Yesterday we helped NPR’s Planet Money on its search to find a cartoon-themed bat mitzvah t-shirt that turned up in a bin of donated clothes in Sub-Saharan Africa. Once he saw our post about it, Adam Soclof at the JTA went on a hunt for the namesake of this amazing shirt from 1993.
Somehow he ended up finding Rachel Aaronson (maiden name Williams, whose name was sewn into the tee thanks to Jewish summer camp) on Facebook, which led him to interview Rachel and identify Jennifer Slaim–the bat mitzvah girl–who he also interviewed on this bat mitzvah tee fiasco. Check out the interview to learn more about Jennifer’s Betty Boop obsession, her thoughts on her bat mitzvah tee winding up in Israel, and an amazing video of her daughter dancing to MC Hammer. Mmm-hmmm.
UPDATE: NPR got in touch with Jennifer and Rachel and posted this update, including an amazing picture of the two wearing the bat mitzvah t-shirt at the bat mitzvah. The story will be airing on All Things Considered tonight.
Well, folks, never underestimate the power of Facebook and Jewish geography. And keep donating your old tee’s to those in need–you never know when a story could unfold.
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