Posted on October 05, 2015
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) announced today that it has formed a partnership with Rowman & Littlefield, one of the largest independent book publishers in North America, to acquire its book service, effective October 15, 2015.
The acquisition includes approximately 30 active book titles, which are bought primarily by congregations, schools and more than 4,000 individual purchasers. As part of the partnership, USCJ will work with Rowman & Littlefield to increase the number of offerings over the year, which will be promoted through a dedicated USCJ catalog and many other marketing initiatives.
USCJ CEO Rabbi Steven Wernick said, “Following the adoption of our strategic plan in 2011, we have re-focused on core priorities that create the most impact for our sacred communities. Partnering with Rowman & Littlefield enables us to continue to develop high-quality content, while allowing our books and materials to be marketed and sold in a much larger universe.”
Added Jed Lyons, President and CEO, Rowman & Littlefield, “We are thrilled to enter into a publishing partnership with one of the country’s oldest and most distinguished Jewish organizations.”
USCJ’s book service has long provided an important benefit to its member congregations and the Jewish community at large, offering source and liturgical materials that reflect the voice of the Conservative Jewish community. Strategic partners included the Rabbinical Assembly, Solomon Schechter Day Schools, The Jewish Theological Seminaryand Rabbi Miles Cohen.
Previous Rowman & Littlefield acquisitions include the book program of the Alban Institute, the country’s leading expert on congregational life and leadership issues; the Catholic imprint, Sheed & Ward, which has been active since its founding in the 1920’s; Cowley Publishing, a publisher of books on Episcopalian subjects and Jason Aronson, a publisher of books on Judaica.
About USCJ
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) is a community of North American kehillot (Jewish communities inside and outside the walls of the synagogue) committed to a dynamic Judaism that is learned and passionate, authentic and pluralistic, joyful and accessible. USCJ creates the spiritual, intellectual, and managerial network that empowers kehillot to fulfill their sacred mission and connects them with a common sense of community, shared mission and purpose. To learn more, visit www.uscj.org.
About Rowman & Littlefield
Rowman & Littlefield, founded in 1949, is one of the largest independent book publishers in North America. Located just outside Washington DC, with strengths in academic publishing in the humanities and social sciences; publishing government and official data; educational publishing for K-12 and trade publishing. They publish approximately 1,700 new books annually simultaneously with electronic editions. Rowman & Littlefield International was founded in 2013 offering publishing and international marketing services in London. It also owns National Book Network (NBN) and NBNi in the U.K., both of which offer distribution services to other publishers. www.rowman.com