Five Spectacular Shavuot Stories
Shavuot starts on Sunday night, June 1, and ends on Tuesday night, June 3. This holiday celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt Sinai, but it’s not just about Moses coming down off a mountain with two stone tablets.
Shavuot commemorates the moment when the Jews went from being a group of wandering refugees to a people with a shared purpose, identity, and covenant with God – all based on the Torah.
We celebrate the amazing transformation of Shavuot by eating cheesecake and staying up all night teaching and studying. If you’d like to make your learning fun (and finish it in time for a good night’s sleep), check out one of these amazing PJ Our Way titles, all of which focus on the Shavuot themes of a significant journey and a big change.
A Boy From Baghdad
by Miriam Halahmy
Ages 10+
Salman must flee his beautiful, comfortable home in Iraq- it’s no longer safe for Jews. He’s going to the Promised Land, the homeland of the Jewish people, flowing with milk and honey, but what IS this place? Tents? No electricity? Horrible, pickled herring? And bullies…
Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II
by Lia Levi
Ages 9+
It’s 1938 and in the past year, Lia’s gone to school in Turin, Milan, and Rome. Mussolini’s laws are making it impossible for Jews to lives safely in Italy. Where will she go next?
Masters of Silence
by Kathy Kacer
Ages 10+
Helen doesn’t know what to do about Henry. He hasn’t said a single word since they arrived at the convent to hide from the Nazis. But Marcel Marceau knows what to do. Who knew silence could say so much?
Yosef Mendelevich
by Leah Sokol
Ages 9+
Yosef always knew he was Jewish. But the Soviet government discriminated against Jewish people and made it impossible to practice Judaism. Yosef and his friends had a plan. They were willing to risk everything! But first, they needed a plane…
Not So Shy
by Noa Nimrodi
Ages 10+
Shai misses her beloved Israeli home. English is so weird. And hard. Luckily, Shai has a plan to get back to where she belongs…
(To learn more about this book, watch this awesome interview between PJ Our Way reader Lily and the author, Noa Nimrodi!)