ENGLEWOOD , NJ , December 1, 2006 – This holiday season, Sarah and David Interactive, the innovative educational publisher located here, is again making a splash with their virtual Chanukah “store” and a lively new, interactive blog aimed at youngsters preparing for bar/bat mitzvah.

With everybody blogging these days, it’s no surprise that ‘Sarah’ and ‘David’ are, too. Here, Sarah and David Interactive creators Diana and Lily Yacobi bring their characters to life, with each recording personal details of the ins and outs of bar and bat mitzvah preparation: meeting tutors; struggling with mastery of the haftarah; the challenges of juggling homework and other activities, such as ballet and sports; connecting with friends; anxiety and excitement as the big day approaches – mirroring everything that readers of the site will themselves experience. Characteristic of the publisher’s approach, the blogs are user-friendly and interactive, inviting visitors to exchange messages with ‘Sarah’ and ‘David’ and featuring an upbeat original song, Heading to the Bimah, that captures the mood. The authors plan to add activities and songs as the blogs continue.    

The colorful, festive Chanukah “store,” accessible through the company’s website, www.sarahdavid.com, offers special gifts that promote their brand while reinforcing Hebrew language skills. New this year: magnetic Hebrew letters that facilitate vocabulary-building and tee-shirts distinctly designed for boys and girls. The fronts of both boys and girls shirts display the question, “What’s Your Letter?” The backs of the shirts differ, with girls’ shirts featuring a cartoon illustration of the characters, ‘Sarah’ and ‘David’ above a medley of floating letters and the back of the boys’ shirt featuring the letters alone.  

Another Sarah and David Interactive exclusive is the sterling silver letter necklace, imported from Israel . A Jewish star and hamsa are also available, as are the full series of books and posters that comprise the publisher’s unique Hebrew language line – a comprehensive curriculum in reading, writing and speaking. A 15 percent discount is offered to customers who order by December 10th, with the promise to deliver in time for Chanukah.  

Sarah and David Interactive is continually developing fresh techniques and approaches to acquaint this generation with modern Hebrew and bolster Jewish identity through Hebrew literacy. Conceived by the mother-daughter team, Diana and Lily Yacobi, since its inception in 2004, the company has experienced steady sales increases and rising awareness among its growing clientele of Jewish educators and Hebrew language students of all ages. The characters, ‘Sarah’ and ‘David,’ like ‘Dick’ and ‘Jane’ of the reading primers of yore, have become recognizable symbols that drive the company’s brand image and highly relatable figures that have made learning to read, write and speak Modern Hebrew hip, fun and easy.