It was fun and festive and especially meaningful to be with our friends and colleagues in Minneapolis last week, sharing personal and professional milestones and looking forward to a continuation of the close association that has marked the two histories of Behrman House and the ARJE.
As we celebrate David Behrman and Vicki Weber's retirements, we're pleased to further introduce the team who will continue to collaborate with our colleagues in Jewish education. Derek Stordahl, our new publisher and president, has deep publishing experience including leadership roles at McGraw-Hill, Bloomsbury, and Holiday House where his team published Sydney Taylor medalist The Passover Guest, the Jewish National Book Award winner Sharing Shalom, and the gift edition of the classic Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins.
Beginning in March we will also welcome Michelle Montague to the leadership team to oversee marketing and educational outreach. Michelle brings more than 30 years of experience in both adult and children's books at publishers including Candlewick, Abrams, Peachtree, and Holiday House. She has launched multiple imprints and series and created Simon & Schuster's first-ever Jewish interest supplement for educators and librarians. Her family was one of the founding members of Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland, Massachusetts, where she became a Bat Mitzvah, volunteered as the President of the Temple Youth Group, served on the NFTY New England (formerly NEFTY) board.
Michelle and Derek join Behrman House's outstanding educational team: Executive Editor Dena Neusner leads the firm’s editorial efforts, developing textbooks and educational resources for K-12 programs in religious schools and synagogues throughout North America; Editor Deborah Bodin Cohen is both an active rabbi, ordained at Hebrew Union College, as well as an award-winning author recognized with a National Jewish Book Award, multiple Sydney Taylor Honors, and a Sydney Taylor medal in 2025 for An Etrog from Across the Sea; Customer Support Manager Rae Eskin, a religious school teacher herself, provides extensive and expert curriculum consulting.
As always, the team stands ready to support you, and we encourage you to reach out to us at any time at customersupport@behrmanhouse.com. But in case you are wondering right now what the changes at Behrman House might mean for you and your school, we have put together a list of FAQs. Click the following link for details: https://store.behrmanhouse.com/index.php/blog/post/what-happens-now-handy-faqs-for-educators.