New Children’s ‘Tishrei with the Rebbe’ Board Book

The team of visionaries at RebbeDrive has partnered with innovative custom Jewish book publisher Alef Book to release a new title just for children. It’s only natural that organizations like RebbeDrive and Alef Book would collaborate on a project eventually, and that eventuality came sooner rather than later.

RebbeDrive has been very creative in their contributions to the Lubavitch community in Crown Heights and worldwide, and now they’re at it again — this time with an offering for the children’s market. We’ve all seen their work which reaches all areas of Chassidic life, and after establishing thorough databases of content, RebbeDrive found themselves in a unique position that put the task of selecting and distributing content at their fingertips.

Alefbook.org launched less than a year ago, and has since printed hundreds of beautiful custom-designed children’s books, focusing on their flagship board book Siddur. The Snapfish-style online designer makes it quick and easy to upload photos and edit the colors and more, for a book as personal as davening should be. From toddlers to teenagers, these adorable books have wowed the Crown Heights market and have become an effective new resource for Shluchim.

Chinuch is at the center of every part of Tishrei. “The Rebbe tasks each of us to maintain a primary focus on education of children of all ages”.

This partnership was able to paint the full picture of Tishrei in the eyes of a child. Hours were spent choosing just the right images to bring out the connection of children with the Rebbe, and the participation of kids in the events which make up Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, and more.

Rebbe Drive’s Memkeh Schmukler give us some insight on what went into this project. “We aimed to focus the photos on the audience – in our case the children – rather than actually on the Rebbe himself. Our goal is for children growing up in the times we live in now to be able to appreciate the role they have, still today, within this month of holidays, as well as the relationship they have, even more so today, with the Rebbe. All that is brought out through photos – which truly speak volumes.”

Rayi Stern of Alef Book points out that the book is not exclusively a picture book, but at the same it isn’t something which has to be read. “This is definitely telling a story, but that story is being told visually. And it’s captivating.”

The book starts from the month of Elul, and leads up to the final Yechidus Kloli at the very end of our Tishrei gathering. Alternating color and black and white photos against a bright and engaging layout, each page has just enough text – culled from sichos for children – to provide context. The designers were able to illustrate seamlessly the Yom Tov events, through relevant photos taken before and after Yom Tov.

Truly a remarkable new book, this opens a new chapter in including this key demographic – our own children – in such a central part of our year and our lives. Going beyond teaching about everything Tishrei and Tishrei with the Rebbe can mean, this board book brings it all to life and immerses a child in that reality.

The book is available in local Judaica stores, and can be found online at alefbook.org. For discounts on bulk orders contact info@alefbook.org.