More than Pretty Tiles & Snacks: A Brief History of Judaism and Mah Jongg

Mah Jongg is a Chinese game that has become so entwined with American Jewish culture that some have thought that Jews invented the game.  While growing up I always thought of Mah Jongg as the game middle-aged and older women played with pretty tiles and snacks, that got turned into a fun solitaire game on a phone app, it’s history is actually far more interesting and has impacted issues of race, gender, identity, and belonging in American culture, according to Annelise Heinz in her new book, Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture.

Mah Jongg was created in China in the mid 1800s when the rules of a popular card game were combined with tiles.  This invention coincided with China opening to foreign traders, and in 1912 was brought to the US by an American businessman. By the 1920s it was a popular fad among the elite, but also carried a bit of racism given its origins.  While the fad began to run its course over the next decade in general, Jews not only continued playing, but also formed the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL), which standardized a set of rules and still releases new cards of winning combinations annually to keep the game fresh.  As Jewish men went to serve in WWII, the once elite pastime’s heyday passed, and it was now an inexpensive form of communal entertainment, spreading quickly among Jewish women.  It’s social and financial accessibility helped it thrive, as did its philanthropic potential as Jewish organizations like Sisterhoods and Hadassah would use selling Mah-Jongg rule cards and sets, and teaching the game, as fundraising endeavors.  This kept Mah Jongg alive in the cities, suburbs, and even the vacations resorts, like those in the Catskills, in the mid-20^th century. 

Heinz describes how its sensory experience – with the tiles’ feel and sounds makes it appealing as well as it’s ability to be played competitively or leisurely, as well as it’s combination of strategy and luck that makes a fun game for multiple abilities at the same time.  The rhythm of the rounds allows time to play, and time to chat.

Recently there have been some critiques about cultural appropriation, given the game’s Chinese origins.  Heinz describes how she sees it more as cultural exchange and evolution, at least in its current form.  She uses “orientalism” and “racist” to explain its origins, as she believes that is what was happening in the 1920s.  Heinz also says that we can reckon with the past while still keeping the game alive.  She suggests that the cultural exchange allowed for Americanization in a way that moved away from much of the problematic history by systematizing the game (as the NMJL did) that changed the game in ways that included different tiles (moving away from mishmashed “Asian” stereotype fonts, for example). 

On August 1^st, we will be joining for a Mah Jongg themed Share Shabbat.  After we’ve had a chance to enjoy our chicken, anyone interested can join for a friendly game of Mah Jongg.  If you want to learn or are still getting the hang of the game, let us know when you RSVP and we’ll make tables of 3 beginners and a teacher, beginners just bring yourselves – our teachers will bring the sets.  If you know the game, let us know if you want to teach or just play – please bring a set if you can.