| Taking its cue from the wildly successful American Girl | | | | Israelite community of Kaifeng in 1175; Shoshana Levy, |
| dolls and novels, a small company in New Jersey has | | | | whose family is forced to leave Brazil and winds up in |
| been carving out its own niche -- character dolls | | | | 1662 Nieuw Amsterdam, where she becomes part of |
| representing Jewish girls from different countries and | | | | the first Jewish community in North America and |
| centuries. | | | | makes friends with a Lenape Indian girl; and Miriam |
| Gali Girls began in 2004 as one woman's quest to | | | | Bloom, who flees the Russian pogroms in 1914 and |
| supplant the provocative messages of Barbies and | | | | lands at Ellis Island. |
| Bratz with contemporary dolls that elevate traditional | | | | Now, in addition to the historical and modern dolls |
| Jewish values such as modesty, kindness, charity and | | | | offered with brown, blond or red hair, Gali Girls has |
| respect. | | | | added a dark-skinned model to represent girls of |
| "I'd noticed the growing popularity of dolls that equated | | | | Sephardic descent. These are the Jews whose |
| femininity with girls taking their clothes off," said Gali | | | | Spanish and Portuguese ancestors were expelled |
| Girls founder Aliza Stein of Teaneck, N.J. | | | | from Spain in the late 1400s. They subsequently settled |
| "I thought, 'How much better if we had a doll that | | | | throughout the Turkish empire, Balkans, North Africa, |
| represented something positive.' I have a Jewish | | | | Italy, Middle East and beyond. |
| background, so I relied on that to develop the idea." | | | | Each doll comes with matching Star of David bracelets |
| One year after launching the product, she decided to | | | | for girl and doll and a wooden toy Sabbath kit with |
| add a line of historical dolls. | | | | candlesticks, bread and wine. The price tag for the |
| "Jewish history is very rich," she said. "There's so much | | | | historical package is $90; contemporary dolls are $65. |
| that can create a connection between contemporary | | | | Ms. Stein said the company has sold about 2,000 dolls, |
| girls and their heritage, so many stories and eras from | | | | mostly through its Web site, The dolls also are used as |
| which to choose. So this was the next logical step. | | | | fund-raisers for Jewish organizations. |
| "Certainly we noted that it was a successful concept | | | | Other characters are in the works. Ms. Stein said she |
| for American Girl, and we figured the formula could | | | | hopes to add girls from Spain during the Inquisition, |
| succeed for us." | | | | Israel during the War of Independence, and Ethiopia |
| There are three historical dolls so far. Each comes | | | | during the Israeli airlift. |
| with period clothing and a novella about the character's | | | | The dolls are similar to the American Girl line -- 18 |
| life and adventures. | | | | inches high with a soft body -- and each one comes |
| The books are well written by Robin K. Levinson, an | | | | with an English and a Hebrew name. |
| author and journalist who did all the research and used | | | | The customer base, Ms. Stein said, includes a mix of |
| the stories to reveal little-known chapters of the | | | | orthodox, conservative and reform families. |
| Jewish Diaspora. The books are nicely illustrated by | | | | "The dolls are Jewish but nondenominational," she said. |
| Drusilla Kehl. | | | | "They represent girls across the Jewish spectrum. |
| The characters are Reyna Li, who lives in the Chinese | | | | |