Chabad Mom Creates First-Ever Frum Conversation Starter Cards

In today’s era, the frum community is accustomed to having our own version of everything: mentchies with payos and tzitzis, gourmet cheeses with the best hashgachos, appliances that are suited for Shabbos and Yom Tov use, and, of course, books that are in line with Torah.

Yet, Tehila Posner, a mother and educator in Chicago, discovered that there was one product she could not find in a form appropriate for the frum family: “conversation starter” cards with prompts to initiate meaningful discussions with her children.

After using secular cards and carefully weeding out the ones with references to pop culture and non-Jewish holidays, she decided the time had come to make a set of her own so that she could share the resource with others.

The result of weeks of writing, rewriting, working with designers and printers was the colorful packs of Schmooze Cards, which have since made waves among parents and educators.

“It’s become a ritual for our family,” says Lifsha, a busy mom of a large family from Highland Park, Ill. “At dinnertime, we pull out a card at random and go around the table, giving each kid a chance to share and be heard. Schmooze Cards have given our family the gift of dinnertime conversation and connection.”

Across the country, Shmuli, a father of a first grader in Pennsylvania, says he and his daughter love pulling Schmooze Cards, which facilitate conversations on topics and areas of their lives they may have never otherwise brought up.

The cards have also proven useful for teens–and even adults.

Mrs. E.R. Moscowitz, an educator at Chicago’s Lubavitch Girls High School, says she used them as the base of activity for her students at a Shabbaton, where they “sparked great conversations and gave the students things to think about and discuss.”

Each pack of Schmooze Cards contains 53 cards, each one with another question or prompt for conversation.

To encourage families and educators to purchase cards before the new school year, free shipping is available for all online purchases at schmoozecards.com with the promo code FREESHIP

They can also be purchased at Hamafitz in Crown Heights, Judaica Square in Lakewood, and Judaica of Great Neck.