Mah Jongg Renaissance at Bet Shalom

by Maura Lerner Fisher

I have to admit, I never really understood the game or the addictive appeal it had for my mother and her friends. But I vividly remember the sounds of them playing when I was growing up: The funny phrases (“One bam. Two crack”). The laughter. And most of all, the distinctive clattering of the ivory tiles, a chirping sound that supposedly inspired its name: Mah Jongg. Or “sparrow” in Chinese dialects.

For many years I thought Mah Jongg was a fading relic of a bygone era. I couldn’t have been more wrong. If anything, this 19th-century Chinese game, which is similar to gin-rummy with tiles instead of cards, is enjoying a full-throated renaissance. And early this year, Bet Shalom joined the fun, launching its own official Mah Jongg group.

 Ardis Wexler, a longtime member, decided to test the waters to see if other members were interested in playing or learning how to play. She spread the word that she would be hosting a Mah Jongg intro session at the synagogue in January, and she invited two friends to tag along just in case. “I said it may be just the three of us looking at each other,” she recalled. To her surprise, about 18 people showed up that first night.

Now it’s become so popular that she runs two game sessions every Tuesday — one in the afternoon and one in the evening. “A lot of people have heard about it and have never had an opportunity, because of their life situation, to learn,” she said. “This presents that opportunity.”

First-timers and veteran players are equally welcome, and there’s no charge (and in case you’re wondering, no betting either).

Ardis admits that Mah Jongg, with its Chinese symbols and color-coded instruction cards, can seem intimidating at first. “That’s one of the first things that people say,” she said. “It does take some getting used to.” But she’s a patient teacher. “We emphasize that there’s no pressure. Just come and enjoy yourself.”

Phyllis Cohen, one of the newer players, echoed that sentiment during a recent Tuesday afternoon session. “We’re not cut-throat,” she said. “That’s what makes it nice here. Everybody’s pleasant,” she added with a laugh, “So far.”

The new group is, in a way, carrying on a proud tradition. While Mah Jongg was never an exclusively Jewish thing — it was, after all, invented in China — it became embedded in our culture when a group of Jewish women in New York founded the National Mah Jongg League in 1937, to help standardize the game in the United States.

For his part, Rabbi David Locketz is delighted to see it take root at Bet Shalom. “There’s clearly a desire for it, and it took off very quickly,” he said. And its appeal seems to be spreading. “You sort of see the next generation of women in the synagogue saying, ‘Well, I want to learn how to play that.’”

And he credits Ardis Wexler with making it happen. “She brings the ability to teach it to other people,” he said. “If somebody’s willing to teach it to you, it’s a big gift.”

Ardis thinks the game's popularity will only continue to grow. "I'd like to set up a time for kids to learn," she said, noting that her 13-year-old grandson is now a fan. "Somebody told me Mah Jongg is coming back. I don't think it ever faded away."

Anyone interested in learning or playing Mah Jongg may text or call Ardis Wexler at 952-210-7497. The game sessions are every Tuesday at 2:30 pm and 6:45 pm at the synagogue.