When you think of Kickstarter campaigns you think of nifty high-tech gadgets attracting techie-boys who love their toys to help finance the next great thing.  But two Lansing women are using it to launch something much gentler: a Hanukkah story and game called 'The Gelt Giving Golem'.  The product will include a boxed illustrated book and a plush toy golem used to play a game over the eight days of Hanukkah.

"It's the story of a character that I created called the 'Hanukkah Golem', who gives a piece of gelt to little children each night of Hanukkah when he witnesses good behavior the day before," says author Carolyn Greenwald.  "The purpose of the story is to allow Jewish children to participate in a tradition that's been very popular on Christmas, where there is an elf watching children's' behavior every day and then reporting back to Santa Claus."

Greenwald's idea is that parents will read the book as well as play the game with their children every year as they grow through ages two through nine.  She and illustrator Suzy Hill are working with a plush toy manufacturer to produce a ten inch tall golem based on Hill's design that will come with the book.  It will have velcro hands and feet so parents can pose him in varios positions each night where their kids will find him in the morning.  Each day they find the golem, he has a piece of gelt for them -- if they were good the previous day.

In Jewish lore a golem is a live person made of clay who is bound to carry out the wishes of the person who made it and gave it life.  Golems are typically strong and used for brute-force tasks, mindlessly following their master's wishes.  Hanukkah gelt is also a Jewish tradition where a coin is given as a present to mark the eight day holiday.  Today chocolate coins are particularly popular in Jewish homes.  Unlike Christmas, Hanukkah is a minor holiday, generally considered by Jews to be a children's holiday.  But very much like Christmas the holiday includes a rich heritage of songs, games, lore and tradition for kids.


"We don't have an elf in Judaism," Greenwald says.  "We don't have magical creatures.  But there is a strong tradition of the Golem being a Hanukkah character. there are a bunch of children's books about a golem and Hanukkah.  In the oldest story the Prague Golem was created on the first night of Hanukkah.  Our golem is a little different because he does have a mind.  He acts on his own.  So we took the golem and made him into something that would work for this book."

That presented a challenge for Hill.  It was up to her to take a traditionally tough and colorless character and transform him into someone lovable, approachable, kind and friendly.  She is currently working on creating the illustrations in watercolor and pen and ink for the 32 page story book.

"We went through a lot of iterations of what he might look like," she says.  "We landed on one that's soft and round.  He's much less scary than a typical golem.  He's sort of tattered and worn like a loved stuffed animal."

Greenwald says the book was inspired by a Christmas story about an elf that comes with an elf toy.  That inspired her to come up with something fun for Jewish children.  The theme of her book is 'Tikkum O'lam', which is Hebrew for 'Repair the World'.  The message of the book is that children should 'do good and be good'.

"When the golem sees you being good that makes him happy," she says.  "It makes him joyful and he wants to share his chocolate with you."


"That's one of the things that I like about Carolyn's story," Hill says.  "Yes, it's fun, but it has a message behind it.  It's not just all about the silliness.  I like the fun plus morality element of it."

The manuscript is now complete, and Hill is completing the illustrations.  The book is scheduled to be printed in April of 2014.  People who donate to the Kickstarter campaign are reserving their copy for next year, with larger donations of $110 or more also reserving prints of the illustrations.  Those who pledge $1,000 or more will receive a signed original illustration with their book.

Long time friends Greenwald and Hill are partners in the venture.  Once published they plan to perform readings at Synagogues, as well as marketing the book in temple newsletters as well as wider venues online as well as brick and mortar book stores.

"It worked out great because I needed an artist and Suzy said, 'I am an artist.'  We've been friends for many years and I did not know how good her art was!"

Four of Hill's finished illustrations are currently part of the 'Arts For All Marathon' at the Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca.  The exibit is running through November.

Greenwald says that if the book becomes popular the next step may be her dream of a 'Gift Giving Golem' movie.  But families will have to wait for one more holiday season before it is actually available.  Meanwhile she and Hill are building excitement for the project.  He is a golem of our modern times who is already tweeting to his own Twitter account, and has a Web site as well.


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