Rabbi Michael Zedek, rabbi emeritus of both The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah and Chicago’s Emanuel Congregation, has released his first children’s book, “People Are Like… Stories for Young Readers and Readers Who Wish to Stay Young.” All proceeds from the book will go to scholarship programs for students in need.
“People Are Like…” is a compilation of nine short stories accompanied by illustrations by Isabel Cristina Tejada Carrasco. These stories each contain life-lessons and are intended for children ages 4-12 years old. “People Are Like…” is Rabbi Zedek’s second book, following 2024’s “Taking Miracles Seriously: A Journey to Everyday Spirituality.”
“Stories have an ability to remind us of what we need to do, and they sometimes even have the capacity to outflank our resistance to doing it,” Rabbi Zedek said. “...All of the stories are meant to try to generate cross-generational conversation and convey a notion of empathy and compassion. I don’t think it’s a great leap to recognize that those are items in short supply nowadays, and we need them desperately.”
Though none of the stories are intended for a strictly Jewish audience — Rabbi Zedek doesn’t even use the title “rabbi” as the listed author — some of them trace back to Jewish roots, and all of them are “implicitly Jewish in that they teach values,” he said.
The oldest of the nine stories, “Harry the Hippo,” traces its roots back to 1974, when Rabbi Zedek was the assistant rabbi at B’nai Jehudah and was tasked with giving the Rosh Hashanah sermon at the children’s service. “Diamond in the Rough” is based on a 1700s parable by the Maggid of Dubno, Rabbi Yaakov Kranz, about a king desperate to repair his damaged diamond.
The last story in the book, “Inside Out,” was inspired by a quote that Rabbi Zedek overheard from a little child decades ago at B’nai Jehudah on 69th and Holmes. He remembers the little girl saying, “Mommy, if God is bigger than we are and God lives in us, wouldn’t God show through?” From this, Rabbi Zedek shares about how many people have a joy and wonder that make the world special, and that everyone can try to act kind and help others.
The book has garnered praise from U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II; community member and philanthropist Shirley Bush Helzberg; Church of the Resurrection Senior Pastor Adam Hamilton; and children’s author and musician Jim Cosgrove.
“One of the reasons why I’m so excited about this book is that I’m not going to make a penny from it,” Rabbi Zedek said. “A generous person in our community met the cost of publishing so that we could make any proceeds benefit scholarships for needy kids. That’s precious to me.”
In addition to Amazon, “People Are Like…” is available at Turn The Page (at MCI Airport), Rainy Day Books, The Learning Tree, Unique Finds – Overland Park, Revocup Town Center and Made in Kansas City stores.
