving only the glass, just like I did with my pomegranate DIY sukkah decorations.

I created this last minute with things I had handy (I didn’t even have time to let the Mod Podge fully dry before I had to stage the final images). There are definitely ways to do it better if you’re planning ahead a little more – and I’ll share that below. But first…

What is a Mizrach Sign?

When Jews pray, we face the location of our Holy Temple. Jews in Jerusalem face towards the Temple Mount. Jews everywhere else face more broadly towards Jerusalem.

For those of us living in the West, that means that we face East.

The longstanding tradition has been to mark the Eastern wall in the home with Jerusalem themed art, sometimes even marking it “Mizrach” – or East. This helps us remember which direction to pray towards, serves the practical purpose of letting visitors know which is the Eastern wall of the house, and also helps evoke Jerusalem when we pray that way.

Making a DIY Mizrach Sign for the home or the Sukkah

While I definitely had in mind the home when I made this, I do think it can be made for the Sukkah too!

Glass might be susceptible to shattering if it’s not fully secured in the Sukkah. You can replace the glass of the frame with acetate sheets and do the project with that instead. They are easy to cut with scissors.

I cut the words “Mizrach” from gold cardstock on my Cricut and offer the template as both an SVG for machine cutting and a PDF for hand cutting. You can trace and cut from cardstock, or even use it as a stencil and paint in the letters using glass paint.

I do recommend making the letters darker than I did (maybe even black) as it’ll be sharper and stand out more, however, I didn’t have time to go back and redo it once I saw that the gold didn’t stand out as much as I’d like.

I did not have different tones of brown tissue paper to work with – that IS what I would recommend, rather than sticking to one beige one. I was hoping that the light shining through would highlight where it overlaps a little more, but my beige was a special coated thick beige that isn’t as translucent as normal tissue paper.

If purchasing supplies special for this project, get regular thin tissue paper, and aim for a little color variation. It does have some definition but is more abstractly the Kotel the way I did it.

To help bring out the different stones, I did afterward go back and add some detail with a brown sharpie, and I think it does look better, although we’re missing the all tissue paper factor.

So while I am quite happy with how my DIY Mizrach sign came out – I think you can make it even nicer!

How to make a tissue paper stained glass DIY Mizrach sign

Supplies Needed

• An 8×10 picture frame
• Matte Mod Podge
• A foam brush
• Tissue paper sheets in shades of beige/tan and green (you can purchase pre-made squares but I intentionally didn’t want perfect squares for this.)
• Scissors
• Cardstock (I used gold, I recommend something with more contrast to your tissue paper)
• Pencil for tracing
• OR if Cricut cutting – any Cricut machine with a fine point blade and LightGrip mat + brayer
• Template/SVG – download at the end of this post

Process

1. Remove the back of the frame, then carefully remove the glass. The edges may be a little sharp.

2. Cut out your words “Mizrach” from your choice of paper.

3. Lay out your words on your glass face down. One by one, pick u pa letter, apply mod podge to the front, and place it back face down.

Do this with all your “Mizrach” letters.

Note: if you want to use a guide, just print a mirrored version of the PDF template and place it underneath the glass to use as a template for placing your letters. You should be able to even place a non-mirrored one printed on regular copy paper upside down, I think you’d be able to see through it.

4. Cut your pieces of tissue paper. Cut some slightly larger, some medium, some smaller. Cut rough rectangles. Cut some rough small circles from green tissue paper as well. (The amount that I cut is enough to make for quite a few projects).

5. Spread Mod Podge over your Mizrach and the back of your glass, leaving a roughly 1-1.5 inch border.

6. Place green circles at a few random spots and wrinkle it up a bit on the surface.

7. Star placing your large beige rectangles on the bottom, on the Mod Podge, not too organized. Overlap some more than others. Make sure to spread a little more Mod Podge in spots where you’re overlapping other tissue paper, including the green circles. You might want to keep a photo of the Kotel open for inspiration as you make your DIY Mizrach sign.

You can even place some bricks vertically instead of horizontally.

8. Work from bottom to top, largest on bottom, smallest on top, building up your Kotel. When you’re done, seal it with a thin layer of Mod Podge. Don’t overwork it or you’ll wet and lift up your tissue paper.

9. When you’re done, and the Mod Podge has dried, place your glass back into your frame, and flip over to view your gorgeous tissue paper Kotel art. Mine needed a bit more definition because I used a thicker tissue paper in only one shade.

11. If you’d like, roughly outline the stones of the Kotel on the back of your artwork. The tissue paper is translucent enough that it’ll show through.

And that is our final DIY Mizrach sign!

Download the free Mizrach SVG & PDF template

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A month ago, I decided to share a Kotel art project. I created a template to go with it, got the supplies, and ended up (whoops!) making three different versions.

Originally, I had made it with Tish’ah B’av in mind, but since I created three different styles, I decided to share one with you closer to Sukkot. And while we are still a long way out, I probably won’t have time to share with you the more involved Rosh Hashanah crafts until the kids start school – and same goes for the really elaborate Sukkah decoration I made last year. And since the timeline between Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot is so tight, I don’t want to miss it! So I’m sharing this Kotel art way in advance. Here’s to the planners among us!

This black glue Kotel art was actually the first on my agenda, and it’s my favorite. The high contrast between the black outline and the neon paints is fantastic.

The use of glue leaves a beautiful texture and creates a sort-of resist.

If you want to hang this in your Sukkah, you WILL want to waterproof it – I have a feeling watercolors are gonna run like crazy if you try hanging it as-is. And I’m not sure how the glue’s going to respond, but I suspect it’ll be a sorry mess.

So definitely frame it (if you trust the waterproofing of the frame) or laminate it, or laminate and then frame.

The cool thing about this Kotel art project is that any family member can do it, and each one can come out unique. You can see that I chose to use neons in totally unrealistic colors. You can go for the tans and beiges of the Kotel stones, or go all imaginative like me.

For younger kids, you may want to do the outlining in advance. For kids in the middle, you may want to mix up the glue in easier, smaller squeeze bottles. Just make sure to smock up – it’s not washable!

Download the Kotel art template:

The template is the same as on the other two Kotel art projects, so if you already downloaded it, you’re covered!

Just to recap: I took some real-life Kotel photos from our trip to Israel last year and traced the main lines and stones in Sketchbook on my Surface Pro. I tried to give it a bit of a natural touch that you can hopefully retain in your project. I formatted it a few different ways so you can choose the layout of your Kotel art.

What you need to make black glue Kotel art:

• School glue
• Black acrylic paint
• The template printed on card stock
• Watercolor paints – I used these neons
• A soft watercolor brush for best results – or use one that comes with your palette

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How to make black glue Kotel art:

1. To get the right proportion, I emptied 1/4 of my glue (actually, I made my other Kotel art projects first and was left with a 3/4 full bottle….) Top off the bottle with black acrylic paint – don’t overfill! Mix it together with a stick or skewer.

2. Outline your Kotel drawing with the black glue and let it dry completely. For this project, there is no reason not to do it directly on the template you printed, as the black glue will conceal the uglier printed outline beneath it.

3. When it’s totally dry, start painting with your watercolors! Use generous water to let the colors really flow and blend.

The watercolors can have a chalky effect that shows on the black. It’s really easy to remove it once it’s dry with a baby wipe or damp cloth.

If you’d like to, when you’re done, you can trim the edges so your design goes all the way to the end. You can also back it on construction paper or insert it into a mat.

Your third Kotel art project is complete!

Want more Sukkah decorating ideas? Try this pomegranate art (great you can use that template with black glue as well!). Or, make an origami Rosh Hashanah craft that can be hung in a dry spot of your Sukkah too.

The post Black Glue Kotel Art appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Last week, I shared a fun Kotel process art that was a big hit among you readers. I promised two more to come… eventually… using the same templates as last time.
I had some calendar reshuffles and I needed to swap for a quicker post today so guess what? I’m getting this to you just in the nick of time for Tish’a B’av.

While last week’s Kotel art made a great home decor piece or Sukkah decoration too, this one is more of a “just for fun” project that can truly be relaxing. It’s also a fantastic Jewish STEAM project to teach about absorbency.

And on that note: because salt is so absorbent, you’re better off doing it on a less-humid day (I did mine on a 95 degree humid day and it was harder to manage). It’ll sweat less that way and be easier to work with.

The process basically uses salt as you would glitter – outlining with glue and then covering it with salt. The salt then absorbs the watercolors as you dip your brush onto it, basically blending itself. It’s relaxing and hypnotizing – and fun for kids.

There are three points I wanted to make about the salt Kotel art:

⦁ I find salt to be so appropriate for the sadder times as it can represent the sadness over the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, as well as the tragedies that came with it, generation after generation.

⦁ The salt isn’t a good, finished product – think of it like glitter, only less clingy. You may want to play with sealers (I didn’t) but ultimately I think it works better as a “make and toss” educational kids’ craft.

⦁ The way I made it was by gluing directly on the template. My black lines showed through. Some solutions would be to use the template only as a base later under another card stock (but you should use thicker card stock and that can be hard to trace). Or, print it in a lighter grayscale. Or just chill and let your black show through (like I did).

Another thing: salt “sweats”.
So make sure to put down a very thin line of glue – thin enough so that it won’t drip – so that you can shake off your salt right after putting it on.
Otherwise it’ll start sweating and dripping onto your paper, wetting it and ruining your project (ask me how I know and I’ll tell you all about Take 1 of this Kotel craft).

Download the Kotel Craft Template:

If you haven’t yet, download your template below. It’s four pages traced from the same image of the Kotel (so yes, these are really inspired by the actual bricks) that I took last year when I went with my family. I did different crops of the image so that you can make the image look how you want to – simpler, more complex.

Supplies needed to make this Kotel art and craft project:

• The template (above) printed on card stock
• White glue
• Table salt
• Watercolor paints (I used Prang’s – the colors are SO rich – but any will do)
• Water
• Thin paint brush (the one that comes with your palette should do!)

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How to make a Kotel Salt Painting:

1. Outline your Kotel image with a thin layer of white glue.

2. While it’s still wet, sprinkle on table salt. Shake off the excess immediately.

3. When your glue is totally dry, wet your watercolor pallet and load your brush with diluted paint. Gently touch the brush to the salt.

You’ll see the watercolors travel along the salt lines, hardly touching the paper.

You can do a rainbow like I did, or stick to browns and tans for more realism.
Now try it with different designs – including abstract patterns, your name….

You can trim the edges when you’re done if you want.

Your Kotel salt art is complete!

Make sure to follow along so that you don’t miss my third Kotel process art – to be realeased before Sukkot! It’s my favorite – best for last!

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I was brainstorming crafts to do for the 9 days and Tisha B’av (days of morning for the destruction of the Holy Temple, culminating in a fast day and extra mourning.)

Someone suggested a process art, and then I realized that I’ve done very little that represents Israel, so I figured the timing is perfect.

I had so many ideas for Kotel process arts so stay tuned for two more ideas coming along in the next few months PG. I stuck with the same basic template for all, and will show you how to use it.

Today, I’m sharing a more basic glue resist.

It’s really simple for any age group:

• Younger kids might need help outlining their Kotel stones and can then go to town with the watercolors.
• Adults might try to create more realistic texture, stone by stone.
• And anyone can simply have fun, relax, and let the colors flow.

It’s actually perfect for toddlers who tend to use all the colors and end up with brown!

The Template:

The Kotel template comes with four styles: one very zoomed in with big stones (the one I used here), one a bit further back, one that encompasses a larger section of the wall, and one with the same section, within a black frame.

It was created by actually tracing over part of a photo of the Kotel I took during our trip to Israel last year.

To make Kotel art using a basic glue resist method, you’ll want to trace it on a fresh sheet of cardstock or watercolor paper. It’s hard to trace through thick cardstock so either:

1. Copy it visually instead of tracing or
2. Use carbon paper to trace it lightly onto your new paper and glue next to the lines instead of on them – so that you can erase them when your glue is dry.
3. Use a lightbox if you have one
4. OR you can do what I did and just do it in a well-lit area and don’t stress if it’s not perfectly accurate.

Download the Kotel art template:

Materials you’ll need for your Kotel Art glue resist:

• White glue
• Watercolor paints (I used this palette)
• A good, soft paintbrush. I switched in middle because the thinner, coarser one I was using wasn’t blending nicely. For little kids just use whatever, but if you’re really trying to get a certain look, go for soft, round, and slightly larger than what would come with the palette.
• The template printed out
• Card stock or watercolor paper
• Paper clip or masking tape
• Optional: scissors
• Baby wipes

Kotel Craft instructions:

1. Secure your paper to your template using a paper clip or masking tape.

2. Start drawing your Kotel with glue.

3. When your glue is completely dry (I recommend waiting overnight) paint your Kotel! On this one, I used different shades of brown, some orange and yellow, and a touch of deep red.

I really relaxed, used a lot of water for a lighter wash that blends nicely, and didn’t get too specific with the placement of my colors.

4. Your glue might not totally repel the watercolors, but the color won’t stick well to it. I used a baby wipe to gently remove whatever color came off easily. Leaving some is what gives it a really cool effect – but you do want those areas to be lighter.

5. When it’s dry, you can trim the edges if you’d like!

Stay tuned and make sure to sign up for our newsletter so you get updates on the other two Kotel process arts!

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The post Kotel Art – Glue Resist + Free Printable Templates appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

I’ve been procrastinating lately- one of the reasons this post is being published during the Nine Days, instead of before the week started. But, it’s here, and I hope it’s helpful.

Below you’ll find a selection of soups, main dishes and side dishes, both pareve and dairy.  I know the Nine Days fall in the dead of the summer and it is most likely quite hot where you are, however, I’ve included a list of soups anyway. I love soup, and it’s often a filling, complete meal on its own.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlT6c_3Ho52/?taken-by=beyondthebalagan

Some recipes are linked, but some are just ideas, without a recipe. The goal of this post is to give you some inspiration when putting your own menu together. A Nine Days Menu is not intended to be gourmet dairy- keep it simple and filling and everyone will be happy.

Nine Days Menu: Mains

Lemon salmon

Breaded flounder

Eggplant Parmesan

Falafel in pita

Scrambled eggs

Shakshuka

Egg salad sandwiches

Tuna sandwiches

Grilled cheese

Bagels (with cream cheese & lox, of course!)

Veggie + Cheese Panini

Mac and cheese

Baked Ziti

Lasagna

Pizza

Pancakes

Tuna Casserole

Poke Bowls by Busy in Brooklyn

Tuna Patties by Munchies by Mindee

Vegetarian Chili by Joy of Kosher

White Pizza by The Aussie Gourmet

Nine Days Menu: Soups

Onion Soup with Cheesy Pastry Crust

Split pea soup

Hearty vegetable soup

Zucchini soup

Tomato Soup with Cheddar Matzo Balls by Kosher.com (Danielle Renov)

Orange Vegetable Soup by Overtime Cook

Nine Days Menu: Salads

Crunchy Snow Pea Salad

Pasta Caprese Salad

Sushi Salad by Busy in Brooklyn

Nish Nosh Salad by Pass the Challah

Asian Salad with Crispy Tofu by The Kosher Dinner Lady

Nine Days Menu: Sides

Roasted vegetables

Stir fry vegetables

Cauliflower rice

Deviled eggs

Rice

Pasta

Quinoua

Couscous

Sweet potatoes

Mashed potatoes

French fries

Baked potatoes

Scalloped potatoes

Easy Sesame Snap Peas

Mushroom Medley Quiche

Pesto & Pizza Wheels by Happily Hectic

Mix any of these mains and sides together for a wholesome, delicious meal. Or just order pizza. Either way, keep it simple, and don’t spend too much time over a hot stove.

The post Nine Days Menu & Meatless Meals Inspiration appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.