38 | MAY 19 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

A

t just 17 years old and still a senior
in high school, Sofia Bat Sarah
has no plans for marriage in the
immediate future, but you might still
catch her on occasion wandering around
wearing a tichel (head scarf). That’s because
she wants to make sure that the tichels
she’s creating are as comfortable as she’s
promising her buyers.
It all began when Sofia saw some images
of Judaic jewelry online. It tickled her crafty
side, and she was instantly inspired.
“I love that kind of stuff,
” Sofia said. “It’s so
beautiful. I decided to try making my own.
”
She began tinkering, creating and selling
her handmade jewelry last year. She makes
necklaces with the star of David or “hamsa”
hand, Mizrachi-style earrings and bracelets,
and much more.
“I have something for everyone,
Ashkenazim, Sephardim, I even custom-
design,
” Sofia said.
Soon after she started selling her jewelry,
she came across a TikTok account with a
woman demonstrating how she styled her
tichel. Adept at the sewing machine since
she was a young girl, Sofia immediately
decided to try creating a stylish tichel herself.

“I was shocked when I saw how much
tichels cost!” Sofia said. “They usually
run from $27-$30+! I decided to make
them more affordable and available, with
significantly cheaper shipping options.
”
Sofia’s tichels cost between $5-$15. (And
yes, that’s with up charging a little so she can
still make a profit!)
She buys 3-4 yards of fabric at a time, cuts
the fabric into squares or triangles, and then
crimps or sews the edges. Each yard of fabric

yields two tichels. Tichel-making takes Sofia
about one to two hours while her jewelry
takes her between 20 minutes and three
hours, depending on the piece.
Sofia, who prefers to be known by
her Hebrew name, grew up in Detroit,
Hamtramck and Warren, knowing very
little about her Jewish roots. A few years
ago, she attended Menorah in the D and
had a marvelous time. Soon after that, she
joined Chabad in the D for Shabbat and
was “instantly hooked.
” When she attended
Shofar in the Park in Royal Oak, it was
the first time she had ever celebrated Rosh
Hashanah.
“I’ve been exploring a lot recently,
” Sofia
shared. “
And that was the start of it all. I love
checking out other synagogues and have
since moved to Oak Park to live closer to the
Orthodox community.
”
Her parents and two brothers are
supportive, but according to Sofia, her
family is also still getting used to these
changes.

A BRUSH WITH HATERS
Unfortunately, after posting her first few
TikTok videos that explored different parts
of Jewish culture and traditions, Sofia was
“doxxed.
” Neo-nazis found her full name,
address and phone number online and
began posting her details on numerous sites,
inciting others to harass her virtually. Her
phone was always “blowing up” with nasty
messages. Some people even turned up at
her house. Sofia called the police but was
advised to “just block them” and told “we
can’t do anything unless you’re physically
harassed.
”
After this scare, Sofia deleted all her
social media accounts, except for her
business, changed her phone number and
became extremely private about sharing any
information publicly. That’s also why she’s
uncomfortable sharing her photo publicly.
Despite this extremely distressing episode,
Sofia continues to create her Jewish-themed
jewelry and her tichels. She is grateful that
there has been such a positive reaction
to her tichel sales, which only began in
February/March of this year.
“I’ve sold over 100 already,
” Sofia said
proudly. She gets the word out through
social media posts and her new website
judaicabysofia.square.site.

Detroit’s Youngest
Tichel-Maker

ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Sofia’s jewelry

Hand-made
tichels

COURTESY OF SOFIA BAT SARAH