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New Children's Chanukah Book Portrays In the late 19th century, as vast numbers of Eastern European Jews traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to begin new lives in America, a small but significant number of them shunned the crowded cities of the East Coast to settle in the nation's more sparsely populated heartland. In Chanukah on the Prairie, a new children's book published by the URJ PRESS, author Burt E. Schuman and illustrator Rosalind Charney Kaye introduce young readers to this little-known aspect of American Jewish history. Chanukah on the Prairie tells the story of the Zalcmans, a Jewish family that leaves Eastern Europe and finds a home in the small but closely-knit Jewish community of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Based upon true events, the story follows the Zalcmans as they leave their tiny shtetl of Nadworna, spend twelve long days in steerage, pass through Ellis Island, and travel from New Jersey to North Dakota by train. Once they arrive, they are welcomed with open arms by the members of B'nai Israel Synagogue, the local congregation. On a starry night in December, they gather together with their fellow congregants to celebrate their first Chanukah in America, thanking God for their many blessings. Schuman, currently the rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in Altoona, PA, based Chanukah on the Prairie on his experiences as a student rabbi at B'nai Israel Synagogue in Grand Forks. B'nai Israel, featured in the book, is still in existence, and is a member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Schuman's simple, evocative prose is complemented by the delicate watercolor illustrations painted by Kaye, who has illustrated other UAHC children's books including Sophie and the Shofar, Hello, Hello, Are You There, God?, and the award-winning Come Let Us Be Joyful. Chanukah on the Prairie is available in hardcover, and retails for $12.95. It can be ordered by contacting the URJ PRESS toll-free at (888) 489-UAHC (8242), or through the Press Web site at www.URJPress.com. The Union of American Hebrew Congregations is the central body of Reform Judaism in North America, and represents 1.5 million Reform Jews in more than 900 congregations across the United States and Canada. UAHC programs and services include music and book publishing, youth camps, adult education programs, outreach to unaffiliated and intermarried Jews, and the Religious Action Center in Washington, DC. ### 10/02
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