News

 Yes, Hanukkah is just around the corner. Here are some new story books - and some other favorites - to entertain and inspire young children this holiday.

 NEW!

Your students have learned to decode Hebrew - great! 

And they're also learning about Hanukkah. 

Bridge their excitement and new Hebrew skills in a meaningful way with Shalom, Reader: 57 Hebrew Activities to Show What You Know. This resource introduces students to a family and its pets, and follows them through simple stories and scenarios that are familiar to children, such as holiday celebrations, school, family, time, and the weather.

There's an entire chapter built around Hanukkah that includes:  

• Hanukkah vocabulary
• A short guided conversation with a friend in Hebrew about what they eat and drink during Hanukkah

Why do we keep telling the story of our people from one generation to the next?

Each time we retell stories from the Bible, we learn something about ourselves and our relationships. These stories also encourage critical thinking skills in our students and help them understand important Jewish values that continue to guide us today.

There are many Bible resources that help children explore the deeper meaning and shape how they live that learning in the world.

For example, if the curriculum is focused on early Torah stories, you can use a core text such as The Explorer’s Bible or Teach Me Torah. Then engage new perspectives by layering in other elements, like a storybook

Saralee Siegel can do extraordinary things with her super-nose.

She also loves to cook and help out in her family’s restaurant.

In the latest story in the chapter book series, A Donut in Time: A Hanukkah Story, Saralee is stunned to learn that she's not the only one in the family with a superpower. Her great-grandmother Gigi also had a magical sense of smell. And when Saralee makes Gigi's Hanukkah donut recipe, the scent creates a portal in time.

Soon Saralee finds herself face-to-face with a young Gigi – and she's not the fierce, unstoppable person Saralee imagined. Gigi is ready to give up on her dreams. Saralee needs to help her find courage, or the future will be changed forever.

This is the third book in the Saralee Siegel series, written by Elana Rubinstein and illustrated by Jennifer Naalchigar. Eac

Sigd is a unique holiday of the Ethiopian Jewish community, celebrated exactly 50 days after Yom Kippur. This year it falls on November 22-23.

Sigd is recognized as a state holiday in Israel. Yet very few American Jews know about it.

The holiday is celebrated on the date thought to be when God was first revealed to Moses. Traditionally on Sigd, members of the Ethiopian Jewish community would fast and walk together to a mountain top. Members of the community would recite Psalms and remember the Torah and their desire to return to Jerusalem. In the afternoon they would descend the mountain and end their fast with a feast and dancing. 

In recent decades, the Ethiopian community in 

For all of us, the past few pandemic years have been scary and disorienting. For teens in a hunkered-down society, it’s also meant losing opportunities to develop independence.  

“What our teens need in this moment is support for finding their voice and finding their autonomy. Then we’ll slowly see the pain and fear untangle,” says Michelle Shapiro-Abraham, an award-winning teen educator and director of strategic innovation and youth programs at the Union for Reform Judaism. 

She points to two new resources that are committed to lifting up teen voices and showing them that they can “claim their power.”

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. 

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

Hebrew is a real, living, dynamic language. Bring 10 minutes of active fun to your sessions with movement-based actitivities from 

Learning Hebrew is a skill that takes practice to keep sharp, just like any other skill. A little bit of regular practice goes a long way to boosting confidence and proficiency. 

Freshen up learners' Hebrew skills with these easy-to-access resources to help them review and practice in small bites.

Back-to-School Hebrew Reading Refresher

Do your learners' Hebrew reading skills get rusty between May and September?

The Back-to-School Hebrew Reading Refresher can get students back in shape in 3-4 weeks with practice games and exercises, writing skills, drills of Hebrew reading and remediation for reading problems. It's