Elaborate holiday-themed challah designs gain wide attention online

Avital Levene never expected challah-braiding to make her a social-media sensation, but her elaborate holiday-themed loaves have done just that.

Levene, 27, a Modern Orthodox Jew from Long Island, N.Y., said her intricate, baked designs began in 2020 when her mother convinced her to make challahs designed around the holidays.

“I never thought I’d become good at challah,” Levene told JNS. “I guess you can say she recognized my potential.”

Though Levene started her social-media account, “The Jewish Meme Queen,” in February 2020, she only began posting her challahs in October 2022.

Her Thanksgiving challah, elaborately braided into a turkey, went viral on social media with 26,000 Likes and, as of publication, nearly 900,000 views. “Since it’s erev Thanksgiving, I can finally share my 2025 Turchallah. Made completely by hand,” she wrote.

She told JNS it was “surreal” to see her challah go viral online.

Levene said she spent 90 minutes crafting the braids for her Chanukah challahs, which were fashioned like a menorah and dreidel.

“The hardest part is dividing the dough and making sure it doesn’t dry out,” she told JNS of her process.

Levene said her designs rely on simple braiding, multiplied many times over. “My challah braids aren’t complex; they’re usually made with a bunch of three-braid loaves,” she explained. “The turkey challah is made up of 11 loaves, and the menorah challah has over 15.”

Levene ultimately began posting photos of her challah creations for Shabbat on social media every Friday “as a way to connect Jews around the world,” she told JNS.

She credits persistence for her improvement in braiding challahs.

“I’ve tweaked my recipe over the years, so it’s been a lot of trial and error,” she said. “I also went to a Challah Prince workshop in 2024, and that really helped improve my technique.”

When asked what message she has for people seeking lighthearted holiday content like hers in a time of rising antisemitism across the world, Levene told JNS: “We’re a resilient nation. We can be sad, but we have to pick ourselves up and celebrate together.”

She added that “we need to dance and be joyful for those who didn’t get that opportunity this year. Be proud Jews. Embrace the joy of Chanukah.”