Looking for a good way to keep the kids awake for the Seder and then send them off to dreamland? Put them in Matza Pajamas for a seamless transition. Matza Pajamas will keep kids comfy and happy while reliving their exodus from Egypt with no tussle when their eyes start closing.
Matza Pajamas are the latest innovation from Jewish educator and entrepreneur Yael Buechler, inspired by her now 3-year-old son, Nadav Kramer. Last Pesach, she put him in a pair of yellow pajamas for the Seder, which he called “matza pajamas.” He happily wore them throughout and after the chag. That was her impetus to create PJs with a matza design, available in sizes 2T to 10, for kids everywhere.
“I did research and saw that there were no matza PJs on the market,” said Buechler, who has created several Jewish-themed products sold online. “I looked into what it would take to make them and it seemed feasible.” Her biggest challenge was fine tuning the matza design on fabric. With help from graphic designers, she got the look she wanted in 100% cotton. She got her first sample last summer and tweaked the design. The approved sample made its debut in a Matza Pajamas photo shoot in the sukkah.
The pajamas arrived just a few weeks ago and orders are flowing in. After getting many requests for adult sizes, Buechler said she is working quickly to make them. They will be ready to ship a few weeks before Pesach.
Moms can join the matza-wear theme with Buechler’s matza dress, created three years ago and back in stock now. “My goal was to make Jewish fashion chic, to make a beautiful dress that connected Judaism and fashion,” she said. The dress is knee length with three-quarter sleeves in a stretchy fabric—good for reclining at the Seder. Actress Mayim Bialik wore the dress last year.
There is a historical connection between fashion and Pesach that appealed to Buechler. “People would come out of shul dressed up and fill the streets of the Lower East Side,” she said. “New clothes for Pesach have always been a tradition.”
Buechler’s foray into Jewish-themed products began as a way to further her primary career in Jewish education; she’s now the director of outreach for The Leffell School, formerly Solomon Schechter of Westchester. She formed Midrash Manicures in 2011, after posting photos online of her Torah and holiday-themed fingernail designs. People began inquiring how they could get the same ones. Buechler’s were hand painted but she began mass producing decals and started her company.
The site https://midrashmanicures.com has all her products, including Chanukah- and Pesach-themed leggings, headbands and scrunchies. “All the work I do as an entrepreneur is about thinking of new ways to connect with families,” she said. “Entrepreneurship is an engaging portal to Jewish education.”
By Bracha Schwartz
