Mah jongg, or mahj, the tile game developed in 19th century China, is a quintessential part of American Jewish culture, as indispensable to its history as the Borscht Belt, the Catskills Jewish vacation destination that helped make the game (and the snacks that went along with it) so ubiquitous among Jewish women of a certain age.
Yet mah jongg is very clearly no longer just your bubbe’s game. It’s played by celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker and Fran Drescher; young women are designing colorful new sets; and more and more young people are starting to play the game just for fun. That may have you jonesing to learn how to toss those pretty tiles and call “Two Bam!” or “Eight Dot!” and eventually victoriously shout “Mah Jongg!” when you win a game or two.
Here at Kveller, we want to help you make that dream come true, so we’ve recruited two incredible mah jongg experts, or mavens, if you will, to help you learn how to play the delightful game — whether with your family, your friends or friendly strangers online. Dara Collins and Donna Kassman, the founders of Modern Mahjong, will be teaching a special four-session virtual class that will have you confidently playing the game by the end of it, while also teaching you a thing or two about its history and answering all your pressing mahj questions. If you need to miss a class, don’t worry — the recordings will be available for anyone who signs up for the course for an entire month after the session ends.
Each session of our Master Mah Jongg class will last 75 minutes, and they will take place on Sundays at 8 p.m. Eastern between November 17 and December 8, which means you’ll be ready to play by the time Hanukkah rolls around.
Sign up for our Master Mah Jongg class.
