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Jewish Heroes for Today
A young teenager who spoke out for gun control in front of tens of thousands.
An Israeli street artist who painted an ancient city with modern images.
A biotechnologist who led the quest for a Covid vaccine.
In Heroes with Chutzpah, readers will meet 101 Jewish changemakers from the recent past and present, who challenged the status quo in the arts, sciences, social justice, sports and politics. Each one-page biography is accompanied by an original digital portrait. This children's book about Jewish heroes is inspiring and fun.
Heroes with Chutzpah captures the diversity of the global Jewish community, showcasing Jews of different racial backgrounds, gender and sexual identities, and religious orientations from secular to Orthodox. Instead of focusing exclusively on icons, we included an eclectic mix of both lesser-known and renowned personalities with engaging, inspiring, and meaningful stories that will resonate with children of all backgrounds.
Heroes with Chutzpah is written especially with readers ages 8 to 14 in mind. The biographies are short, just a page for each one, and the illustrations are compelling. It makes the perfect gift for B'nai Mitzvah, birthdays and Hanukkah!
In a non-graphic way, the biographies delve into topics that require a bit of maturity, for example, the Holocaust and gender and sexual identity. While younger readers could enjoy the stories, they may wish to read them with a parent or other adult. All of the heroes identify as Jewish and Judaism is a key component of many stories, but not all stories. It is appropriate for Jewish young people and for curious readers of different faith traditions.
Who is featured?
Paula Abdul, Yossi Abramowitz, Rep. Bella Savitzky Abzug, Red Auerbach, Yityish “Titi” Aynaw, Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, Moe Berg, Mayim Bialik, Sue Bird, Mel Blanc, Simcha Blass, Judy Blume, Albert Bourla, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Judith Love Cohen, Leonard Cohen, Stosh Cotler, Rabbi Rachel Cowan, Daveed Diggs, Rabbi Rebecca Dubowe, Bob Dylan, Gertrude “Trudy” Elion, Douglas Emhoff, Eytan Fox, Debbie Friedman, Gal Gadot, Uzia Galil, Frank Gehry, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Amit Goffer, Andrew Goodman,Jennie Grossinger, Rep. Alma Hernandez, Anat Hoffman, Rabbah Sara Hurwitz, Eddie Jacobson, Rabbi Regina Jonas, Justice Elena Kagan, Frida Kahlo, Kivie Kaplan, Ágnes Keleti, Edward Kessler, Sandy Koufax, Rabbi Lynne Landsberg, Ann Landers & Abigail Van Buren, Aaron Lansky, Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, Ralph Lauren, Stan Lee, Joe Levin, Jr., Hedy Lamarr, Emerich “Imi” Lichtenfeld, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Annie Leibovitz, Deborah Lipstadt, Idina Menzel, Harvey Milk, Isaac Mizrahi, Miguel Najdorf, Leonard Nimoy, Arno Penzias, Itzhak Perlman, Natalie Portman, Rabbi Sally Priesand, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Daniel Radcliffe, Aly Raisman, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Judith Resnik, Moshe Safdie, Jonas Salk, Sheryl Sandberg, Bernie Sanders, Rabbi David Saperstein, Moacyr Scliar, Maurice Sendak, Avital Sharansky, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, Danny Siegel, Sarah Silverman, Rabbi Becky Silverstein, Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, Anna Sokolow, Solomon Souza, Steven Spielberg, Mark Spitz, Rabbi Abby Stein, Gloria Steinem, Helen Suzman, Jacobo Timerman, Michael Twitty, Simone Veil, Naomi Wadler, Barbara Walters, Randi Weingarten, Elie Wiesel, Simon Wiesenthal, Yosef Yekutieli, Janet Yelen and Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Who is the intended reader?
Heroes with Chutzpah is written especially with readers ages 8 to 14 in mind. The biographies are short, just a page for each one, and the illustrations are compelling. It makes the perfect gift for B'nai Mitzvah, birthdays and Hanukkah!
In a non-graphic way, the biographies delve into topics that require a bit of maturity, for example, the Holocaust and gender and sexual identity. While younger readers could enjoy the stories, they may wish to read them with a parent or other adult. All of the heroes identify as Jewish and Judaism is a key component of many stories, but not all stories. It is appropriate for Jewish young people and for curious readers of different faith traditions.
Story of a Book
When co-author Debbie Cohen's daughter was a girl, she loved reading Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. The colorful illustrations pulled her in and the biographies were just the right length. Debbie's daughter is now a junior in college; Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls still sits on her bookshelf, even though many of her childhood books have long been given away. These days, Debbie's 10-year-old nieces love Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.
Watching her daughter and nieces read Good Night Stories, Debbie pictured a similar book but filled with Jewish heroes. Debbie imagined young people, both girls and boys, finding role models in today's Jewish innovators and activists. Especially with the rise in antisemitism, it seemed like a very important book to write.
Debbie mentioned her idea to her frequent writing partner Kerry Olitzky. He surprised her by immediately saying yes to the project. He could picture his seven grandchildren reading it and feeling inspired. Kerry knew so many unique and untold stories to include.
Debbie and Kerry jumped right in and began compiling a list of potential biographies. They focused their criteria: Jewish-identifying from the 20th and 21st centuries who made a difference, took a stand, created something new or showed commitment to their ideals. The collection would be international, equally focused on men and women and inclusive of LGBTQ, people with disabilities and Jews of color. Both well-known and lesser-known personalities would be included.
Kerry and Debbie loved learning about the different heroes and their contributions. They soon discovered how time-consuming the research and writing would be. With just a page for each person, they focused on finding the most compelling story to share. The manuscript took over a year and a half to write.
When it came to finding a publisher, Debbie and Kerry quickly realized the challenge of publishing such a large, full-color manuscript. Many publishers were intrigued by the project but thought it was too risky. Finally Kerry and Debbie contacted Ben Yehuda Press. Its owner, Larry Yudelson, loved the concept and had experience crowdfunding other large, passion projects.
Now, we turn to you to become our partners in publishing these incredible stories!
