Making Meaning Through Broad Engagement 

Rabbi Yael Buechler finds opportunities for Jewish education even when shopping at Target. Her work as a day school rabbi, small business owner, and influencer draws on her enthusiastic and creative love of Jewish life. 

Bloomingdale’s is not exactly where you might expect to promote meaningful Jewish connection, but for Rabbi Yael Buechler, marketing Midrash Manicures alongside luxury fashion items was a perfect fit. “Nail art is not typically part of the rabbinate. I love taking something I am already passionate about and channeling it into to Jewish life in ways that broadly engage others,” she said. 

The spark behind Midrash Manicures (which now also features holiday-themed pajamas for all ages) ignited while Buechler was in rabbinical school. For fun she hand-painted manicures to match each parsha or holiday. Buechler was ordained in 2011 at JTS, where she also took classes in The William Davidson School of Jewish Education. Currently lower school rabbi and outreach coordinator at the Leffell School in White Plains, NY, she also served as a mentor in Davidson’s MA practicum component. 

As an educator, small business owner, and social media influencer, Buechler draws on the love of Judaism and creative spirit she inherited from her parents—a rabbi and an art therapist—and the inspiration she gains from her two young children, who often model some of her merchandise at midrashmanicures.com. 

Engagement and Jewish Education 

Buechler’s success at Leffell, where she is in her fifteenth year, grows from her unique combination of complementary skill sets. As rabbi, she draws on authentic Jewish wisdom and pastoral skills, and as outreach coordinator, she enlists entrepreneurial spirit and what she knows about Jewish engagement.  

Buechler deeply believes that while Leffell’s students and teachers are primary constituencies, her vision, personally and for the school as a whole, depends on creating relationships and interacting with members of the school’s kehillah (community) on and off-campus. “Parents, grandparents, community members. They are all part of who we partner with as we envision the future of Leffell and the Jewish people,” she said. “I am driven to connect with the next generation of the school, and that means families with children of all ages.” 

As an example, Buechler points to the famous Spotify playlists that she curates around holidays and that Leffell plays on loudspeakers around school. “I am not a musician,” said Buechler, “but I appreciate the power of music.” She has heard from families who play her Spotify playlists during carpool in Westchester as well as from people across the country who find these resources online. 

“At Leffell, we want to engage people in ways that feel joyful and meaningful so that they move forward on their Jewish journeys,” said Buechler.  

Buechler compares the impact of these playlists to the feeling shoppers get when they walk into a mall at Christmas time and hear carols playing. “We can imbue the whole environment around us with opportunities for learning, loving, and finding meaning in Judaism.” 

When Buechler supervised a rabbinical student who was also pursuing an MA at Davidson, she worked with him on integrating new families to the school. “Engagement does not end once a family has enrolled,” she said, “and paying attention to details and the ways technology can help—something as simple as adding a calendar link to the announcement of school-wide tefillah—demonstrates an investment in deep relationship.”  

“Coming to Leffell is about participating as a family in the school,” said Buechler.  

Years ago, in advance of a snowstorm when school was sure to be cancelled, Buechler led the effort to distribute yeast packets to all lower school families so that they could bake challah on the snow day and then share photos online. “This was before the pandemic, and the ‘Challahthon’ was such a fun way of being together even when we were physically apart,” she said, “that we’ve held the Challahthon annually on the first snow day of the season ever since.” 

Education and Engagement in the Marketplace 

In her small business, Buechler is committed to authenticity and high quality. “When my Hanukkah pajamas were featured on The Today Show, the producers were drawn to the idea that these PJs were created by a rabbi,” said Buechler. “What matters to me is that the products are made from cozy fabric in modern patterns, not based on an antiquated idea of what Judaism means.” 

At first, Buechler avoided the crowded marketplace of Hanukkah products (the first pajamas she designed were actually for Passover, a night when kids are often up late). “There had to be more than just blue, white, and gold Jewish stars!” Buechler observed.  

She was frustrated to find rampant errors in Hanukkah merchandise, either mistakes in Hebrew letters on dreidels, for example, or in the representation of a hanukkiyah without its required 8+1 branches. She now collects examples of what she calls “Hanukkah mishaps,” and posts clips on social media that have attracted a following. 

Last Sukkot, Buechler found a holiday mishap that presented a more sophisticated educational opportunity. “I came across a pop-up Sukkah that was decorated with Hanukkah images and ‘Happy Hanukkah’ in Hebrew. 

“I remembered a class that I took with Professor David Kraemer where we explored the importance of Hanukkah in the Talmud and delved into the Book of Maccabees to discover how Hanukkah was actually a redo of Sukkot.” Buechler seized upon this opportunity to share these ideas with her social media audience, many of whom had never heard of these origins of Hanukkah.  

Buechler sees her role as an online influencer as another expression of Jewish engagement. Through her social media posts, she creates a sense of community in the virtual world, using easily relatable themes to connect people with Jewish life.  

“When the Barbie movie was such a big hit, I developed tools for hosting a Barbie Shabbat dinner,” recalled Buechler, including a “dreamy” challah cover. “My kids are the source of a lot of my wild ideas.”

For Buechler, connecting pop culture or her family’s interests to Jewish life is just core to her identity. “I take things I am already passionate about and form a connection,” she said. “It is not hard to connect yourself—or others—to Jewish life when you start with passion and discover ways to make meaning.”