Last week a West Coast religious school placed what I believe is the largest school order we’ve ever received. Obviously we were pleased; in fact we celebrated by treating ourselves to ice cream. (Those of you who have visited us know that in many ways we’re all about food.)
And so, I thought a great way to start this blog would be to introduce us: to share with you how we feel when you and your colleagues use our books in your classrooms.
What really makes us smile when you place your order, what really makes our socks roll up and down, is that we’re each enormously proud of what we do. A playwright wants theater-goers to see her play. A sculptor wants patrons to see his statue.
We make books. We feel successful when our work is worthy of teaching the children of our community.
Why do we care? Because each book is a piece of us. When our work enters a classroom, it carries with it the eco-system of Behrman House—all the talents and passions of our editorial team. When an educator adopts Hineni to teach her students Hebrew, Terry’s classroom knowledge and skill in developing structured and engaging student materials is in the carton that we ship. When another educator adds in Hineni’s software, Jeremy is in the carton too—with his passion for techology’s magic and his commitment to use it to expand children’s horizons, knowledge, and cultural identity.
When an educator adopts Welcome to Israel, Gila’s commitment to Israel is in the book, formed by her years living and working there. So are her talents as a graphic artist and designer. All of this is in the carton you receive from Behrman House. And when first graders use Let’s Discover Mitzvot to explore how they can live a life of which they are proud, Vicki’s editorial skills come with it, as do her knowledge of how to engage young children, formed in part from her experience as the mother of three such children. These experiences and talents are stuck to every page.
But that’s not all. Our titles are developed with the help of readers, reviewers, and editorial boards drawn from throughout the Jewish community, as well the secular fields of education, child development, art, and design. They are experts; they ensure that our work represents the latest in pedagogy and is of the highest quality. Look at History of the Jewish People: authors Jonathan Sarna and Jonathan Krasner are on every page; so is the editorial board composed of rabbis and educators from throughout our community. So too the editorial boards for The Great Israel Scavenger Hunt, The Explorer’s Bible, and so on. Our community is on every page.
So, what really makes us shine is when you invite us into your school, when you allow us to help you educate your children. We—all of us—are in every carton that leaves Springfield, N.J. That’s why this time of year, the time we see our work spread throughout North America, is so special for us.
