Kerem B'Yavneh

The fun and quirkiness of your favorite farming and city-building games meet the richness and vibrancy of Jewish ritual, history, and thought. Run a profitable homestead, observe festivals, learn Torah, and experience life and community in ancient Yavneh, the birthplace of modern Judaism.

Kerem BYavneh (meaning literally "A Vineyard in Yavneh") is a casual, social, religious education, homestead-simulation, world-building game. Theres even some cooking involved! Our story unfolds in ancient Yavneh, a small agricultural community that was transformed into the center of Jewish life and learning after the destruction of Jerusalems Second Temple by the Roman Empire in 70 CE (the subject of our first game, Sparks of Eternity). You, a budding scholar-farmer, are leading this transformation. In Kerem BYavneh, players must adhere to traditional Rabbinic law, culture, and practice while raising a family, growing crops of increasing diversity and goodness, trading in the marketplace, and helping Yavneh flourish.

Never before have there been Jewish games both so cutting-edge and so well-adapted to use in an educational setting. Kerem BYavneh (KeBY) makes history come alive, brings context to Rabbinic literature, and provides a deeply interactive vehicle for critical thinking, discussion, and classroom debate. The game, which can be played by each student concurrently as a classroom community, provides in-game rewards for out-of-game work in school. Instead of using a pay-to-play model, KeBY promotes study-to-play, collaboration, and friendly competition amongst players. It enables the teacher to create customized content within the game to enhance and reinforce classroom learning and motivate players to truly engage in the material.