Bee Jewish Interactive Children’s Books
INTRODUCTION
Are you missing these books in your language? Let’s translate them!
Jewish holiday books
If your child forgets, mixes up or doesn’t know the story of Chanukkah, Purim, Pessach and the High Holidays (despite you celebrate them year by year) … these books are for you!
Available in languages: Hungarian, Slovak, German
Jewish symbols
Jewish symbols like chuppah, minyan, kipah, magen David, mezuzah and more introduced by Maja and Beny in a Manga (Japan comics) style. Characters not particularly close to parents but your kids will love them!
Available in languages:Hungarian
Jewish identity family book
Do you prefer to figure out what being Jewish means to you instead of adopting rules and ready answers?
Take the book “What Does It Mean To Be Jewish?” and talk to your kids about God, interfaith families, different streams of Judaism, roots of your family and many more challanging issues.
Available in languages: English, German, Hungarian, Russian, Slovak.
Interactive Haggada
Do you find difficult (or hopeless) to keep engage your kids at the Seder table?
Then this Interactive Haggada is your best friend for Pesach!
Available in languages: Hungarian, German, French, Slovak.
Interactive Siddur
Kids usually feel the desire to pray not when you take them to the synagogue … rather when their emotions tell them to. Hello God! offers short prayers to situation when kids most likely wish to talk to God.
Available in languages: English, Hungarian, Slovak
Behind the sheet (for teenagers and adults!)
This book is a collection of 80 questions (out of 600) teenagers asked about Judaism. We only give optional answers because we belive in pluralism. There is no only one aswer in Judaism because it depens who you are asking. Teens asked about different streams of Judaism, sexuality, identity, God, Holocaust … all the easy subjects 🙂 This book is for every agegroups with open minded attitude.
Available languages: Hungarian
Jewish Community Life in Budapest
Most tourists spend 2-3 days in Budapest. They visit all the beautiful synagogues from the 1800’s in the Jewish quarter. They visit some Holocaust memorial sites and leave Budapest without experiencing the active Jewish life of Budapest. Only hurting history memories. So Linda put together this book to show the positive part of Jewish life in Budapest by introducing Jewish schools, organizations, camps, festivals. Available in languages: English
Author
Linda Verő Bán is a Jewish educator in Budapest, Hungary. She writes Bee Jewish Books to Jewish families to learn and talk about Judaism in a pluralistic and fun way. The books are translated to eight languages. Linda’s goal is to inspire children, parents and grandparents to search and find their own personal connection to Judaism and Jewish traditions regardless their religious background. Instead of saying “Jews pray every day” she writes “there are Jews who pray every day”. With this approach she repects all denominations of Judaism without exclusion. Linda’s popular books are written in Hungarian and translated to other languages.
Contact: info@hillel.hu
SAMPLE PAGES AND DESCRIPTION
INTERACTIVE CHILDREN’S HAGGADAH with stickers and puzzle
(published in Hungarian, French, German and Slovak)
With this book you can easily make a 60-90 minutes interactive family Seder night at home. The book gives you ideas how to engage and involve the kids during all night. Or children can use them parallel with other Haggadot.
With stickers and coloring pages children can personalize their own Haggada as part of the holiday preparation in advance or during the Seder.
Each song has a QR code that directs you to Youtube to listen and learn it (in the Hungarian and German version)
Creative games, questions, and a real puzzle toy guarantee you a substantial, interesting and fun Seder night.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE JEWISH?
(available in Hungarian, English, German, Russian)
I did not write this book to answer the question in the title myself. Countless parents have difficulty talking to children about Judaism, because they are full of unanswered questions themselves. In most families, this is further complicated by the presence of multiple religious traditions. Children’s curious questions about God, faith and religion are an added challenge for parents. With this book, I would like to create opportunities for all members of the family — grandparents, parents, step-parents and children, Jews and non-Jews, believers and non-believers alike — to talk to each other openly and honestly about Judaism, without taboos, expectations or prescribed answers. My approach will generally only be acceptable for those with a liberal attitude to Judaism; therefore I recommend this book primarily for readers of such disposition.
Best Jewish Book 2010 – Huffington Post
INTERACTIVE JEWISH PRAYER BOOK FOR CHILDREN
(published in Hungarian and English)
Hello God! is an interactive siddur that combines the style of a prayer book, diary and activity book. In contrast with most children siddurs it does not follow the daily routine and holiday rituals of an observant child and the synagogue service, either – which are often unfamiliar for young readers. Hello, God! helps children to understand the notion of praying and to connect themselves emotionally to the ancient texts. This siddur’ goal is not to provide a reason to pray for but to offer a source for occasions when children might feel the inspiration to talk to God – in happy, special or difficult moments. Children’s drawings personalize the prayers and form the book into a diary. The Hebrew texts are completed by transliteration and translation.
INTERACTIVE BOOK FOR CHANUKKAH
(published in Hungarian, German, Slovak, Croatian)
What is the story behind Chanukkah? How we celebrate it? How we light the candles and play with the dreidel? What’s the difference and the similarity between Chanukkah and Christmas? Fun games and exercises make the children learn about the holiday.
SAMPLE PAGES
A gyertyagyújtás
Játékok
Fejtörők
Feladatok
HEBREW SONGS FOR JEWISH HOLIDAYS DISC AND TEXT BOOK
(published in Hungarian and English)
41 Hebrew songs for all the Jewish holidays on the CD disc. You will find the most popular song on the disc like Mah nishtana, Sevivon sov, sov, sov, Maoz tzur, Halleluyah and many others. Children will be able to sing along with the beautiful voice of the Bim Bam children choir.
SAMPLE SONGS FROM THE DISC
BECCA’S FAMILY PHOTOS – JEWISH LIFE IN BUDAPEST (published in Hungarian and English)
(published in Hungarian and English)
For her sixth birthday, Rebecca’s grandpa gives her a photo album in which family stories come to life. He selects images where family members can be seen with some aspects of the Judaism that makes up an important part of their lives. The photographs candidly reveal the expression of Jewish identity in the life of a modern family that nevertheless values its traditions. The book offers parents and grandparents a great opportunity for starting conversations with their children and grandchildren about their Judaism, the past and present.
JEWISH COMMUNITY LIFE IN BUDAPEST (2015) published in English
There is a very color- ful and vibrant Jewish communal and cultural life in contemporary Budapest that tourists might not experience during their short stay. Usually they only learn about the painful history and visit depressing memorial sites. They only see empty synagogues. They feel like they are walking on gravestones in the Jewish quarter.
The book’s goal is to show that Jewish Budapest is not only about remem- bering the past but also enjoying the present and building the future.
In this book you will find information on
☞ what it means in practice to be a Neolog Jew,
☞ what we eat when we run out of goulash soup,
☞ who the most famous Hungarian Jews were,
☞ how many Jewish schools there are in Budapest,
☞ what it was like to be Jewish in the Communist era,
and more than 50 other, frequently asked questions about Jewish com- munity life in today’s Budapest, illustrated with more than 80 photos.
INTERACTIVE BOOK FOR PASSOVER
published in Hungarian and Slovak
Everything children should know about Passover. What we celebrate? What are the traditions connected to the holiday? How we prepare for it? What songs we sing?
Games, coloring pages and exercises for the holiday.
INTERACTIVE BOOK FOR HIGH HOLIDAYS
published in Hungarian and Slovak
Everything you should know about the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkoth and Simchat Torah). History, traditions, games and exercises.
INTERACTIVE BOOK FOR PURIM
published in Hungarian and Slovak – out of stock
Read the shorted version of the Megilat Esther with the funniest illustration. Learn about the mitzvot and traditions of the holiday.
Games and exercises entertaining and teaching the children to everything they should know about Purim.
BOOK OF JEWISH SYMBOLS
published in Hungarian
This manga style book introduces the basic Jewish symbols and ideas like Magen David, Chamsa, Minyan, Kippah and others. Two main characters of the book, Maya and Beny tell short stories to every section.
SAMPLE PAGES
References:
English
JerusalemPost (December, 2013)
Jewish Book Council (2013) – Hello God!
Huffingtonpost (2010) – What Does It Mean To Be Jewish?
http://www.jta.org/2012/05/02/news-opinion/world/young-families-bringing-new-life-to-budapest-synagogues
German – Deutsch
Jüdische Allgemeine (2013) – Was Bedeutet Es Jüdisch Zu Sein?
Kurier (2013) – Interaktive Haggada
Wiener Zeitunk (2013) – Was Bedeutet Es Jüdisch Zu Sein?
Report in Wina Magazin
Hungarian
https://www.pagony.hu/interjunk-vero-ban-lindaval-a-zsidongok-irojaval-es-egyben-a-budai-rebecennel
http://web.balinthaz.hu/Pages/114__hanukatalizator_dijazottak_2015
http://www.mozaikhub.hu/hu/community-portraits/vero-ban-linda
https://kehreg.com/2007/03/11/sadchenolni-a-rebecen-feladata-beszelgetes-vero-ban-linda-budai-rebecennel/
http://meseutca.hu/2011/07/27/vero-ban-linda-meses-kepek-egy-zsido-csalad-eletebol/
http://www.szombat.org/kultura-muveszetek/4547-kene-egy-zsido-pasi-no
Bee Jewish Books are available in the following stores and cities
Hungary – Budapest :
Dohany (Great) Synagogue Gift Shop in Budapest: – Dohany street 1, 1077 Budapest (only the English books)
Weinberger Judaica, Kazinczy street 29-31(next to the Kosher restaurants) (all books)
France – Paris:
Librairie du Temple1, rue des Hospitalières St Gervais 75004 Paris
Emet Libairie, 250 Boulevard Voltaire, 75011 Paris,
Israel – Jerusalem: Vice Versa 1, Ben Shatah street 94147 Jerusalem
Israel – Tel Aviv:
Sinai Publishing, 24 Rambam street
Germany – Berlin: Literaturhandlung, Joachimsthaler Str. 13
Germany – Munchen (Jewish Museum): St.-Jakobs-Platz 16
Spain – Barcelona: Merlet street 5.
