
Tuesday, November 11 | 10:30 am
Sharing Shalom by Danielle Sharkan and Selina Alko is based on the vandalizing of a synagogue that took place in Skokie, Illinois in 1990. The book is told from the perspective of Leila, a child whose Hebrew school attendance is disrupted by this hateful act. Rendered with sensitivity and colorful, dramatic images, this is a cautionary tale about antisemitism, and a hopeful one about community support.
Leila loves Hebrew school. Great Jewish heroes and heroines, Bible stories, and the Hebrew language all excite her. She is so engrossed in her learning that the “ravaging floods and toppling towers” of her lessons take visual form in her mind. A blue-robed Queen Esther sits calmly on her throne, while pairs of animals walk up a ramp to Noah’s ark. A full-page portrait of Leila shows her clutching her machberet (notebook), where she collects the words that form the core of her studies.
At the end of the book, Leila is invited to participate in show-and-tell at her school. Wearing deep blue, her Star of David necklace prominently displayed, she is now both a student and teacher. She writes shalom in Hebrew in front of her classmates, who are smiling and supportive.
Tickets: FREE