List No. 1: Standing Up for One Another
In response to the mass shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh and to rising anti-Semitism in the United States, librarians and experts on children’s literature from the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) are offering a series of “Love Your Neighbor” book lists for young readers. The compilers say their intention is to target a non-Jewish audience of children and teens.
Heidi Rabinowitz, a children’s librarian from Florida and a past president of AJL, spearheaded the project, writing that “Books read in youth impact future outlooks, and it is our hope that meeting Jews on the page will inspire friendship when readers meet Jews in real life.” This first list focuses on books that hopefully will build empathy and understanding of the Jewish experience. It features stories of Jews and non-Jews standing up for one another, working out differences, and confronting prejudice. Further lists will include books about Jewish diversity, synagogues and clergy, and cross-cultural friendship.
The AJL website offers the list in printable PDF format. Future lists will be printed soon and should prove useful to teachers and librarians across the country, particularly those who are unfamiliar with Jewish resources. Rabinowitz said, “There’s no knowing whether books like these would have made a difference if read during the childhood of the Pittsburgh shooter, and we can’t guarantee that reading them to today’s kids will prevent future tragedy. But as ‘Pirkei Avot,’ (Ethics of the Fathers), tells us, we are not obligated to complete the work of combatting anti-Semitism, but neither are we free to desist from it. We’ve got to do what we can. As librarians, we know that the right book can make a difference, especially when read during the formative years of childhood.” (Lisa Silverman, Jewish Journal, November 28th, 2018, retrieved from https://jewishjournal.com/culture/books/242031/love-neighbor-ajl-recommends-childrens-books-turbulent-times/).