Education – Literacy: America Reads Challenge (1998)

Literacy: America Reads Challenge (1998)

Judaism has a rich tradition of study. To us, the people of the book, knowledge is considered wealth. It is considered an act of tzdakah to give knowledge to others. Our liturgy teaches us “Lilmod-to learn, l’lamed-to teach, and la’asot-to do.”

Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, appropriately, is a sponsor of the America Reads Challenge, an initiative established by the United States Department of Education to insure that every child can read independently by the end of the third grade. This is vital for their success in becoming more productive citizens in the future.

Women’s League for Conservative Judaism urges its members to sponsor and participate in local programs that promote literacy by:

• Reading with a child before, during, or after school and during summer vacation in cooperation with local school authorities.
• Purchasing books for libraries and reading programs.
• Setting a good example for children by reading newspapers, magazines and books and by discussing interesting things with a child.
• Sharing with others the joy of reading by sponsoring an essay writing contest for local children.
• Working in cooperation with the National Jewish Coalition for Literacy in your community.