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Just before the very first Hanukkah, Greeks and Jews were living in an uneasy peace in ancient Judea.

Jonathan, a Jewish boy, sees a Greek boy being attacked by bullies and stands up to defend him. They become best friends.

But when war comes to their land, Jonathan joins the Maccabees while his friend Jason joins the Greek army. They seem destined to fight one another. How will their friendship survive?

Shield of the Maccabees is a new story by award-winning author Eric Kimmel and illustrated by Dov Smiley.

The graphic novel format focuses on the history of Hanukkah, and the context of the times. 

"A fun and clever twist on the story of the Maccabees."- Steve Sheinkin, author and illustrator of The Adventures of

The pandemic has been challenging for all of us, and even as we remain creative and resilient and dedicated, these uncertain times can make us - and our students - feel mentally and physically worn out. 

Learning to practice self-care as a habit can help improve coping skills and mental health. 

Here are a few techniques to try as we settle into another atypical school year.

Practice being present

Mindfulness is a catch word these days, and with good reason. It’s a way of being in the world, the ability to pay attention to the present moment, the here and now. There’s a growing body of research pointing to the effectiveness of mindful practices on our ability— both adults and children—to pay better attention, make thoughtful decisions and calm ourselves down. Our ability to be in the moment requires opportunities to pause and slow down together and individually.

Community thrives on diversity. The Jewish community includes diversity of all kinds - geography, opinion, gender, religious practice, ability, family makeup, race, and more. All of these differences make the community stronger, more exciting, and more creative.  

In fact, the population of Jews of color has been increasing in United States. In a report by the Jews of Color Field-Building Initiative, researchers estimate that Jews of color represent at least 12-15% of American Jews. More younger people identify as nonwhite than older people do. Learn more here.

We recognize how important it is for Jewish children and families to see this diversity reflected in images as well as content, especially as they are creating and building their personal Jewish identities. Even young

The beginning of a new school year is a great time to review learners' Hebrew skills, and to plan how you will support their learning all year long. 

Learning Hebrew is a skill that takes practice to keep sharp, just like any other skill. The more often students are exposed to Hebrew and practice using it, the stronger their language skills will be. A little bit of regular practice goes a long way to boosting confidence and proficiency. 

Research shows that effective Hebrew learning comes from regular exposure to authentic language in various ways, including listening and speaking. Further, the best language connections come from using Hebrew in creative ways.

Here are some simple engaging ways to practice in small bites.

Movement-based Conversational Hebrew

We are pleased to announce that Alef Davis is our new Assistant Editor at Behrman House and Apples & Honey Press.

"Alef has great editorial instincts and an ear for language," says Dena Neusner, executive editor. "She brings enthusiasm to her work and we're looking forward to watching her grow even more."

Alef joined us as a summer intern in 2019, and we liked her so much that we asked her to stay. Since then, she has been building her editorial knowledge and skills as an editorial assistant. 

Her promotion to assistant editor recognizes the significant growth she's achieved across a range of responsbilities. 

Congratulations, Alef! 

Thank you for my toes that tap . . .

my shoulders that shimmy . . .

my mouth that sings.

Thank you for this new day.

Thank You: Modeh Ani, by Rabbi Alyson Solomon, is a new book from Apples & Honey Press that celebrates and expresses gratitude for our active, joyful bodies. 

Inspired

We've rounded up some stories for our Apples & Honey collection to share, and some free, ready-to-go Sukkot and Simchat Torah lessons and activities for various ages.

Explore how to use How It's Made: Torah Scroll to complement High Holidays learning. 

Dear Colleague,

The supply problems and shipping delays that are plaguing the entire U.S.—in fact the worldwide—economy have hit us here in Jewish education as well, and we want to provide you with an update on our book shipping situation.

As you may already be painfully aware, our Ohio warehouse partner is backlogged, and our shipments are running late, in some cases 2-3 weeks or more.  We’re in touch with them daily; they a re prioritizing our shipments and those of their other education-related clients, but they are having difficulty finding adequate staff. They have flown people in from other locations and have executive and other staff doing temporary duty in picking and packing books; so far it hasn’t been enough.

In addition, while the war