Chabad.org/Kids continues to raise the bar for Jewish children’s media
Living as we do in an online world overflowing with toxic words and images, providing children with Jewish entertainment—rich with values and tradition—has been an overarching goal of Chabad.org’s children’s site, JewishKids.org for more than a decade. Created in partnership with Tzivos Hashem, the site has been a trailblazer for setting the bar for Jewish children’s media of every kind. The much beloved and entertaining series about a rabbi and his eccentric yet lovable congregation, “Itche Kadoozy”; “Mitzvah Island,” a delight for toddlers and young children; and the whimsical series “What If” are all trademarks of the most frequently visited website devoted to content for Jewish children. Also featured are videos covering the joy and meaning behind each Jewish holiday, complete with crafts, cooking tutorials (with parental supervision, of course) and more.
“The videos on JewishKids.org have allowed my kids to see that Judaism is fun and exciting,” says Rebecca Klempner of Los Angeles. “I think it’s important for them to see that you can be Jewish and funny, and for them to be able to look at Jewish ideas and giggle over them; it sends the message that Judaism is approachable and engaging. My children enjoy many of the children’s videos. Their favorite, with the most lasting impressions, are ‘Itche Kadoozy’ and ‘Space Rabbi.’ ”
Children and parents aren’t the only ones who benefit from the site; teachers do as well. A third-grade Hebrew-school teacher said she recently shared her experience showing her students a video about Sukkot. “The video was clear and straightforward, and helped my students understand the many components of the holiday. After watching one of them, they kept asking for more and more. We then watched another Sukkot video, which sparked an interesting conversation about Jewish unity. The kids absolutely loved it, and I look forward to incorporating similar such videos into my lesson in the future.”
With Chanukah fast approaching, teachers and parents are looking forward to videos that will help teach and entertain children about Chanukah when they are in the classroom, or at home for the winter break. Favorites like ‘What if We Were Chanukah Heroes”, “Rebellion in the Holy Land” and “How to Create Your Own Menorah” will keep kids engrossed and enlightened during the Festival of Lights
To make all this great content more accessible and engaging, JewishKids.org is now expanding its video feature to a new-and-improved, intuitive and easy-to-use Jewish Kids Video App.
A pioneering Chabad.org video app for children has been available for years for both Apple and Android devices. The new app will deliver technologically advanced features that were not available previously, while continuing to include all of the hundreds of videos from JewishKids.org, packaging them in a feature-rich experience with an improved look and feel.
In this upgraded edition, videos will continue to play one after another, offering nonstop education and entertainment for little ones; browsing is also much more fluid. Users can bookmark their favorite videos, and the app automatically serves up suggestions for videos to watch related to ones previously seen. Teachers can incorporate videos into their lessons by projecting them directly onto a larger screen using the built-in Chromecast options.
Other new features include speed control, an improved search engine, support to show comments with threaded conversations, and options for dark and light modes that are easier on the eyes. The interface and technical architecture have been completely revamped to create a more engaging and seamless experience for kids, parents and teachers.
Like its predecessor—and Chabad.org’s entire suite of Jewish apps—the new kids’ video app is sponsored by Dovid and Malkie Smetana, Alan and Lori Zekelman, The Meromim Fund, and Moris and Lillian Tabacinic, and will be available for Android and iOS devices.
