The Yiddish Book Project
GOAL: To encourage the development of a rich, precise vocabulary among Yiddish speaking children that will in turn become the basis of future academic success
IMPACT: in 2014
1,800 children between the ages of 3 to 6 in
60 preschool groups in Bnei Brak and Beitar Illit enjoyed Yiddish story books reading them in their classrooms and borrowing one each week .
58 teachers received training in using the Yiddish story books as part of enriching language skills in their classrooms
PARTNERS: Joint-Ashalim, Israeli Ministry of Education
FACULTY: Project Coordinator and Didactic Adviser: Toby Weiss – certified special ed. Teacher and Early childhood education specialist
Educational Adviser: Leah Grinfield – B.A. Special Education, Bait Yaakov Sheransky College; specialist in Didactic Evaluations, college lecturer
Writer: Yitty Tabak – certified teacher and writer.
Illustrators: Sofi Agres, Oriel Berkowitz, Ruthie Kampinsky
To augment Achiya’s Language Skills Program, Achiya, in collaboration with Joint-Ashalim and the Israeli Ministry of Education, has produced 20 beautifully illustrated children’s books for use in Yiddish-speaking kindergartens.
The children’s books are unique in that they were devised and designed by a committee of early education experts to be used all through the year in conjunction with the standard kindergarten curriculum.
Why did Achiya choose to produce these books in Yiddish?
* Yiddish books for children are not available to the same extent as Hebrew books.
* A series of books written in Yiddish by early childhood experts particularly for Yiddish speaking preschool children will encourage them to speak the language perfectly. These children grow up in a bilingual culture speaking both Hebrew and Yiddish. They usually do not have a really good command of either of these languages.
*The series of books is an educational tool for kindergarten teachers to integrate in the classroom curriculum. Research has shown that in mastering a rich, precise vocabulary in one language, children unconsciously integrate concepts necessary for future academic success, in all levels of learning. It also enables the ability to know and speak a second language at a similar level.
