Celebrating Middle Eastern Jewish Clothing

Elementary School (Grades K-5)

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Students explore how Jews of the Middle East and North Africa used clothing to fit in with their neighbors while keeping a distinct Jewish identity, then celebrate Mimouna in kaftans with sweets and Moroccan music.

Objectives

Jewish communities have always lived among other peoples and absorbed their languages, foods, music, and dress. Jews of the Middle East and North Africa wore kaftans much like their Muslim neighbors while keeping practices that set them apart, and at times distinct dress was forced on them by law. Students analyze images and two classic Jewish texts to explore this balance between belonging and distinctiveness, then learn about and celebrate Mimouna, the Moroccan festival at the end of Passover.

Essential Questions

  1. What can clothing tell us about a person’s identity and community?
  2. How did Jews of the Middle East and North Africa balance belonging to the culture around them with keeping a distinct Jewish identity?
  3. Was distinct Jewish dress always a choice? What is the difference between dress a community chooses and dress imposed on it?

Students will be able to

  • Define acculturation and assimilation and give an example of each from Jewish history.
  • Use images to identify how Middle Eastern and North African Jews resembled and differed from their neighbors.
  • Analyze two classic Jewish texts in chevruta and explain how they differ.
  • Explain the customs and values of Mimouna, including hachnasat orchim and ties between Jewish and Muslim neighbors.
  • Reflect on how they express their own identity through what they wear and celebrate.

Materials

  • Lesson slides (PowerPoint)
  • Appendix A: Midrash on Jewish Clothing (one per pair)
  • Appendix B: Mimouna Fact Cards (one set, cut apart)
  • Kaftans and festive scarves (contact JIMENA to borrow)
  • Mimouna sweets such as dates, dried fruit, and honey cookies (check for nut allergies)
  • Moroccan music, construction paper, and markers

At a Glance

Grade and setting: Grades 6 to 8, Jewish day schools, congregational schools, and informal Jewish education
Time: One 75 minute session, or two 45 minute class periods
Source: Adapted from Journey to the Mizrah

Note to teacher

Present the kaftans and the Mimouna table as a living tradition to honor, not a costume. If students have Moroccan or other North African roots, invite them or their families to share their own customs, clothing, or recipes. Traditions vary, and there is no single “right” way to celebrate.

Downloads

  • Lesson Plan  Full lesson with teacher background, assessment, and differentiation (PDF)
  • Appendix A  Midrash on Jewish Clothing, in English and Hebrew (PDF)
  • Appendix B  Mimouna Fact Cards (PDF)

Introduction (15 minutes)

  1. Post the main questions. On what occasions did Jews of the Middle East and North Africa wear special clothing? What did it look like, and what did it mean? Is special clothing worn today?
  2. Slide 2: Dress around the world. Ask: Where do you think these people come from? What clues are you using?
  3. Slide 3: Dress and food. Students infer each group’s origins from their dress and food.
  4. Slide 4: Everyday Western dress. Show people of many backgrounds in everyday Western clothing. Ask: Why is it harder to tell where these people come from? Introduce acculturation and assimilation.
  5. Frame the lesson. “Today we will learn how Jews in Arab and Muslim lands kept their Jewish identity while living within the larger culture around them.”

Part 1: Belonging and Distinctiveness (25 minutes)

  1. Slide 5: Synagogues in Aleppo and Baghdad. Look at similarities first: how did these synagogues borrow from the architecture around them?
  2. Slide 6: Iranian Jews and their neighbors. Compare the clothing and define acculturation using this example.
  3. Slide 7: What made Jews look different? Head coverings, side locks, ritual garments, and special dress for Shabbat, holidays, and weddings. Then add the other side: at times rulers required Jews to wear distinguishing colors or marks. Ask: How is chosen difference different from imposed difference?
  4. Slide 8: Chevruta study (Appendix A). Pairs read both texts and answer the questions. Ask: Which text includes clothing? Why might the popular teaching, “they kept their names, language, and dress,” have grown over time?

Part 2: Mimouna (25 minutes)

  1. Introduce Mimouna. Celebrated as Passover ends, Mimouna opens every home to guests, no invitation needed, in the spirit of hachnasat orchim. People wear kaftans, eat sweets and mofletta, play music, and bless one another. In many Moroccan towns, Muslim neighbors brought flour, milk, and butter so Jewish families could bake their first bread after Passover.
  2. Slide 9: Video (about 2 minutes). Watch Shalom Sesame: Moroccan Mimuna.
  3. Learn and teach (Appendix B). Pairs or small groups read one Mimouna Fact Card, choose the two most interesting facts, and make a small poster to teach the class.
  4. Slide 10: Music. Play Moroccan music while groups work, then each group shares.