When Andover Sanborn Elementary School second grade teacher Danielle Hart received an email with an offer from Lappin Foundation for three free children’s books to share with her students during Jewish American Heritage Month in May, she immediately signed up.
“This was such an amazing opportunity to use supplemental materials to make connections to our curriculum. It was also a great way to build community across classrooms,” Hart wrote in an email.
Lappin Foundation, in partnership with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (JCRC), distributed more than 1,200 free books to more than 400 teachers and school librarians in more than 70 communities. This program is a way for students to learn about the American Jewish experience and to recognize the countless positive contributions in every field of human endeavor that Jews have made to our country. Too often, the Jewish experience taught in schools is narrowly focused on the Holocaust, leaving students with a limited knowledge about Jewish people and an incomplete picture of the American Jewish experience.
The program was inspired by the final report of the Massachusetts Legislature’s Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism. State Sen. John Velis, co-chair of the commission, said, “I firmly believe that education is one of our most powerful tools for building a more inclusive community for our Jewish friends and neighbors, and that work begins in our earliest grades. I am incredibly grateful to Lappin Foundation for supporting our K-5 educators in sharing the powerful stories of the Jewish American experience this Jewish American Heritage Month through their Books to Schools program.”
Countering antisemitism is one of goals of the program. Christy Evans-Marcrum, who teaches Grades 4 and 5 in Salem, wrote, “This will be an invaluable resource to teach our children early on that all people are good people and deserve respect, kindness, and dignity. With antisemitic stickers being placed around town – ones we are actively removing and reporting to the police – I truly hope that reading to our kids and educating them at a young age will help strengthen and heal our community.”
Diana Sidman, who teaches first grade in Belmont, echoed this sentiment. She believes that sharing stories of Jewish identity in a positive light is so important to do when Jewish hate is at an all-time high.
Teachers and librarians selected books from Lappin Foundation’s curated list of more than 40 titles. Selections included biographies, places, events, culture and history. State Rep. Simon Cataldo, co-chair of the commission, said, “The Commission on Combating Antisemitism made clear that education is our most powerful tool for combating hate, and Lappin Foundation’s Books to Schools program is exactly the kind of action we hoped to inspire: Putting stories of the American Jewish experience directly into the hands of students across the state.”
The foundation’s objective was to give teachers and librarians resources and tools to easily incorporate Jewish American Heritage Month into the curriculum. In addition to distributing books, the foundation produced a resource guide of activities, discussion questions and curriculum framework for each book.
Author talks were also offered as part of the program. Second graders at Sanborn Elementary School enjoyed meeting Richard Michelson, author of “As Good As Anybody,” and Michelle Markel, author of “Brave Girl.” Hart reported that students were especially captivated by hearing from published authors.
Teachers and librarians enhanced the program in a variety of ways. Sidman created slides for each day of the month that included special Jewish American figures. These slides were used by all teachers at her elementary school in Belmont, and the principal read from the slides to highlight each person during morning announcements.
For information about supporting this impactful project, contact Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@lappinfoundation.org.
