SmartJ SpaceBook Challenge Ignites Love of Reading Across Jewish FSU
A groundbreaking initiative to foster reading and Jewish learning among children in the Former Soviet Union has concluded with remarkable success. The SpaceBook Challenge, organized by the Federation of Jewish Communities SmartJ and LevelUP projects, drew over 1,600 participants from 37 cities across seven FSU countries, transforming young learners’ relationship with literature and Jewish wisdom • Full Story
A groundbreaking initiative to foster reading and Jewish learning among children in the Former Soviet Union has concluded with remarkable success. The SpaceBook Challenge, organized by the Federation of Jewish Communities SmartJ and LevelUP projects, drew over 1,600 participants from 37 cities across seven FSU countries, transforming young learners’ relationship with literature and Jewish wisdom.
The challenge encouraged creative engagement with books through multiple channels, inspiring students to create reading corners and photo zones while diving deep into Jewish texts and stories. Participants actively shared their literary experiences by producing video recordings of Chassidic parables, crafting 3D books, and exploring local cultural institutions including libraries, museums, and publishing houses.
FJC Educational Director, Rabbi Shlomo Ne’eman, emphasized the challenge’s significance in today’s digital age, noting, “In the world of screens and attention-grabbing devices, it is becoming harder and harder to attract youngsters to explore reading books and enrich their knowledge, imagination and skills. The results are fascinating, changing the lives of our future generation.”
The initiative saw outstanding participation across the region, with several cities achieving maximum points, including Baku, Kishinev, Zaporozhe, Mykolaiv, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, Chernivtsi, and Chernihiv. Strong performances were also recorded in Tbilisi, Kyiv Simcha, Almaty, Kropyvnytskyi, Novosibirsk, Perm, Birobidjan, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Rostov, Vitebsk, Samara, and Tomsk.
As part of their achievement, participants earned “precious stones” for their “Knowledge Flask,” preparing them for the upcoming “Peaks of Knowledge” competition later this year.
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