As if we were there

Jonathan Chapman opening the Torah with children as part of the Ark Adventures program at Congregation Beth Shalom. (Photo Credit: Michael Balter)

Back during COVID times, Jonathan Shmidt Chapman was looking for ways to engage his son, then age 3, in Jewish learning at home. 

A visionary leader in theater for young audiences as well as Jewish education, Chapman drew from his training in sensory theater—which immerses young children in theatrical experiences—to engage his son during the lockdown. 

He developed lesson plans, in an age-appropriate way, from the weekly Torah portions. He transformed their home into a stage for Jewish storytelling, utilizing household objects as theater props, such as turning bed sheets into the Nile River for Passover. 

Chapman ultimately created a year-long curriculum, guiding his son in interactive Torah learning, later encapsulated in his book, Let There Be Play: Bringing the Bible to Life with Young Children. 

His son loved it all. “He came to life around Jewish storytelling through imaginative play,” Chapman said. “Every week, he would say ‘What’s the Torah portion this week, daddy?’” 

In watching his own child light up, Chapman dreamed up the idea for The K’ilu Company, which invites children to step inside Jewish stories as something not just to be told, but to be lived. 

The name “K’ilu” is Hebrew for “as if,” and the term appears in the Passover Haggadah. Every year, we’re taught not just to hear the story of the Exodus, but to experience it “as if we ourselves went out of Egypt.” 

As we prepare for the High Holidays and think about ways to engage the youngest members of the community this year, K’ilu offers a theatrical and imaginative approach to early Jewish learning, rooted in play, embodiment, and wonder. 

When children interact with a story, Chapman says, the lessons stick. “Research shows that when kids learn a story through play—when their senses are heightened, when they’re active and embodied rather than passive—they develop deeper memories, and it sticks differently,” he said. “When children see themselves in the story, it becomes their story.” 

Founded in 2021, The K’ilu Company first took shape through K’ilu Kits, which launched during the pandemic. These activity kits reach families and educators across North America with hands-on, immersive storytelling experiences both at home and in the classroom. 

Building on that foundation, K’ilu created Ark Adventures, a sensory theatrical Shabbat experience. Sessions are based at Northbrook’s Congregation Beth Shalom, where Chapman’s husband, David, serves as Senior Rabbi. Recently, K’ilu satellite troupes also launched in Boston and Toronto. 

In addition to their flagship programs, K’ilu partners with local and national organizations and pre-K through 2nd grade educators to train them in the distinctive pedagogy of sensory theater, helping more Jewish early childhood educators bring Jewish tradition to life through imaginative and joyful theatrical experiences. 

The interaction is not only meaningful for children, but is also powerful for the adults in the room. “Sensory theater is engaging for the kids, of course, but it’s also engaging for parents and teachers,” said Doug Winkelstein, Executive Director of K’ilu. “For teachers who don’t have strong Jewish backgrounds, when they work with someone like Jonathan who has this expertise, it engages [them] as well, it gets them excited, and that energy flows into the classroom.” 

Chicago has been a laboratory for it all. The K’ilu staff includes a full-time team of three in Chicago—Chapman, Winkelstein, and Jordan Zelvin, Associate Director of Artistic and Educational Programming—and a wider part-time network of over 20 teaching artists and collaborators. 

Over the past three years, Chapman has teamed up with JUF to bring K’ilu’s approach to over 100 early childhood and youth educators.  

This past spring, JUF announced a two-year grant of $50,000 per year to help the company scale online support for teachers across Chicago in early childhood education and congregational schools.  

What’s most meaningful to the K’ilu team is that their work is resonating with the youngest learners. Chapman tells of a 4-year-old boy who had participated in a K’ilu Passover experience. Months later, the boy was touring his synagogue with his classmates when he spotted an image of the Burning Bush. He smiled and yelled out, “We went there—we were there!” 

To learn more about The K’ilu Company, visit kilucompany.com.