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Naomi Prawer Kadar

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.

This unique literary study of Yiddish children’s periodicals casts new light on secular Yiddish schools in America in the first half of the twentieth...