Shimon Apisdorf is the co-founder and educational director of the Jewish
Literacy Foundation (JLF). Rabbi Apisdorf has authored eight of the
foundation's books, including the popular Jewish Holiday "Survival
Kit"
series. Under his leadership, JLF has distributed more than 67,000
books
to
unaffiliated and marginally affiliated Jews across the continent in
an
effort to educate Jews about their heritage and bring them closer to
Judaism.
Most recently, Rabbi Apisdorf completed Israel in a Nutshell, a book
that
discusses the history of the creation of the State of Israel and the
Israeli/Palestinian conflict. This work is part of a series of twelve
books
entitled Judaism in a Nutshell that addresses modern-day Jewish
issues
such
as God, spirituality, holidays, and interpersonal relationships in a
concise
format.
In 1999, Rabbi Apisdorf received the Benjamin Franklin Award from the
Publishers Marketing Association for Chanukah: Eight Nights of Light,
Eight
Gifts for the Soul, and in 1993 he received the same award for the
best-selling Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Survival Kit.
Before joining JLF, Rabbi Apisdorf was the first Judaic studies
teacher
hired at the newly founded Columbus Torah Academy High School in 1992
where
he taught for three years. From 1991-1993, he was the educational
director
for the Jewish outreach organization, Aish HaTorah, in Columbus,
Ohio.
From
1987-1990, he served as the director of special programs for Aish
HaTorah
in
Toronto where he was instrumental in the development of Canada's
largest
Jewish adult education program. Today, he resides in Baltimore, MD
with
his
wife, Miriam and their four children.
Apisdorf attended the University of Cincinnati and then went on to
study
at
the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland. In addition, he studied at the Aish
HaTorah
College of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem for five years where he
received
his
Rabbinic Ordination in 1985. Rabbi Apisdorf is also the author of The
One
Hour Purim Primer, and the co-author of The Death of Cupid:
Reclaiming
the
Wisdom of Love, Dating, Romance, and Marriage.