About the Author

NAOMI PRAWER KADAR (1949 2010), an inspiring educational innovator, had an enduring impact on the teaching of Yiddish language and literature through her active leadership in the field. She served as national director of the Workmen s Circle schools and coordinated popular programs on Yiddish culture. She earned her PhD in Yiddish literature at Columbia University and taught at numerous institutions, including Tel Aviv University, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the YIVO Institute. She was also the creator of BrainPOP ESL, an animated online program for teaching children English as a second language. The Naomi Foundation, established after her death, supports the teaching of Yiddish in academic programs.

Reviews

"A learned and insightful analysis of the children's magazines published by the four major Yiddish school networks. . . . . The periodicals provide a window into the ideology and texture of secular Jewish education. And to the extent that such texts present intensified versions of a community's beliefs and values, they offer insight into the contours of secular Jewish identity during the first half of the twentieth century."-- "Contemporary Jewry"

"This book demonstrates how publications and readerships that are easily overlooked offer textured cultural portraits that contribute amply to our understanding of history. Given that Yiddish is no longer commonly read or spoken, and that these magazines are unlikely ever to be made available in a translated form, Kadar's work provides a genuine service to scholars and lends new dimension to the study of children's periodicals in the United States."-- "American Periodicals: A Journal of History & Criticism"

Raising Secular Jews is a detailed, well-crafted, and perceptive history of the eight children's magazines used in the Yiddish schools. The author's discussion of the art work and literature in the magazines is particularly insightful. . . . [Kadar's] spirit of hopefulness makes reading Raising Secular Jews so poignant."-- "Jewish Book World"

"One reads this book in order to reconnect with a time when secular Jews cared passionately and fought with each other furiously over ideas and over ideals. This is the real legacy that this group left behind for us to learn from and to emulate. And this is why this book is so informative and so important for our generation to study."-- "Boston Jewish Advocate"