When students in more than 300 Tidewater schools opened their library doors this fall, they found something new on the shelves: stories that reflect the richness of Jewish life and history. Thanks to the Konikoff Center for Learning of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Tidewater Jewish Foundation, and the family of Abraham Frank, more than 1,000 carefully selected books are reaching public and private school libraries across the region. Each book is donated in Abraham Frank’s memory. As fondly recalled by his mother, Dr. Rita Frank of Virginia Beach, Abraham loved books from his earliest years; and she knows he would be delighted to share that love with other children throughout Tidewater.
The Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) Book Project is designed to ensure that every elementary, middle, and high school in Tidewater can celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month in May and explore Jewish culture year-round. Each year a volunteer committee, drawing from recommended lists by the ADL, The Jewish Education Project, and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, selects three to four titles appropriate for every grade level. Along with the books, schools receive educator guides, posters,
and a digital toolkit to help teachers integrate the stories into lessons and create vibrant displays.
“This project allows students of all backgrounds to see Jewish experiences represented in the literature they read,” says Sierra Lautman, UJFT’s senior director of Jewish Innovation. “Representation matters, and these books invite curiosity, empathy, and understanding.”
Lautman first envisioned the project while volunteering in her own child’s classroom. “I noticed how few Jewish-themed books were available,” she says. “What began as a plan to purchase a few books for one classroom turned into an initiative to reach every student in our community. With the creativity of the Jewish Innovation Steering Committee and the generous contributions of Rita and her family, we were able to make it sustainable for years to come.”
Volunteers now gather each winter to sort and package the books, preparing them for delivery to schools across Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Isle of Wight, and Surry.
“Thank you so much for gifting us with these valuable books!” says Tina Howard, librarian at Cape Henry Collegiate. “I have already shared them with teachers who will be including them in their classroom collections this school year. I’m sure they will let me borrow them back in May for a Jewish American Heritage Month display.”
For more information, or to get involved, contact Sierra Lautman at SLautman@ujft.org.