38 | AUGUST 3 • 2023 

NEXT DOR

W

hite is the color 
often associated 
with Shabbat, 
whether in welcoming the 
Shabbat bride or dressing 
up for Kabbalat Shabbat at 
summer camp. Well, The 
Well’s Shabbat Sh’Barbie was 
anything but white! It was 
head-to-toe, cupcakes to 
chocolate-covered bedazzled 
strawberries PINK! 
The Well started its Shabbat 
Sh’Barbie Kabbalat Shabbat 
extravaganza at Bamboo 
Royal Oak. The lower level of 
Bamboo turned into a Barbie 
Dreamhouse. Tables were 
covered with pink tablecloths, 
a doll box welcomed guests to 

pose as a doll themselves, and 
an actual Barbie Dreamhouse 
was made complete with 
mezuzahs and life-size Shabbat 
candles.
Dinner was catered by Mr. 
Kabob in Berkley and desserts 
from Astoria Pastry Shop in 
Royal Oak. 
Together, the group 
watched the Tiffany Shlain 
mini documentary The Tribe, 
which she describes as “an 
unauthorized, unorthodox 
history of the Jewish people 
and the Barbie doll.” The 
group learned about Ruth 
Handler, the Jewish creator 
of Barbie and co-founder of 
Mattel. Handler’s father fled 

The Well turns a cultural moment 
into an exploration of Jewishness. 
Shabbat Sh’Barbie

STORY AND PHOTOS BY 
YEVGENIYA GAZMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Pink chocolate-covered 
strawberries and macaroons

Rachel 
Kennelly

Arielle 
Inwald

Shabbat candles 
at the Barbie 
Dreamhouse

