Mahjong builds friendships at Congregation Beth Tikvah in Wantagh

The steady clack of mahjong tiles echoed through the social hall at Congregation Beth Tikvah on a recent Thursday afternoon as laughter bounced from table to table. The temple, on the Wantagh side of the Wantagh-Seaford border, hosted around 80 players — some longtime regulars, others learning the game for the first time — gathered not just to compete, but to catch up with friends and make new ones.

While mahjong has experienced a nationwide resurgence in recent years, fueled in part by social media, colorful game sets and a renewed interest in screen-free hobbies, the nearly century-old tradition has long had a home in Jewish communities. At Beth Tikvah, it has become a weekly ritual centered on connection.

"It's cheaper than therapy," said Linda Shumsey, 75, of Bellmore, drawing laughs from players nearby. "Seriously. Your problems are still going to be there when you're done playing mahjong, but while you're playing, you're laughing, you're talking, you're interacting."

Shumsey has been playing the game since she was 13, when she learned from the mothers at her family's beach club, who taught their daughters while they played.

"I went to school, I went to college, I got married, I had children," she recalled. "But it was always there."

After retiring as a guidance counselor 18 years ago, Shumsey began teaching mahjong, and eventually started a weekly program at her former synagogue. When she joined Beth Tikvah seven years ago, she brought the program with her.

Today, 70 to 90 people fill the synagogue each Thursday, depending on the weather. Shumsey also teaches beginner mahjong and canasta classes, and she says demand has only grown.

"I've had to add a lot more beginner classes," she said. "People are looking for community. It's a wonderful icebreaker."

Looking around the room, Shumsey pointed to tables of players who once arrived as strangers. "A lot of these people did not know each other until they started playing," she said. "Now they've exchanged phone numbers. They'll ask each other, 'Are you coming next week?' They've formed friendships they never had before."

The weekly games have even introduced some players to synagogue life. "Three people recently told us they're thinking about joining the temple," Shumsey said. "They've been coming here for a couple of years through mahjong, and now they're planning to come to services."

Although many Thursday players are retired, Shumsey says she has noticed growing interest among younger people, even if work schedules prevent them from attending afternoon games.

For Kathleen Colletti, 60, of Dix Hills, learning mahjong became part of a new chapter after retirement. "My group of friends are workout friends," Colletti said. "We used to do triathlons together. But as we're getting a little bit older, we realized it's important to exercise our minds as well as our bodies."

Her friends, who live across Long Island, found Beth Tikvah to be a convenient meeting place after seeing an advertisement for lessons. "We learned so quickly," Colletti said. "The first time we came, we were already able to play a game."

She believes the game's growing popularity comes down to its simplicity. "It's fun," she said. "People think it's for old people, but it's not. It's important to be social and go out and do things."

For Diana Kaplan-Spickler, 49, of Baldwin, mahjong had long been part of her family's history. "My grandmother played in the bungalow colonies in the Catskills," Kaplan-Spickler said. "I always wanted to learn."

She retired last year after serving as a detective in the New York City Police Department, including 16 years investigating domestic violence cases. Now she spends some of her time playing mahjong.

"What I love about the game is the socialization," Kaplan-Spickler said. "I've developed friendships with women I play with every week."

She also enjoys the mental challenge. "You're constantly looking at what everyone else is doing," she explained. "You're thinking ahead, paying attention, figuring out what hands people might be building. I think it strengthens your cognitive abilities."

Majong originated in China before arriving in the United States in the 1920s. It became especially popular within American Jewish communities through synagogue groups, neighborhood clubs and in the Catskills, where generations of families embraced the game as both recreation and a social tradition.

Today, players say those traditions continue while they welcome newcomers.

Wantagh resident Gold Kanner, 95, first learned the game from her mother more than 80 years ago. "My mother was very smart," Kanner said with a smile. "She taught each of her three daughters to play mahjong, so she always had a game whenever she wanted one."

Although Kanner stepped away from the game for a time while raising her family, she eventually returned. "I like the sociability," she said. "I like the camaraderie, and I like the people here."

Winning, she added, isn't what keeps her coming back. "For someone my age, it's very important to keep my head going," Kanner said. "It's important to get out and be with people."

For Shumsey, that has always been the greatest reward of teaching.

One of her former students, Sadie Migden, learned mahjong at age 90, after becoming a widow. Now 103, Migden still plays once a week in her California nursing home. Shumsey flew out to visit her for her 101st and 103rd birthdays.

"She'll tell me mahjong saved her life and gave her a new chapter," Shumsey said.

It's a sentiment reflected throughout the room each Thursday afternoon, where the click of tiles has become less about keeping score than about friendships that continue to grow.