BBC Educational Films on Judaism Star Cartoon of Jewish Girl From London
Ella Scott — a 10-year-old student at a Jewish primary school in north London — has been transformed into a cartoon character featured in a series of animated BBC videos produced to teach British children about Judaism, The Jewish Chronicle reported.
The three clips are available on the BBC‘s educational website, Bitesize.
In the first video, titled “How Do Jewish People Show Care?,” Ella introduces herself, saying, “Hi. I’m Ella and I’m Jewish. My synagogue is where my family goes to worship. But it’s also where we have lots of community events. There’s a nursery and a school and different kinds of activities every week. We also try to help people in need because that’s really important in Judaism.”
Later in the clip, she explains the concepts of tzedakah and tikkun olam.
Ella — whose family is Orthodox and attends the Golders Green Synagogue — told The Jewish Chronicle, “Videos like these matter because non-Jewish pupils learn about Judaism in school and it’s important the content is accurate.”
“It’s also important that pupils know about different religions so that they respect them — for example, if they don’t know about Judaism, they might say they don’t like it,” she added.
“I was really pleased when I saw the cartoon of me,” Ella said. “I love the idea that I’m part of something that will be seen by children all around the world, whether or not they are Jewish. I hope it gives people a better understanding of Judaism.”