‘Mani’ ways to celebrate Passover

Hoping to nail the recounting of the 10 Plagues at your seder? Look no further than Midrash Manicures.

The brainchild of Rabbi Yael Buechler, the company’s Exodus-themed nail decals let customers point out the significance of the Passover story in an unusually colorful way. The rabbi started Midrash Manicures in 2011 as a way to educate students at New York’s Solomon Schechter School of Westchester, and has been redoing her own nails each week since 1996, using each Shabbat’s Torah portion for decorative inspiration.

In addition to Passover-themed decals (“Experience the Exodus First-Hand!”), Midrash Manicures also offers Jewish-themed designs for Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah (“The miracle of Hanukkah is at hand!”).

Though customers think the decals put the “cute” in cuticle, the product can also provoke reactions like nails on a chalkboard. Opponents have given the designs the finger, claiming they’re sexist and anti-feminist.

For the rabbi, however, Midrash Manicures add a bit of polish to Passover.

“After all,” she says, “God clearly gave us 10 fingers so we could paint the 10 Plagues on them.”