Devorah Katz believes that education, particularly Jewish education, should be an experience that excites and inspires.

It was with this philosophy that Katz launched her website, Challah Crumbs, a few years ago. At the time, she saw the website as an opportunity to share her love of Jewish learning and parenting with other Modern Orthodox parents. But today, the site has become a resource not only for mothers, but also for early childhood educators across Israel and the United States, especially those not living in large metropolitan areas.

Devorah Katz

In April, Katz added a new component to her site: vibrant and modern coloring pages related to the weekly Torah portion (parashah) read in the synagogue. The product was launched following a successful Kickstarter campaign — Katz raised $6,000 in 12 days, surpassing her goal.

The parashah sheets, as Katz calls them, “reflect our values … incorporate the role both women and men have in the Torah … and encourage teachable moments,” she says.

While there are many other Jewish-themed coloring sheets on the market, Katz says few of them recognize women in positive ways. She also notes that many of the so-called coloring pages are detailed images that are too difficult for kids to design.

Many of the sheets on Katz’s site contain text integrated into the design in Hebrew and English. The verses or questions serve as discussion starters — in the classroom or around the Shabbat table.

“The goal is to make education accessible and inspiring,” says Katz, whose background is in curriculum writing. Katz oversees the curriculum for the Global Day of Jewish Learning initiative of renowned scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. She has also taught extensively in the classroom, working with children ranging in age from preschool to high school.

Challah Crumbs coloring page for the Torah portion of Chukat courtesy challah crumbs

Katz, who lives near Jerusalem, had not previously fundraised for Challah Crumbs or any of its free Jewish learning products. But because she needed to work closely with a paid graphic designer, the coloring pages needed a budget. She describes the rest of the task as “a labor of love,” and says her household reflects that passion. Her husband is also an educator. His focus is hands-on Torah learning, including the creation of a mobile planetarium and a matzah factory.

Gila Brill and Aliza Sokol have been using Katz’s learning products since they first became available. Brill says she prints the parashah pages each week and colors them herself.  She then hangs them on the wall of her 14-month-old’s bedroom, and uses them to tell her stories and decorate her room. Brill describes the pages as “different, engaging and fun.”

Sokol, meanwhile, has also found a practical classroom use for Challah Crumbs — and most recently the new coloring pages — in her role as a camp educator. She publishes the pages in her camp’s weekly newsletter, and asks students to color them in and then find the place in the parashah that the individual sheet references.

“The sheets are a springboard to talk about main themes in the parashah,” says Sokol, adding that Challah Crumbs “is everything you need in one adorable website.”

Katz says she has not determined what her next big project will be. For now, she has to complete more than 40 Torah portions for the coloring pages. Each week for the next year, she plans to release another sheet in conjunction with that week’s reading. She says some Torah portions — such as Tazria and Metzora, which deal with physical ailments resulting from spiritual causes — are particularly challenging to make into coloring pages. But she is confident of being able to get the job done.

“In one year,” says Katz, “our dream will be realized and we will have a full set of parashah coloring pages.”

To download the latest parashah coloring page, visit www.challahcrumbs.com.