About me
Jonathan Shmidt Chapman is an award-winning artist, writer, and Jewish educator. As the founder of the K’ilu Company, Jonathan reimagines Jewish early childhood through theater and play. His book Let There Be Play: Bringing the Bible to Life with Young Children was recently published by Behrman House. Jonathan was named the Covenant Foundation’s inaugural Jewish Family Education Fellow in 2023. His theatrical works for children and families have been presented there and at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and Seattle Children’s Theatre, and have been featured by NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, the New York Times, and American Theatre magazine. He has served on the faculty at Northwestern University and New York University. He holds an MA in educational theatre from NYU. He lives in the Chicago area with his husband, Rabbi David Chapman, and their two children.