Nine-year old Rebecca Rubin might be only 18 inches tall, but she is already appearing on such Websites as Sports Illustrated. Not really very athletic, her instant fame is in simply being the newest member of American Girl's popular historical doll characters.

American Girl is the Middleton, Wis., company - now a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. - that has spawned a fanatical following among not only doll-age children, but their mothers and grandmothers as well.

Rebecca, just released this week, is 9 years old and the first

generation daughter of Russian- Jewish immigrants. The year is 1914 and she is growing up in New York City. Though her family is Old World, her aspirations and dreams are pretty much like any young American girl. Her assigned role in this growing collectible phenom is to convey to today's young girls just what life on New York's lower east side was like for Jews who fled the pogroms of Russia to pursue the American dream. Rebecca, as the real little girls of her

time period, has before her a world of opportunity, but struggles to blend her family traditions with the customs and opportunities she sees before her.

Some of Rebecca's accessories available for purchase, include a lunch box containing a bagel, pickles and rugalach. American Girl has breathed historical life into this $95 doll who - like other dolls in the American Girl line - comes with a huge assortment of purchasable accessories, from outfits and furniture to a menorah and a challah replica. Even a dresser topped with Sabbath candlesticks, and her parents' samovar. Doll owners eventually will be able to purchase matching clothes so they can dress just like Rebecca.

"Rebecca's stories capture the moment in American history when the Jewish experience becomes intertwined with key cultural developments happening in our country, such as the great American melting pot," says Ellen L. Brothers, president of American Girl, in a publicity release. "We're proud to introduce Rebecca to our historical line and know girls will enjoy learning about her world and the far-reaching contributions immigrants made - and still make - to American society."

Rebecca's side board that can be purchased with the Sabbath set. Rebecca has curly dark brown hair with highlights and what appears to be brown eyes, and - for purchase, of course - historically accurate and culturally authentic clothes and accessories that represent her heritage and time period.

To prevent any negatives that might come with stereotyping, the company spent a great deal of time making sure that Rebecca avoids the dangers that come with creating a variety of visual ethnic characteristics, and in detailing her life and experiences in the six-book series that explores her struggles with finding her role in a changing world.

It appears that the diligence that went into avoiding negative stereotypes has paid off, for when Rebecca met Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, the man at the forefront of the struggle against anti-Semitism, it seemed to be love at first sight. According to a report in the New York Times, Foxman also read the first of the six books, which chronicle a year in Rebecca's life.

"It's not offensive. It's sensitive," Foxman told a reporter. "How about that. Most of the time these things fall into stereotypes which border on the offensive."

The Rebecca books were written by Jacqueline Dembar Greene and illustrated by Robert Hunt. Greene is an award-winning author of more than 30 books and stories "Rebecca is a Jewish girl whose family customs and beliefs shape her in many ways," Greene says. "She upholds the values of giving to others and improving life whenever you can. I hope that Rebecca will be a role model and that, through her stories, girls will discover that doing one small thing in their own small world can make a world of difference for many."

The Rebecca doll, books and accessories are available through a dedicated Rebecca catalogue at americangirl.com and at American Girl retail locations. You can request a free American Girl catalogue by calling 1-800-845-0005.

Not yet on the Rebecca Rubin purchase list are invitations to her bat mitzvah, and even a gorgeous bat mitzvah dress, but then, American Girl has four years to put that all together.