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Podcast: North Star with Ellin Bessner
Episode: Mensch of Steel? Comic books are on the curriculum at this synagogue’s Sunday school
Description: When Sunday Hebrew school classes begin on Oct. 5 at Toronto’s Beth Radom Congregation, the students won’t be punished for reading comic books in class. On the contrary: spiritual leader Cantor Jeremy Burko is bringing his extensive collection of over 550 Jewish superhero comics into the curriculum.
It’s his (graphic) novel way to explore the messages of Jewish culture and resilience that he finds in the pop culture stories of beloved comic book characters with Jewish back stories or creators, like Superman, Batwoman, Sabra and Magneto.
The idea came to Burko as a response to the growing international moveme...