Covenant’s Summer Reading List
As we come to the close of another busy and productive academic year, we’re taking stock of lessons, conversations and musings that have transpired on the pages of Covenant’s publications, including inspiration from On Being’s Krista Tippett and JTS Chancellor Arnie Eisen, values-based education at SAR and JCDS, lessons from Covenant Award recipient and celebrated Jewish storyteller Peninnah Schram, a portfolio of Jewish Artists Educators you should know, and lots more.
It’s all compiled here, along with links to other great articles to consider and books recommended by Covenant Award and Pomegranate Prize recipients and esteemed educators, to add to your summer reading list.
May your summer be full of inspiration, meaning, and joyful learning!
In Case You Missed It
Educating for the Heart: Krista Tippett in Conversation with Dr. Arnold M. Eisen
Thinking and Rethinking Supplementary Religious Education: A Look at 9 Congregational School Models by Phil Jacobs
A Showcase: 12 Jewish Artist-Educators You Should Know by Adina Kay-Gross
Build a School Inlaid with Love: An Interview with Dr. Rebecca Schorsch by Adina Kay-Gross
Envisioning A Collaborative, Modern and Seamless Future for Jewish Early Childhood Education by Adina Kay-Gross
How Teaching Models Are Evolving in Afternoon Schools by Adina Kay-Gross
A Listening Heart: Lessons from a Jewish Storyteller by Yonah Kirschner
More to Consider
How Family Stories Can Strengthen and Unite, An Interview with Marshall P. Duke, Ph.D.
How a New Model of Family Education Places the Parent-Child Relationship at the Center of the B’nai Mitzvah Experience by Rabbi Daniel Brenner
This Woman Unplugs Every Saturday (and Will Convince You to Do the Same) by Jeff Cattel
This Is Why We Finally Joined a Synagogue by Ariel Chesler
The Stories That Bind Us by Bruce Feiler
Brave Conversations: Going Beyond Welcoming by Rabbi Adam Greenwald
Who’s Your Bubbe Now? Some Surprising Findings from the 1st National Study of Jewish Grandparents by Lee M. Hendler and David Raphael
The Best Things In Life Aren’t Free–Neither Is Being Jewish by Jordana Horn
Why We Must Tell Our Children Stories on Passover–and Every Day by Adina Kay-Gross
For God’s Sake. Why it’s worth bringing your kid along to pray by Mark Oppenheimer
Move Over Gen Z, Generation Alpha is the One to Watch by Adrianne Pasquarelli and E.J. Schultz
Grandparents: The New Jewish Influencers? by Gary Rosenblatt
Parenting as a Spiritual Practice by Danya Ruttenberg
To Teach is to Unlearn: Helping the Next Generation Become Peaceful Parents by Dr. Jane Sherwin Shapiro
Considering Technology, Shabbat and Families, in a 24/7 World by Tiffany Shlain
The Crucials C’s of Family Engagement by Dr. Susie Tanchel and Gavi Elkind
Grandpa’s Secret Shoah by Aaron Wolfe
Summer Reading List
Recommended by Harlene Winnick Appelman, Executive Director, The Covenant Foundation, and 1991 Covenant Award Recipient
Seltzertopia: The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary Drink by Barry Joseph
Antisemitism: Here and Now by Deborah Lipstadt and Antisemitism: Here and Now – A Study and Teaching Guide by Dr. Erica Brown
A Jewish Refugee in New York: Rivke Zilberg’s Journal by Kadya Molodovsky and translated by Anita Norich
The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal by Jonathan Mooney
I Have a Question about Cancer: Clear Answers for All Kids, including Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or other Special Needs by Meredith Englander Polsky and Arlen Grad Gaines
Recommended by Howard Blas, 2013 Covenant Award Recipient
From Longing to Belonging: A Practical Guide to Including People with Disabilities and Mental Health Conditions in Your Faith Community by Shelly Christensen
Bar Mitzvah, a History by Rabbi Michael Hilton
The Benderly Boys and American Jewish Education by Jonathan B. Krasner
Road to Valor: A True Story of WWII Italy, the Nazis, and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation by Aili McConnon and Andres McConnon
Recommended by Maiya Chard-Yaron, 2018 Pomegranate Prize Recipient
One Hundred Suggestions For Seekers & Spiritual Activists by Rabbi Joshua Bolton
Recommended by Diana Ganger, 2008 Covenant Award Recipient
21 Lessons for the 21st century by Yuval Noah Harari
Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Freedom: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen
Purity: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen
Recommended by Ilana Gleicher-Bloom, 2018 Pomegranate Prize Recipient
Open Your Hand: Teaching as a Jew, Teaching as an American by Ilana Blumberg
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace
WorkLife (podcast) with Adam Grant
Recommended by Rachel Harari, 2016 Pomegranate Prize Recipient
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
Recommended by Gitta Jaroslawicz-Neufeld, 2012 Covenant Award Recipient
The End of Average: Unlocking Our Potential by Embracing What Makes Us Different by Todd Rose
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel
The Way of Mindful Education: Cultivating Well-Being in Teachers and Students by Daniel Rechtschaffen
Hayinu Kecholmim app/website (in Hebrew) to learn the Early Prophets and the books of Ezra and Nechemia
Recommended by Debbie Yunker Kail, 2015 Pomegranate Prize Recipient
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
Coming Soon
24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week by Tiffany Shlain
