I’m writing this annual letter on my laptop on a flight from New York to Los Angeles. The flight crew just handed out bags of pretzels, and the only sound I can hear above the engines is munching—almost everyone is digging into those little foil bags. This entire plane is eating what it is told, when it is told. But I don’t want pretzels. Maybe I’m cranky, but I’m not eating carbs and I don’t want pretzels. Why am I telling you this? Please read on.

In this catalog you’ll find over 630 titles. That’s a lot. We think you’ll find something for just about any educational need you have, plus books that are just plain fun. What you won’t find in this catalog is a single, uniform, curriculum that tells you what you must teach and how to teach it.

We believe that we best serve you—the educator—when we offer as many options as possible for your school. Do you want to teach prayerbook or modern Hebrew? A combination? Bible in the 3rd, 4th or 7th grades? History? How do you want to teach holidays? What about Israel? How much class time do you have?

It would be easier if the only choice was one-size-fits-all. But there’s no right answer to any of these questions. That’s why we believe in providing choices, so that you can design an educational program that’s right for you. Not everyone needs pretzels.

Of course, options create challenges—how do you choose? That’s why we have a superb website and an even better staff to help you evaluate these choices. Talk to us about your needs; we will ask you questions about your goals, about your students, about your teachers. We will listen, think, and then offer suggestions for customized solutions to address your needs. And we will support you afterward, with telephone consultations, webinars, conference presentations, and in-service sessions to make sure that your choices are successful.

We’re here to help. So that you only eat pretzels when you want them.

Sincerely,   David E. Behrman