Yael Buechler couldn’t be happier about the success of the matzah pajamas she created earlier this year. They were a success with children and adults, even worn by the Maccabeats in a music video. Families are telling her that their kids took them to sleepaway camp over the summer and are still wearing them—at home and at sleepovers. Now she’s hoping for the same enthusiastic reaction to her new Shabbat pajamas. “I really wanted to create something that could be just as meaningful but more timely for year-round wear,” she explained. “Shabbat seemed like a great place to start. And Shabbat is our day of rest so naturally it should have its own pajamas. I am launching the PJs in honor of Cheshvan, a month filled only with Shabbatot, no other holidays.”
The Shabbat PJs feature pop-art style Shabbat symbols—candles, kiddush cup, challah—on a cream-color background. Buechler was inspired by artist Andy Warhol, who was known for taking regular objects and making them feel extraordinary. “Working with a designer, I played around with lots of colors and iterations. I fell in love with the cream color as a base. It’s neutral so the symbols pop out. Shabbat pajamas fit nicely with the theme of rest—and it’s a more convenient way to take a Shabbat nap.” The PJs come in kids’ sizes 2-12 and are made of 100% cotton so they are soft to wear and wash well.
Buechler is an educator as well as an entrepreneur; she’s full of ideas for fun products to help kids learn about and connect with Judaism. She has yet another product launching at the end of the month: Chanukah pajamas. Thinking beyond the traditional solid blue and white, she created pajamas for kids with a spin-art design of vibrant colors and patterns to add excitement.
All Buechler’s products are available on the website https://midrashmanicures.com. Buechler began producing Jewish-themed products as a way to further her primary career in Jewish education. She is currently the director of outreach for the Leffell school, formerly Solomon Schechter, in 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 has the new Shabbat pajamas and all her themed products, including leggings, headbands and scrunchies. “All the work I do as an entrepreneur is about thinking of new ways to connect with families,” she said. “Being an entrepreneur is another form of Jewish education.” Chanukah PJs will be available from the website beginning October 30.
