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INSPIRATION
Dedicated
follower of
FASHION
Rebbetzin Sarah Feldman is
frum and fabulous
S
arah Feldman is a rebbetzin for our times. Her blog,
2 000-plus Facebook friends and presence on Twitter,
Tumblr and Instagram, plus the fact that she jogs and
has a personal trainer, place her a world away from some of
her old-school counterparts.
“That’s exactly why I started the blog,” she explains.
“Wherever I would go and say that I’m married to a rabbi,
people would look at me in shock and say, ‘You’re not supposed to look like this!’
“I want people to look at Judaism and think that you can
still be normal and look good – you don’t have to be
frumpy.” And she certainly lives up to her creed, always
trendy and perfectly groomed.
“I’m happy to be a new face to what ‘rebbetzins’ can and
should look like,” she adds. Sarah is passionate about helping
people look their best and frum admirers from around the
country often ask her where to shop and for fashion advice.
Four children aged between two months and six years put
paid to her idea of being a personal shopper, so the blog was
a practical way of sharing her expertise.
Sarah has a worldwide reach, with readers from Russia,
Ukraine, Brazil, Australia, France and the United States logging on to see what she has been up to, and to pick up fashion and décor tips, as well as her favourite recipes. She also
tries to incorporate some Jewish content.
“A non-Jewish writer said she loves the religion and finds
it fascinating to hear from a rabbi’s wife,” Sarah relates.
The spirited Sarah has always had a passion for fashion
and hopes to design a tzniut clothing range under the ‘Saraleh’ label – her childhood name. “I always seem to find
something modest that I can adapt and wear, but a lot of
people don’t have the time to sort through racks of clothing,” she says.
When the Feldmans arrived in Cape Town as the rabbinical appointees to the historic Gardens Shul eight years ago,
Sarah was barely out of her teens. At that stage, most of the
congregation was several decades older than her (the dy-
80 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 83
namics have since changed and the shul has become young
and vibrant), but she was not daunted.
The shul members, on the other hand, were concerned
about whether such a young girl would be capable of hosting
large numbers of guests. They needn’t have worried – the
Feldmans entertain up to 20 congregants to Shabbos dinners and lunches every week.
In addition to her official duties, including teaching
brides and batmitzvah girls, Sarah was, until recently, the
head of Jewish Studies at Sinai Academy, the day school of
Chabad of the West Coast. So, it’s a fine balancing act allotting the time for the family that she firmly believes comes
first; she also makes a point of scheduling a weekly lunch
date with her husband to keep the relationship alive.
“I definitely believe in making time for yourself so that
you can be there for others – that’s why I go to gym. It clears
my head and I start off the day on a good note,” she states.
“When you feel good and take care of yourself, you are able
to be the best that you can be.”
As for bringing up observant children in the modern
world with all its distractions, she is equally adamant that if
strong values are instilled in the home from an early age,
these will triumph.
Not one to be held back, Sarah flew to her brother’s wedding
in New York last year when she was 36 weeks pregnant. “I
wasn’t nervous (about going into labour on the plane) because
I’m never early,” she laughs. “I knew I had to get there and get
back and faith helped – I didn’t worry for one minute.”
In spite of her background, Sarah did not grow up expecting to marry a rabbi. At the time the couple was dating,
Rabbi Osher was uncertain whether he wanted to go into
the rabbinate or business, ultimately choosing the former.
“We were very lucky to land up here. We’re very happy
here – how can you not be living in this beautiful city? Love
it!” she exclaims. JL
www.rabbiswife.com
PHOTOGRAPH: MARI