The quiet corner of the Beit Raqa Library in Jaffa has become the backdrop for an unusual and inspiring reading record that continues to grow year after year.
Shai Tondovsky, a seventh-grade student, has been recognized as Tel Aviv-Jaffa’s top reader for the fourth consecutive year after reading 469 books over the past year.
“I just started developing my reading speed, that’s all,” he told The Press Service of Israel, describing his record-setting habit as something that developed naturally over time.
Twelve-year-old Tondovsky, who is on the high-functioning autism spectrum, is widely regarded in the Beit Ariela library system as a “champion of champions” among young readers. In the library, surrounded by shelves of Hebrew children’s books, Arabic-language titles, Russian literature and comics, Tondovsky is often seen selecting books with quiet concentration.
His approach to choosing books is simple and instinctive. Holding a copy of the Israeli classic The Zigzag Kid by David Grossman, he demonstrates the process. “I just read the summary, see if it suits me, and if so, then I take it.”
When he is asked to read the back of the book, his reading speed is immediately apparent, accurately conveying the story of Nuno, a boy who finds himself on a harrowing train journey.
Tondovsky is especially drawn to science fiction and fantasy, genres that allow him to explore imaginative worlds beyond everyday reality. His favorite author is Israeli children’s author Meira Barnea-Goldberg, and he particularly enjoyed her book Ben-Ben Ve Deda (“Ben-Ben and Deda”). The admiration is mutual. When Tel Aviv-Jaffa’s Beit Ariela library system, which Beit Raqa is part, announced on Facebook that Tondovsky was its reading champion, Barnea-Goldberg commented, “I love him so much and am proud of him. We have pictures together since age 7. Every year we took pictures and you can see how slowly he is surpassing me in height.” She concluded the comment with several heart emojis.
Beyond reading, Tondovsky is also interested in science and technology and hopes to become an inventor in the future.
Tondovsky has undergone a personal religious journey in recent years and now lives as a religiously observant youth. He prays daily and is preparing for his upcoming bar mitzvah, during which he will publicly read from the Torah for the first time.
His daily life is supported by his single mother, the Beit Raqa library staff and the Tutim center in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, which supports special-needs children and their families.
Tondovsky’s literary hunger is so immense that Beit Raqa has become too small for him, and in the past year, he has started to regularly borrow books from other Tel Aviv-Jaffa libraries.
When asked how children could be encouraged to read more, Tondovsky replied that limiting screen time on phones is key, something he picked up from his mother.
“No screens. They’ll get bored, and they’ll pick up books,” he stressed. “After they’ve fallen in love with books, give them screens here and there. That’s not the worst thing. Balance and integrate.”
