Judaica

We recently received a letter from “Concerned Citizen,” an anonymous 8^th grader from Boston, who noticed that in the Hebrew series Z’Man L’Tefilah (Time for Prayer) “every single illustration in the book depicts white people,” and urged us to do better than to present “a singular image of Jews.”

The student is right. This series, developed in the 1980s by the publishing company A.R.E., is illustrated with small line drawings that present what could be called an Ashkenazic world view, a view that North American Jews are exclusively descended from the Eastern European Jews who immigrated during the late 1800s and early 1900s as they fled pogroms and other atrocities.

Behrman House took over distribution of this series in the early 2000s, and while we regularly review already published titles, as a small independent publisher we do not often have the budget to go back and

The Order is Overwhelming

by Emanuelle Sippy

from Salt & Honey: Jewish Teens on Feminism, Creativity, and Tradition

Sometimes age is as muddled as life's unanswerable questions.

Arbitrary, in our cravings for adulthood and infancy.

Forget deciding--knowing alone is a task so cumbersome

that control is not envied but rather exiled.

When worry overpowers, I order life without

obligation,

COMING AUGUST 2022

By Rabbi Joshua Stanton and Rabbi Benjamin Spratt

Foreword by the Rev. Kaji Dousa. Afterword by Dr. Eboo Patel

Pre-Order on Amazon

Pre-Order through Indie Bound

It’s mid-August. For many students and teachers—particularly in the South and West—back to school is here while others will be back in session in mid-to-late September. We wanted to find out what back to school looks like in this awkward fall when things seem better even as we all remain cautious about what the Delta variant of COVID might mean in the coming weeks and months.

So we asked, “What will religious school look like for Fall 2021”?
47 schools from across the country responded in detail. And while uncertainty remains, and no one can yet retire the word ‘pivot’ (sorry!), educators have been finding ways to take the best from a stunningly challenging 2020 and move forward. Here are the results of the survey.

How will your school be meeting this year?

In contrast to last fall, when schools were zooming exclusively, most educators responding indicated that going into this school year t

As we enter a second school year of pandemic-induced uncertainty, children have shown their resilience time and again.

We can all learn and practice such skills. Character traits such as resilience, kindness, and courage lie at the core of Jewish values, requiring us to make conscious choices about our actions. Here are some ways to teach and develop character traits and values.

Grades 3-5

This is an age when children are thinking critically about right and wrong and the importance of the choices they make. Here is an activity from A Kids Mensch Handbook about the value of sh'lom bayit, peace in the home. 

Start by asking children to complete the following sentence in their heads or on paper: "My favorite family memories are_____" Allow

A collaboration between Behrman House and The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot, The Hero in Me introduces children to an array or Jewish heroes - from biblical figures to contemporary ones - in an exploration of what makes a hero, and how each of us can be a hero in our own lives. 

The question for us as Jewish educators is how to help young people grapple with nuance when it comes to talking and teaching about Israel, and how to provide supportive spaces for such conversations.

Summer break is nearly here. 

Whether children are at home or off at camp, there will be plenty of opportunities for quiet activity. Build in some chances to deepen Jewish connection with these screen-free activity ideas.

Coloring Books

For some solitary down time, any of the titles from our Shalom Coloring series will do. Young artists can choose to color Jewish designs,

Here are three approaches that foster deep reflection and critical thinking while exploring the role Jewish values play in life.