Educators

How Teachers in Israel Navigate Controversial Discussion in the Classroom

  Paige Goldner interned at Behrman House in 2016 and recently completed post-college study in Israel.

Extensive Research Leads One New Jersey School to Hebrew in Harmony

When educators at Congregation M'kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, decided to change the school's Hebrew program, the first thing they did was to get organized.  "We think we teach the right thing at the right time but wanted to shake things up a bit," says Education Director Merle Steinberg. "We spent three months doing the research and work to make sure we knew all of our options." 

Materials Roundup: Judaica and Hebrew

Interested in a specific curriculum or set of materials? Want to learn more about them? Use this handy guide to read product descriptions and see sample pages. You can also scroll below to see how to contact us for further assistance.  

7 Tips to Ensure Quick, Accurate Orders

As you plan for the upcoming school year, we suggest a few simples steps to ensure easy, accurate ordering. 1) Know your customer ID

Planning Your Curriculum? Start Here.

We understand that planning a curriculum, whether for a single grade or for an entire school, can feel overwhelming. That's why we offer a variety of resources to help you navigate the process.

Get Organized With "The Teacher Planner"

Get—and stay—organized with a new planner designed especially for Jewish educators. 

Ringing in Success with Mitkadem: An Up-Close Look at Making Independent Hebrew Learning Work

It’s a midweek afternoon, and the bell is ringing at Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York City. Everyone in the office and hallway stops to applaud the child who rang the bell. In this school, it sometimes happens 20 times a day. The bell sits on the desk of Connie Heymann, principal of Shaaray Tefila’s religious school, which has about 500 students. Whenever a student completes a unit of Mitkadem, the self-paced Hebrew program, he or she comes to Heymann’s office and rings the bell.

Take Students on a Tour of Jerusalem

The newest holiday on the Hebrew calendar - Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) - is on May 24 and offers an opportunity to honor this ancient city. This year marks 50 years that the city has been under Israeli sovereignty, and schools throughout Israel devote an entire week to learning about the history and geography of Jerusalem.

Online Learning Center Wow

Imagine it's August: A family calls a school asking for help. Their son has no prior Hebrew education and yet is determined to have a bar mitzvah -  in just a few months.  That's the call Rabbi Rena Rifkin, director of the religious school at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City, received last summer. The boy wouldn't be starting school until September, and Rifkin knew there was a time crunch, so she offered the family another option to jumpstart his learning - the Online Learning Center.

Celebrate Lag Ba'omer with Your Students

Lag Ba'omer often arrives after the end of the school year, too late to experience the fun and connect with Israel. This year, however, the holiday falls on May 14, so you can introduce this "Picnic Holiday" to your students. Lag Ba’omer, a break during the 49 days of mourning between Passover and Shavuot, dates back to the time of the ancient Romans. Its precise purpose is debated, but the main reasons are the ending of a plague that afflicted the students of famed Rabbi Akiva and the rebellion led by Bar Kochba again Roman oppression.

Meet Maddie the Mitzvah Clown!

From the mind of Karen Rostoker-Gruber (The Family (and Frog!) Haggadah, Farmer Kobi's Hanukkah Match) and with illustrations by Christine Grove comes a new story from Apples & Honey Press. 

Behrman House on the Road: Spring 2017

Behrman House may be located in Springfield, New Jersey, but as often as possible, our staff hits the road to meet and communicate with educators all over the country. The future of Jewish education is shaped every day by educators like you so why not learn from the experts? We attend conferences, run workshops, speak to groups, visit educators, and seek opportunities to learn about trends and issues that affect our customers and our work. Here’s where we're off to in the next couple of months, and what we've been up to this past season. Are we going to be in your area?

Meet the Newest Releases from Behrman House!

A journal for Bar and Bat Mitzvah students to both plan and destress before the big day. A Hebrew workbook filled with quick games that strengthen Hebrew skills while encouraging movement and play. A supplementary program to help students search for the meaning in Hebrew prayers. What if you had the opportunity to look at these materials before committing to them for the entire school year? With the Golem and Golem Express plans, you can get an early look at all of our new releases.

Picture Books to Introduce Israel

Do you need an introduction to Yom Ha'atzma'ut with your young students? Look no further than our Apples & Honey Press picture books. Each book or series presents a different side of Israel that will both entertain and teach young learners who are not yet familiar with the Jewish connection to Israel.

Yom Ha'atzma'ut Planning with Israel-Themed Resources

Israel celebrates its 69th birthday on May 2. We've rounded up some sample lesson and activity ideas to help you mark the occasion. 

More Hebrew in Harmony Digital Prayer Companions Coming April 1

Coming April 1: the digital companions to five new prayers from the Hebrew in Harmony series. The new available prayers are: *Avot V’imahot*Birchot Shalom*G’vurot*K’dushah* V’ahavta The five additional digital prayers will offer you the choice of either the Reform or Conservative variation.

California School Adopts Hebrew in Harmony - Giving Its Education Committee A Voice

Five years ago, Shir Hama'alot in Irvine, California, experimented with its Hebrew program by creating small, chavura-style learning groups. Intended as a way to build community, similar to the school's format for Judaica learning, the Hebrew program simply didn't work out as planned. 

One Shabbat at a Time: Building Jewish Connections and Community for Families with Special Learning Needs

It was a lovely sight: More than 100 people of all ages and abilities, gathered together to welcome Shabbat.

Rethinking Prayer: Moving From Words to Meaning

An 8th grade student recently recounted to his teacher how he didn't feel a connection to prayer, even as he "put forth positive energy" to the practice. The student said he was searching for a way to bypass "the blockade between the heart and God."

Hebrew in Harmony Helps Students Find Meaning in Mah Nishtanah

There's more to the Four Questions than listening to the youngest child sing at the seder. Hebrew in Harmony - our new prayer curriculum for students in grades 4-6 - explores the values and message underlying this Passover tradition, all while teaching the words and melody.

Teach Israel

 Experience Modern Israel

New from Behrman House. Fly to Israel without a plane ticket.

Discover Israel

 Let's Discover Israel

Offer younger children an exciting and age-appropriate introduction to the Jewish homeland