Have you always dreamed of playing mah jongg, the tile game invented in China in the 1800s that became all the rage in the Jewish Borscht Belt and at Jewish community centers in the 20th century?
Have you tried learning it but felt like it went over your head? Did you struggle to figure out how to make melds? Confused by the bam and dots and crack of it all?
As someone who recently took an hour-long mahj class only to feel like I barely got to the tip of the iceberg, I totally get that. But I’m here to tell you not to lose hope, because Kveller has the ultimate beginner class to help you master the game generations of Jews have been playing together for decades. (Mahj is most popular with Jewish women, to be fair, but it truly is for everyone! Don’t be shy about joining!)
Dara Collins and Donna Kassman, the founders of Modern Mahjong, already ran one incredible round of their Master Mah Jongg classes last year, and now we’re enrolling for another session that will help you learn this magical game. You can watch a preview of it below!
The class will be starting on Wednesday, July 16, at 7 p.m. ET and will go on for three weeks, to Aug. 6. Each session is 75 minutes — just enough to get deep, but not enough to overwhelm you. If you think it’s finally time to channel a cool Jewish bubbe — paging Sylvia Fine — or the many stars who’ve played it (from Fran Drescher to Sarah Jessica-Parker!) sign up for Master Modern Mah Jongg.