AMHERST, Mass—The Yiddish Book Center has been named a Standard Bearer by Slingshot ’12-’13, a resource guide for Jewish innovation.

The Guide features the 50 most innovative Jewish projects in North America. After eight editions, fourteen additional organizations have risen to the top again and again as leaders within the community and mentors to other organizations. These projects, the Standard Bearers, have been previously listed in at least five editions of Slingshot and continue to exemplify Slingshot’s core criteria of innovation, impact, leadership and organizational efficacy.

Since its inception, Slingshot has highlighted 173 innovative Jewish organizations, projects and programs in North America that grapple with concerns in Jewish life such as identity, community, social justice and tradition, each with different missions, perspectives and strategies.

“As we enter our fourth decade, the Yiddish Book Center is not only rescuing lost treasures of the Jewish past, we’re laying the foundation for an informed and hopeful future. We’re using new technology to digitize Yiddish books and make them available to all, we’re translating them into English, and we continue to offer innovative educational programs for high school students, college students, 20-somethings and adults,” said Aaron Lansky, founder and president of the Yiddish Book Center.

Founded in 1980, The Yiddish Book Center, is a non-profit organization whose goal  rescuing, translating and disseminating Yiddish books and presenting innovative educational programs that broaden understanding of modern Jewish identity. www.yiddishbookcenter.org

According to Julie Finkelstein, Program Director of Slingshot, “Slingshot is a celebration of those Jewish organizations and projects successfully breathing new energy into Jewish life. The Standard Bearers also consistently raise the high standards that emerging organizations and projects in Jewish life aspire to match.”

Released on Nov. 5, Slingshot ’12-’13 is available free in hard copy and as a download at www.slingshotfund.org.