Mahjong: My Surprisingly Jewish Self-Care Practice

By Gabby Spatt

Traditions can be powerful tools for nurturing connection — within families and across communities. One popular example that has grown in popularity over the last century is mahjong.

Mahjong, a tile-based game developed in the 19th century in China, has become a phenomenon spurring connections among Chinese family members, friends and “friends to be” because of its malleability. Nicole Wong, author of The Mahjong Project, explains how the rules of the game differ depending on the country you’re in, making each variation of the rules a special point of connection between someone and their family or community — something especially meaningful for a nation separated across a diaspora. This kind of connection can also be healing.

For many Jews, the tradition of baking challah provides a similar kind of connection to loved ones and generations past — as well as to oneself. In Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs, Beth Ricanati shares how this weekly ritual became a powerful act of self-care, because it nurtured her connection to both her family and her tradition.

Self-care is foundational to Jewish tradition. Judaism commands us to protect and nurture both our physical and mental well-being. And mitzvot like Shabbat — a 25-hour period during which we are commanded to disconnect from the chaos of the outside world and reconnect with ourselves and those around us — offers a profound, weekly self-care practice.

Judaism recognizes the sacredness of life and the many parts of human experience that contribute to that sacredness as well as the importance of self-care not only for ourselves but so we can better serve others and fulfill our purpose. Wellness, Judaism asserts, is comprised of mind, body and spirit, and it gives any act of self-care an air of holiness. This isn’t just limited to the commandments that bind us to our ancestors; it encompasses the traditions we carry on, including, for many Jewish women in America, mahjong.

The connection between Jewish women and mahjong is not clear, but we know the game has become a staple in many Jewish households, including mine. (The National Mah Jongg* League (NMJL), an organization started by a group of Jewish women in 1937 to maintain the game’s rules, regulations and continuity in America)
Women in my family have been playing mahjong for decades. My grandmother hosted regular “mahj parties” with her friends, and my mom recently told me she served coffee cake at those parties — a cake I also bake using her recipe and plan on baking for my next mahj game.

Listening to my mother’s stories, something clicked: My grandmothers were practicing self-care through mahjong and baking long before we had the language for it, connecting to each other and their families through a combination of shared baking and quality time. And now, this game and coffee cake recipe were passed down to me by my grandmothers and my mom. L’dor v’dor, from generation to generation. I even have a mahjong set that belonged to one of my grandmothers, purchased in Hong Kong in the 1960s.

So, given how central self-care and tradition are to Judaism, is playing mahjong part of my Jewish identity?

I think it just might be.

Resource Activity 

  • What does l’dor v’dor (from generation to generation) mean to you? 
  • What Jewish cultural experiences have been passed down to you by other family members?
  • What Jewish cultural experience brings you joy?
  • What Jewish cultural experience would you like to share with someone else?

History of Mahjong in the Jewish Community 

As already mentioned, a group of Jewish women founded the NMJL in 1937.  The organization continues to ensure consistency in how the game is played. Each year, the league publishes a card outlining winning tile combinations and standard rules — both of which change annually. During World War II, majhong remained a popular pastime among Jewish women, providing a sense of community and continuity while many of their husbands were overseas.

By the mid-20th century, the game had migrated from the cities to the suburbs and vacation resorts, following the movements of Jewish families. For decades, it became a staple in retirement communities. Now, mahjong is experiencing a cultural resurgence — this time among millennial and Gen Z women, especially in the American South. These younger players are embracing the game as a competitive, organized and recurring way to gather and connect socially.

Source: MyJewishLearning.com and StyleBluePrint.com. 

*Mahjong, mahjongg, mah jong, mah-jong, mah jongg, mah-jongg, mahj … Don’t get confused if you see it spelled differently!

Jewish Mahjong Resources

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