Educators

Connect Parents and Students with the Magic of Shabbat Interactive

Families with children, ages 6-11, can explore Shabbat on their own terms with Shabbat Interactive.  This online game helps children make meaning of all the core elements of Jewish identity and is a great resource for educational family time. Usually $9.99, Shabbat Interactive is available free through the Behrman House Online Learning Center this year.

It's Time to Add Music to Your Tefillah Program

Teachers and youth group leaders can relate directly to their teens’ lives as they bring music, digital devices, Facebook, and personal discussion into the classroom. The purpose? For teens to identify core Jewish principles embedded in Jewish rock music.

Blogging Jewish Values

Our friends at the Paradigm Project recruited 29 educators to share a tip for families each day of the month, using 29 values from the new Jewish Values Challenge playing cards as prompts. Each micro-blogger is writing a 2-3 sentence tip for families, demonstrating one way to realize the day's Jewish value. You can find them throughout the month below. 'Perseverance' ElulFamilyValues blog, by Lyndall MIller:

How Your Religious School Worship Can Empower Prayer in Communities

As Jews we cherish both the freedom to express ourselves and the obligations we have toward our community in a dynamic tension that can give rise to either inspiration or alienation. Saul Kaiserman from Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York, discusses how to help students manage that tension, and give rise to creativity, by helping them become sophisticated, empowered participants in their prayer community. 

Behrman House Goes To Notre Dame

How do we change our schools and organizations?  How do we adapt as the world evolves around us?  It’s a tough task—organizations have structure and inertia.  Sometimes it even seems that they have antibodies, antibodies which remain hidden until they attack outside influences that threaten the existing order.

The Magic of Circle Time

The sages said: “I have learned much wisdom from my teacher, more from my colleagues and the most from my students (BT Ta’anit 7a)

How to Talk to Students and Parents About Israel and the Gaza Conflict

Many of us are struggling with the question of how we address Israel and the Gaza conflict with our students this fall. We have collected many resources to help you feel comfortable addressing your students and parents questions.

Tips for Teachers: Start Building Relationships Before School Even Begins

“It's all about relationships.” -Ron Wolfson, Relational Judaism: Using the Power of Relationships to Transform the Jewish Community

Micro-Bloggers Help You Implement Jewish Values in Your Learning Space

The Paradigm Project teamed up with Behrman House for a Blog Elul project to return core values of Judaism and Jewish early childhood education this Elul.  Our friends at the Paradigm Project recruited 29 educators to share a tip for families each day of the month, using 29 values from the new Jewish Values Challenge playing cards as prompts. Each micro-blogger is writing a 2-3 sentence tip for families, demonstrating one way to realize the day's Jewish value. 

New Features Now Available for the Online Learning Center

Your excellent feedback about the Online Learning Center has led to big changes to better suit your classroom needs.  Improvements and new features are to ensure that you can provide your teachers with a flexible, easy-to-use, and transformational tool that lets students engage in Jewish learning using the kinds of technology they use for the rest of their lives.  You will now see the following changes to your learning space:

Which digital direction is right for your school?

It can be tough to pick a direction for your educational program’s digital future.  One of the first decisions you need to make is whether to jump into the deep end and invest in a full platform—a multi-app solution which can be used for multiple years—or just dip your toes in the shallow by selecting a few stand-alone apps and programs.  There are advantages and disadvantages to both:

Blogging About Jewish Values: How You Can Help

You've mastered enriching your students' experiences with core values in your learning space. Now you can share with other educators and families AND get a free set of our Jewish Values cards.  The Paradigm Project has teamed up with Behrman House for a Blog Elul project and wants to include you. 

Which is More Important, Questions or Answers? Rabbis Tarfon and Akiva Reframed

Recently I wondered what it would be like for us and for our students if we reframed the Ten Commandments into ten essential questions (

Gearing Up for the High Holidays

Feel more comfortable participating in services this year. Don't sit silent just because you feel nervous about Hebrew. We have tools to help learners of all ages practice Hebrew reading skills.  Don't understand what the prayers say or why we say them? Hineni Prayerbook Hebrew for Adults goes beyond teaching rote prayer. It helps you understand the themes, the origins, and the deeper meaning of each one.

It's Time to Get Your Books!

Here at Behrman House we are prepared and ready for you to place your orders for the coming school year.  Our customer support is available by phone 9-5:30 Monday - Thursday and 9-5 on Fridays to place your order and our online store is open 24/7.  We ship within one business day of your completed order, guaranteed. Order before 10 A.M. and it will go out the same day!

What if the Ten Commandments were Ten Essential Questions?

Students need to make their own meaning. It’s a precept of many innovative and thoughtful approaches to learning today. Yet time and time again we as educators worry if learners will get ‘the message’ of the content as they struggle to create meaning around it. We feel compelled to cover certain material that feels essential.

Guide Students to Make Meaning of Jewish Holidays

How can students learn Jewish values from our Holiday traditions? Jewish holidays are based on the Hebrew calendar, which follows the cycles of the moon and causes holidays to fall on different days every year. Guide students as they grapple with challenging questions about Jewish Holidays and traditions with help from some of our newest educational materials. Suggested materials include:

Teaching Beresheet: a Free Kindle Resource

Help students explore the history, laws, values, and relationships embodied in the Torah with a free Kindle edition of a chapter from Teaching Torah.

Easily Integrate Jewish Values into Your Curriculum

How do we help kids operate in a complicated world? Everyday kids face dilemmas that could be challenging. For example, we value sh'lom bayit and expect children to do the same. What if a non-Jewish friend invites them over for dinner on Shabbat, when the family has designated that as family time? What if the biggest soccer game of the season falls on Yom Kippur?

Coming Soon: Hineni for the OLC

The Hineni series has been a long time favorite for teaching prayer with meaning. You've been asking and soon we will introduce Hineni for the Online Learning Center! Seven modules will feature 35 prayers and blessings, including:

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