PROOF A PJ LIBRARY ® MAGAZINE
JULY 2022
PJ Library goes to
SPACE! on page 14
Little-known stories behind 50 million books p. 10 Antisemitism: How am I supposed to explain this? p. 16 PJ Library community rallies around Ukraine p. 23
THE
Foreword
G
rowing up in the 1970s on New York’s Upper East Side, I was — perhaps oddly — incredibly sheltered from antisemitism. Maybe I was just naive. I never quite understood what everyone else seemed concerned about. At any rate, it wasn’t something that my family discussed. When I first encountered antisemitism personally, I wasn’t equipped to understand it or deal with it. I was living in Spain in the late ’90s, and one day as I walked down the street, someone yelled out to me from a passing car, “Jew, go home!” I had no tools, no background or context to inform what I was feeling. Fast-forward a couple of decades to when I was married with three young boys. We decided to move to a small liberal town in Massachusetts, and I thought my children would be protected from antisemitism and the dangers of the world. When my son Isaac was in middle school, a classmate accidentally dropped some change on the floor. Isaac, ever helpful, reached to help him gather the coins. When Isaac came home, horrified, he recalled how another classmate had commented, “Of course the Jew is helping with the money.” Again, I had no words, no tools to help my child understand how to process that devastating moment when he confronted antisemitism for the first, and unfortunately not the last, time. Even in our lovely liberal, educated New England town, it had found us. In April, PJ Library hosted PJ Conversations, a series of online opportunities for donors to hear about special topics. This particular topic was antisemitism and the Jewish future. One of the panelists was Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was held hostage with others in January at Congregation Beth Israel in Texas. He talked about building strong Jewish identities in our children and discussing antisemitism with them. “We don’t have to — and we should not — live in fear,” he said during the online event. “We can and we should be prepared.” (You can read more about his story on page 16.) This generation is growing up with far greater exposure to antisemitism, genocide, and events in the world than I ever was. But they also have
“Parents have access to a supportive PJ Library community and resources about topics like respecting diversity or how to talk to your child about antisemitism.” resources — exceptional resources — that I never could have dreamed of. PJ Library subscribers are learning about the world around them through the stories they hear. And their parents have access to a supportive PJ Library community and resources about topics like respecting diversity or how to talk to your child about antisemitism. All this, in addition to the many joyous moments that are fostered through Judaism and the PJ Library program. If you are already a PJ Library donor, thank you! Your gift is impacting this generation in so many amazing ways, and we’re reaching Jewish children around the world and beyond, including a storytime from space (see page 14)! If you are not yet a donor, I encourage you to join us. There is so much work to be done. Thank you for being a part of the story,
Ellen Frank Director of Donor Relations
Want to learn more about how to support PJ Library? There are so many ways to give. Go to pjlibrary.org/donate to learn more. Our children will thank you!
PROOF
ON THE COVER
A PJ LI BR ARY ® MAGA Z I NE
July 2022 | Volume 8, Issue 15
A PJ L I BR ARY ® M AGA Z I N E
Founder Harold Grinspoon President Winnie Sandler Grinspoon Chief Operating Officer Adrian Dion Chief Partnerships Officer Tamar Remz Managing Director Alex Zablotsky Director of Donor Relations Ellen Frank Managing Editor Rebecca Nordquist Graphic Designer Allison Biggs
Contributing Editors Content Officer Naomi Shulman Senior Creative Manager Beth Honeyman Content Lead Danny Paller
PJ Library Goes to Space
PROOF JULY 2022
PJ Library goes to
SPACE! on page 14
Little-known stories behind 50 million books p. 10 Antisemitism: How am I supposed to explain this? p. 16 PJ Library community rallies around Ukraine p. 23
In April, the PJ Library book A Beautiful World went where no other PJ Library book has gone: space! This is the story behind the storytime from the International Space Station.
Page 14
FEATURES
Contributing Writers
4
Through the PJ Library Years
Judy Alperin, Kayla Bisbee, Sam Borden, Faye Hollander, Heidi Hurwitz, Rabbi Tracy Kaplowitz, Rachel Kozupsky, Ellery Plesur
6
PJ Library Around the World
8
Serving Those Who Serve
10
Zero to 50M
12
Inside PJ Library’s Family Holiday Guides
16
How Am I Supposed to Explain This?
20
The Power of Community
Contributing Illustrators Sophia Vincent Guy, Cookie Moon
Operations Support Director of Data Management Adrianne Levine Operations Manager Renée Zborowski Web Marketing Manager Rory Hurlburt Stewardship Coordinator Jessica Kaleta Database Coordinator Sherani Weatherington Web Operations Associate Chris Waters PROOF subscriptions: development@hgf.org Donation inquiries: give@hgf.org Questions about PJ Library: pjlibrary@hgf.org Have a story idea? proof@hgf.org Cover credit: Israeli artist Cookie Moon created “Hello Dragon, Welcome to Space” to commemorate the Rakia Mission. On this mission in April, Eytan Stibbe, the second Israeli in space, read a PJ Library book from the International Space Station for the children of Israel. Copyright © 2022 Harold Grinspoon Foundation. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior approval.
For one family, the books in their mailbox gave them each the connection they needed. What kinds of stories are being created for the global Jewish community? Take a peek. How military families around the globe stay connected to their Jewishness. To celebrate 50 million books in 17 years, here are some little-known stories about PJ Library. Contributor Lisa Rachlin talks about her experience creating content. When it comes to antisemitism, that’s a common question. We help answer it.
Greater New Haven in Connecticut is an example of how PJ Library communities work.
Departments
22 23
Donor Spotlight
Meet a few of the donors who make PJ Library possible.
Parting Thoughts
A note from Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
Through the PJ Library Years
For this mother-daughter duo, the Jewish books in their mailbox gave them each the connection they needed.
I
BY E L L ERY P L ESU R A N D FAY E HOLLA N DER
t’s time for Ellery Plesur to say goodbye to one of her greatest joys: receiving a free Jewish book in the mail monthly. The seventh grader got her first book from PJ Library when she was 7 years old, and now she has graduated from PJ Our Way, the next chapter for children ages 9–12. Ellery and her mother, Faye Hollander, loved reading books together, but both programs gave them their own unique experiences. Here’s a look at those experiences, in their own words. Ellery: I’ve always loved books. PJ Library came into my life right when I started craving new books, new subjects, new plot twists — and that was just what it gave me. It wasn’t very long before I started getting excited for that little blue-and-white package that meant a whole new cast of characters to have fun with. Another thing I’ve always loved is learning about who I am and exploring every aspect of
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What does Ellery Plesur love more than chocolate? Her PJ Library book collection. PH OTO BY FAYE H OL L ANDER
my identity. PJ Library gave me a great chance to learn about some of the different facets of Judaism in a format that I already loved: books! For years, I looked forward to that monthly PJ Our Way email, when I could see a whole new list of books, choose one, and keep it. What more could a growing bookworm want? Book after book, and I never grew tired of it. Even now, about a quarter of my bookshelf is made up of favorite PJ Our Way books and characters: Sweep, Wishtree, Charlie Thorne, and my good friend Rabbi Harvey. PJ Our Way became about so much more than just free Jewish books. It was about being clever! It was about prevailing over adversity! It was about looking danger in the face and telling it you were strong! I felt like I was standing in the middle of a glorious hurricane of excitement, and in the eye of the hurricane was Judaism. When the world said Jews didn’t matter, I had all my fictional friends to tell me we did matter.
ELLERY’S MUST-READS
But there was one problem: I could only get these books until I was 12, and my time was coming to an end. What could I do? Which brings me to the third thing I’ve always loved: making stuff. So when I got the invitation to work behind the scenes for the PJ Our Way design team, you bet I said yes! Now I wasn’t just standing amid a hurricane, I was directing it. I made videos, quizzes, and friends. Together, we interviewed authors, wrote blog posts, and reviewed books before they were published! My tiny bookworm heart was overcome with joy. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. But I didn’t say goodbye to PJ Our Way — oh, no. It will always remain because of the amazing memories and the conversations that the books still spark between my parents and me. I’ll never forget PJ Our Way. I don’t think my parents will either. Because the fourth thing I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving? OK, fine, it’s chocolate. But I love community, too, and PJ Our Way was never lacking for that. It built community within community, and that’s what I’ll always remember. Faye: I’m a Jersey girl. My husband is a New Yorker. When we decided to put down roots in Massachusetts, we knew we’d be living far from family, but I did not expect that creating a Jewish household would be so difficult without them nearby. Without the regular influence of things like sitting together at synagogue, telling stories, sharing recipes, and observing traditions, much of the responsibility for creating those traditions fell to my husband and me alone. When experiencing the richness of our families and our Jewish roots became a thing that required packing and driving six hours, our tiny Jewish household in Massachusetts felt very, very quiet. And when finding the right fit for both synagogue and Hebrew school did not come easily, we did not feel adequately anchored to our culture. PJ Library created an anchor for us. Stories, information, and traditions all appeared in our mailbox. The books became a reliable resource and reminder for learning about and observing so many Jewish moments. They started conversations and answered questions I hadn’t thought to ask. PJ Library has been a great fit, a welcome addition to our home, and something I’ve recommended to so many Jewish families in my life.
Sweep Written by Jonathan Auxier Nan is one of the best chimney sweeps in London. When she gets caught in a fire, she’s sure the end has come. Enter Charlie: knight in sooty armor, guardian angel, golem. Wishtree Written by Katherine Applegate Red is a wise, philosophical, and funny old oak tree that has watched over his neighborhood for hundreds of years. He’s seen it all, but that’s about to change. Rabbi Harvey vs. the Wisdom Kid q Written and illustrated by Steve Sheinkin
n his colorful career on the Rocky Mountain frontier, Rabbi Harvey has matched wits with a variety of villains—most notably the sweetfaced “Bad Bubbe” Bloom, and the self-proclaimed genius “Big Milt” Wasserman. In this exciting new volume, these two formidable foes team up to try to rid the West of Rabbi Harvey once and for all. The key to their evil scheme: Bad Bubbe’s darling son, Rabbi “Wisdom Kid” Rubin, newly arrived from back East. He’s young. He’s clever. He’s eager to take Harvey’s place. But is he fast enough on the draw—the wisdom draw, that is—to take the town from Rabbi Harvey? The hilarious, action-packed plot draws on classic Jewish folktales, Talmudic teachings and the timeless wisdom of the wise men of Chelm. As always, Rabbi Harvey protects his town and delivers justice, wielding only the weapons of wisdom, wit and a bit of trickery. He also gets a bit of help from Abigail, the town’s quick-thinking school teacher—a woman, it appears, who just may have captured his heart.
Rabbi “Wisdom Kid” Ruben is new in town, and he wants to get rid of Rabbi Harvey! See them duke it out in this Wild West battle of wits.
Praise for the Rabbi Harvey Series
“For every kid who ever sneaked a comic book into the synagogue, there is a new hero—Rabbi Harvey, who tamed the Old West with Jewish wisdom and humor. I’m hiding a copy of this book in my tallis bag, hoping my kids will find it!” —Rabbi Edward Feinstein, author of Tough Questions Jews Ask: A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life
www.jewishlights.com
SHEINKIN
For People of All Faiths, All Backgrounds
JEWISH LIGHTS Publishing
“Thoroughly brilliant.... A stunning contribution to children’s literature.... Exude[s] the Jewish reverence for knowledge.” —New Republic
A Graphic Novel of Dueling Jewish Folktales in the Wild West
“Endearing…. Older teens and adults will laugh and learn watching Harvey at work.” —Jewish Book World
JL
Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation Written by Stuart Gibbs Charlie Thorne is a supergenius and the world’s best chance at finding Albert Einstein’s lost equation, which can save the world — or destroy it.
LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK TO LISTEN TO? For a limited time, all PJ Our Way subscribers can access our audiobook library at pjourway.overdrive.com. q RABBI HARVEY VS. THE WISD OM KID IS ONE IN A S ERI ES O F THREE BOOKS.
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aiwan, Venezuela, and the United Arab Emirates. These are just three of the 36 countries that are part of PJ Library’s international program. We have myriad statistics to back up our mission, but as always, it’s about stories — not just the ones we share but also the ones created to reflect different cultures. To make the stories even more accessible, many have been translated into English, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian, and Ukrainian. Our hope is that families everywhere see PJ Library books both as mirrors and windows. We want families to see themselves in the stories, so the books feel relatable and relevant. But we also want them to see and learn something new about Jewish customs or traditions that are different than theirs. PJ Library books are a time-tested way to make that happen. Through stories, children are learning that British Jews created fish and chips, and Moroccan Jews celebrate a separate holiday after Passover called Mimouna. There will always be room to learn something new about the Jewish experience and enhance our own Jewishness. As Jews, it is a treat when we visit a new synagogue and pick up a siddur (prayer book), knowing that even if the songs sound different, we are still among our shared community. PJ Library offers a small taste of that same feeling, knowing that children everywhere are reading some of the same stories, just as Jews have shared the same ancient books for millennia. Here’s a look at some of our stories from around the world. Donors at all levels have an impact around the world. You can support the PJ Library International Fund by making a gift online at pjlibrary.org/donate or contacting give@hgf.org.
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Written by Helaine Becker Illustrated by Omer Hoffmann Published by Green Bean Books www.pjlibrary.org
Helaine Becker & Omer Hoffmann
DI RE C T OR OF IN T E RNAT IONAL PRO G R A M S
The Fabulous Tale of Fish & Chips
•
BY RAC H EL KO ZU PS K Y
EUROPE
THE FABULOUS TALE OF FISH & CHIPS
PJ Library Around the World
H A N DS O N!
Written by
Helaine Becker
Illustrated by
Omer Hoffmann
Londoner Joseph Malin has a great idea: he’ll sell fried fish made by using one of his Sephardic grandmother’s favorite recipes for Shabbat. The fish is a hit! But what will happen when his fish cart collides with Annette’s french fry cart? When people work together, delicious things happen.
LATIN AMERICA
¿Dónde está Shmata? Written by Tana Ross Illustrated by Elisa Kleven Published by PJ Publishing
Shmata is missing! Is it there behind the pillow — or is that an armadillo? Lift the flaps to help the little girl in this book find her beloved blankie in this sweet story set in Latin America. It’s a little bit Spanish, a little bit Yiddish, and completely adorable.
(continued on back of flap)
FORMER SOVIET UNION
ASIA
Gina from Siberia
Shanghai Sukkah
Written by Jane Bernstein and Charlotte Glynn Illustrated by Anna Desnitskaya Published by Animal Media Group
Written by Heidi Smith Hyde Illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong Published by Kar-Ben Publishing
Many immigration stories take place long ago but not this one. Based on the true story of Gina, a wire-haired terrier whose family snuck her out of Siberia and into the US during the Cold War, this beautiful and thrilling tale follows Gina as her family travels by bus, train, car, plane, and minivan.
When Marcus’ family moves from Europe to China in the 1930s, he feels like a fish out of water. He doesn’t know any Jewish families like his. But when he makes a new friend, he’s able to build an unusual sukkah just in time for Sukkot — and that helps him feel more at home.
*The black dots signify the countries in which PJ Library is offered.
AFRICA
H A N DS O N!
A Sweet Meeting
A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night Make Flour Flower
on Mimouna Night
• ½ cup salt
• ¾ cups water
A Sweet Meeting
Written by Allison Ofanansky, illustrated by Rotem Teplow Published by Groundwood Books Supplies
• 2 cups flour
• Large bowl
Set the flower aside for a couple of hours. When it’s completely dry, remove it from the wax paper. You can paint it with nontoxic paints, or leave it plain. You can make a whole bouquet of flowers — or whatever else you like!
Rotem Teplow
For Moroccan Jews, the end of Passover means it’s time for Mimouna! Miriam wants to help her mother make moufleta pancakes for their party, but they don’t have any flour. Their Muslim neighbors are happy to help and soon become friends.
Allison Ofanansky
• Wax paper
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. When a sticky dough forms, turn it onto a lightly floured countertop and knead it until it’s smooth. Divide your dough into small balls and press them flat into circles. On a piece of wax paper, arrange the circles into a wreath, overlapping them slightly, and then press another circle into the center. a pencil or skewer Use to press little holes into the center to create “seeds.”
A
Sweet Meet in g on
na Mimou Night
www.pjlibrary.org
SweetMeetingOnM
on Mimouna Night
What can we share with our neigh bors?
s
When Miriam admires the flowers that grow at Jasmine’s house, her mother says that she can grow one from a clipping. In the meantime, maybe Miriam could borrow a little of the flour Jasmine’s family gave her and use it to make a salt-dough flower.
imounaNight_tpf.in
dd 1
Allison Ofanansky
Another Night Differe from All Other Nights nt
Jews all over the world observe Passover, a weeklong spring holiday that celebrates liberation from bondage. For some, when the holiday is over, the party continues — with Mimouna! During Passover, it’s traditional to avoid leavened foods made with flour, such as bread and cake, which is why Miriam’s mother doesn’t have any flour in her home the day after Passover. Mimouna is an opportunity to bring all those delicious, doughy foods back to the table with a big feast that often features moufleta, the pancakes that Miriam’s mother makes in this story. It’s also a chance to invite new friends to the table, too — just as Miriam does in this story.
A Vibrant Comm unity
For many, the day after Passover is an ordinary day. Not for Miriam and her mother, though! They celebrate Mimouna because they are Moroccan Jews. Jews settled in Morocco soon after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, and the population grew substantiall y after the Spanish Inquisition, when many Sephardim (Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent) moved to North Africa and elsewhere. After the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, many Moroccan Jews immigrated to Israel, just like Miriam and her mother. Only a handful of Jews live in Morocco today, but the rich culture of the Moroccan Jewish community still thrives — and so does the joyous “return-todough” celebration of Mimouna. (continued on back
of flap)
Rotem Teplow
10/6/2021 10:49 AM
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Serving Those Who Serve How military families around the globe stay connected to their Jewishness.
T
BY R A B B I TRAC Y K A PLOW IT Z , PH . D.
he thought of moving to San Diego thrilled Sarah. Her husband, a service member in the Air Force, had been transferred to the sunny Southern California city, a common life change for a longtime military family. A community organizer with a Ph.D. in plant biology, Sarah looked forward to connecting with the Jewish community and its many synagogues, Jewish community centers, and early learning centers. Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020 and exploring their new city with children wasn’t an option. The isolation Sarah experienced got her thinking about other Jewish military families throughout California, who, even in the best of times, often were isolated from the Jewish community. According to the 2020 Blue Star Families’ Military Family Lifestyle Survey, a robust survey of active-duty, National Guard, and Reserve service members, veterans, and 8
PJ L IBR ARY.O RG
With the partnership between PJ Library and the JCC Association of North America, many military families, including these from Fort Irwin in California, are creating Jewish memories together. COURTESY PH OTOS
their families, only 27% of active-duty family respondents felt a sense of belonging to their local civilian community. The staff at JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, a signature program of JCC Association of North America, saw an opportunity to boost that statistic. They applied for a PJ Library engagement grant to pilot an initiative that engaged five military parent ambassadors, a group which eventually included Sarah. The ambassadors helped to establish PJ Library communities at Army posts, on submarine and Air Force bases, and in areas with many military personnel. This isn’t the first time JWB has worked with PJ Library to reach military families. The relationship goes back to the beginning of PJ Library in 2005, when founder Harold Grinspoon, a Navy veteran, personally committed to fund subscriptions for children of service members for all the years the children are eligible — no matter where in
the world they lived. In the 17 years since, more than 5,300 children have received books through this initiative. Military families’ lack of connection and belonging to the local civilian community is not news to JWB, which has served Jews in uniform and their families for more than 100 years. So although there are many active PJ Library communities, it’s not likely that Jewish military families connect with them. That’s one reason JWB was thrilled when its PJ Library grant application was approved. It was able to create PJ Library communities that targeted military families. In California, Sarah got right to work. Cherish and Alex live on Fort Irwin, a remote training area in California’s Mojave How was history Desert, midway between Las Vegas and Los engagement. In the fall of 2021, JWB launched made in 2021 Angeles. When Sarah connected with Alex, an online Hebrew school program, which is on Fort Irwin? he was deployed, leaving Cherish to raise their funded by the US Army. Since the classes are It got its first Jewish family alone. Sarah quickly stepped in, reliant on parents as volunteer teachers, Jason sukkah. sending mitzvah kits, holiday crafts, Shabbat stepped forward. Because of the PJ Library COURTESY PH OTO treats, and even a homemade round challah military community, Jason is an empowered for their Rosh Hashanah celebration. parent, leading Jewish engagement for his Sarah’s outreach empowered Cherish, who own family and others in his community. knew there were other Jews on Fort Irwin who At Fort Riley in Kansas, the winds howl and felt as isolated as she did. Together, they could secured items often end up in neighbors’ form a community. With help from Sarah, who yards. One morning, the JWB military parent sent craft materials and connected Cherish ambassador, also named Sarah, discovered to other Fort Irwin families, the group built a bag under her car. On the installation’s and decorated the base’s first-ever sukkah Facebook page, she posted a picture of the (a temporary shelter) and hosted a PJ Library bag and noted that she would leave it near the Sukkot celebration in 2021, creating a powerful big inflatable hanukkiah (a Hanukkah menorah) story of connection in unexpected places. in front of her house. Perhaps best of all, the event marked the The bag was retrieved, but more importantly, launch of something bigger. Cherish recently another mom saw the post and incredulously applied to serve as the Jewish community’s lay asked, “Are you Jewish?! I thought I was the leader so she can continue to organize events only one here.” Now there’s a brand-new with support from the Fort Irwin Chapel. PJ Library family in Fort Riley benefiting from Similar to Cherish and Alex and their the books and their connection to the smallfamily, Jason was a member of Sarah’s military yet-vibrant group of families in the community. community. He’d been exploring his Jewish JWB is proud of the partnership with roots on his mother’s side and wanted to pass PJ Library and its effort to empower and Jewish traditions and values on to his four connect military families in communities children. This made Sarah’s holiday activity around the world. The hope is that Jewish kits welcomed gifts for his family. It was an military families will be able to say they feel easy decision to enroll the kids in 100% connected to their community PJ Library, and now he enjoys reading when that Blue Stars Families’ survey the books together with them. comes around again. DID YOU KNOW? A year after Jason became You can join the effort and involved in California’s PJ Library Rabbi Tracy Kaplowitz, Ph.D., is the support books and programming for our military families around community of military families, he former director of operations for the world. Make a gift today received orders to move to Korea, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, at pjlibrary.org/donate. where he knew connecting his family a signature program of JCC with Jewish life would require active Association of North America. PROOF
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Zero to 50M
osalind Torrey, an original PJ Library parent in the United States, admits that she had zero Jewish children’s books on her bookshelf in the early 2000s. A Jewishly engaged family, they had some Jewish music in the home, but books? “I really don’t remember any,” she said. Torrey wasn’t alone. That’s exactly why Harold Grinspoon founded PJ Library in 2005 — to bring Jewish stories into homes everywhere. And since that first book, Before You Were Born, was sent to about
Seventeen years ago, there were few options for Jewish children’s books. PJ Library changed that by providing stories and delivering a milestone 50 million books worldwide to date. BY REB EC C A NORD QU IS T MA NAG ING EDI T OR
PJ Publishing In March, PJ Publishing, PJ Library’s in-house imprint since 2014, st released the middlegrade book Detour Ahead about a neurodiverse girl who befriends a Salvadoran American boy. It’s PJ Publishing’s first book published for PJ Our Way (children ages 9–12), another signal that the imprint is quickly becoming a destination for accomplished authors and illustrators.
1
Digital Content
248,182 downloads
PJ Library is about more than books in hand. The digital content team is busy creating audiobooks, including Detour Ahead, and podcasts too. In fact, the podcasts Beyond the Bookcase, Afternoons with Mimi, and Have I Got a Story for You! have been downloaded more than 248,000 times total. Go to pjourway.org/audiobooks and pjlibrary.org/podcast to listen.
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All-Access Community 319 US zip codes with only ONE subscriber
What happens when a family lives outside of a PJ Library–supported community in the US and Canada? Funded by the PJ Library Alliance, a collective of donors that supports PJ Library’s growth, the All-Access Community reaches families — and potential subscribers — who live outside of supported zip codes and connects them to each other and Jewish life. In fact, its subscriber base in the US alone (17,364) has surpassed Los Angeles (11,404) to become the second largest community. (New York is No. 1 with 36,816 subscribers.) Distribution
Imagine 226,507 books. Now imagine the logistics behind delivering those books in one month (in this case, May) all around the US and Canada. Every month, it takes an average of five tractor trailers to haul that month’s books to the post office. Want another blowyour-mind fact? The main warehouse receives up to 25 deliveries of books from tractor trailers monthly for future mailings.
140 families in the US, PJ Library has delivered 50 million books globally and shared more than 1,100 stories that reflect the Jewish experience from many perspectives. Fun fact: that includes 16 different versions of the story of Noah’s Ark. The books that arrived on Torrey’s doorstep in Massachusetts “transformed what was in our home,” she said. “PJ Library was very much part of the rhythm of our bedtime routine. For children, there’s a sense of comfort when you feel represented and the morals you’re being raised with are represented in literature too.”
Almost two decades later, Bagels from Benny, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, and Chicken Man, among other “keepers,” as Torrey calls them, still sit on her bookshelf, and there are more stored away. “These are books that I’m saving for the next generation,” she said. To celebrate the milestone of 50 million books, here’s a look at some little-known stories about the inner workings of PJ Library and the impact it’s made along the way in the lives — and bookshelves — of families like Torrey and her three children.
“These are books that I’m saving for the next generation.” ROSAL IND TORREY
Keren Grinspoon Israel
Community Engagement אֹורית ָרז ִ
ַׁש ָּבת ַּבּיַ ַער ת
47%
Global Reach
What’s a super benefit of PJ Library? Community — both virtual and in person. Nearly 200 local communities organize countless events each year to bring people together, and the Get Together initiative offers families guidance and financial incentives to host Jewish experiences themselves. Since 2016, more than 21,000 families have taken part in about 7,000 Get Together gatherings.
.ברחבי הארץ ?לקטנטנים במעונות יום פריית פיג'מה הפועלת ספרים איכותיים מהי ס טנטנים היא תוכנית ארצית חותיהם שמונה עותק משלו ילדים ולבני משפ ספריית פיג'מה לק לכל פעוט עשרות אלפי במעון מוענק ,עם ההורים תוכנית מעניקה ל פעילות חווייתית הילדים ה לאחר קריאה ו לפעילויות משותפות של פיג'מה לקטנטנים הצעות .בשנה ספריית.בו .דית־ישראלית בכל ספר הערכים הטמונים.ספריית המשפחה ואל תרבות יהו ההבנה של ל עולם הספר המעניקה,פיג'מה המיועדות להעמקת צעירים שער אל ספריית,המשך בפני הילדים ה על התוכנית פותחת לקטנטנים יש תוכנית תוכניות מבוססות ספריית פיג'מה ה לתוכנית . הרולד גרינספון.'ב-'ולתלמידי כיתות א לילדי הגנים הברית על ידי קרן ספרים שנוסדה בארצות .www.splk.org .il :ינטרנט שלנו ,PJ Library ® בקרו באתר הא למידע נוסף
עוד על הספר
Percentage of total PJ Library books distributed by Sifriyat Pijama
Number of families in Tasmania since program’s inception
ַַק ָּבל ַַק ָּבל
קֹוּבר ֶ ַׁש ַחר:ים ּיּור ִ ִא
אֹורית ָרז ִ
Keren Grinspoon Israel, aka the Grinspoon Foundation Israel, has provided 23.5 million books — or nearly half of all PJ Library books — to more than 3.1 million children in schools since 2011 through its literacy program Sifriyat Pijama, which is Hebrew for PJ Library.
ת ַׁש ָּבת ַּבּיַ ַער
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Donor Support
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$93.57
10 8 6 4 2 0
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r be em 19 c De 20
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Quick geography quiz: Where’s Tasmania? (Honor system here.) Tasmania is an Australian island state south of the main island with about half a million people — and a handful of PJ Library families. The International Fund helps support programs like these and delivers Jewish stories into unexpected places — because every family matters. ALL STATISTIC S ARE C URRENT AS O F AP RI L 2022.
How has PJ Library managed to accomplish all of this — and much more — in 17 years? The support of its donors, of course! In 2021, 8,102 people of all ages and backgrounds helped PJ Library raise more than $1 million toward its $40 million operating budget with an average gift of $93.57. These donations and other generous gifts help advance PJ Library’s mission of free stories and programming to all, proving that every dollar makes a difference. PROOF
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Inside PJ Library’s Family Holiday Guides It takes many hands to build 80-page guides. We talk to contributor Lisa Rachlin about her role in creating content for Jewish holidays year-round. BY PJ L I B RA RY STA F F
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ore than four years ago, PJ Library began creating dynamic guidebooks intended to help families more easily and meaningfully celebrate Jewish holidays. The team creating these guides includes PJ Library staff, experts, and educators, but an invaluable perspective comes from contributors like Lisa Rachlin. Rachlin is a Boston-area attorney and PJ Library mom raising three Jewish children, although she was not raised Jewish herself. PROOF spoke with Rachlin about joining the family holiday guide creation team and her unique contributions.
Holiday guides content creator Lisa Rachlin shares her labor of love with one of her three children. COURTESY PH OTO
PJ Library: How did you discover PJ Library? Lisa Rachlin: I made the decision to become Jewish in my mid-20s after meeting my nowhusband. Shortly after having our first child, I heard rumors about an organization giving away free books to Jewish families. I initially assumed there was a catch, but I signed up for the program anyway and was pleasantly surprised when books started arriving every month. As new parents, we didn’t have a library of children’s books at home, let alone Jewish children’s books. As we explored how we wanted to “do Jewish” as a growing family, PJ Library became an important part of our journey. PJ Library: How did you come to help create PJ Library’s family holiday guides? LR: A friend of mine recruited me to join the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s Next Generation Advisory Board [which is comprised of young professionals who provide feedback to the senior leadership team on strategy and project ideas], hoping my perspective could enhance the group. The Next Gen team had already spearheaded the creation of PJ Library’s Passover Haggadah for families with younger children. Based on the strongly positive feedback the Haggadah received, PJ Library decided to pilot a family guide for the High Holidays. My immediate response was to volunteer to help with content creation. I loved the Haggadah’s playful imagery and its balance between accessibility and substance. My hope was to bring those same qualities to guides that would assist families in navigating other Jewish holidays.
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ILLUSTRATIONS BY SOPHIA VI N CENT G UY
PJ Library: Why are Jewish holiday guides important? LR: Holidays are a special and important part of Jewish practice. However, I often felt it was a struggle to create a meaningful holiday experience while juggling naps and meals and activities for kids of different ages. I felt strongly that parents needed accessible, child-friendly resources that also incorporated meaningful content for adults. Of course, there are lots of valuable online resources for the Jewish holidays, including ones on the PJ Library website. But for busy parents stretched thin, it is helpful to have a print resource with curated content that you can pull off the shelf and use to jump right into a guided family experience. PJ Library: What holidays did you focus on first? LR: The project started in early 2020 with a guide for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and it quickly took on more urgency as COVID hit. We expedited timelines and adjusted content as it became clear that many families would celebrate at home. In 2021, we expanded the guide to include Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Not as many families may celebrate these holidays, but they offer joyful kid-friendly experiences, and we wanted the guide to serve as a gateway for expanding practice. For example, if you are a family who typically goes to services on the High Holidays but aren’t sure how to celebrate Sukkot, we wanted to provide some ideas. PJ Library: Are there plans to expand? LR: At the end of last year, we began testing a family guide to the winter Jewish holidays (though we’re aware that for families in the Southern Hemisphere the seasons are reversed). Our hope is that families who celebrate Hanukkah will see the guide as an opportunity to explore Tu B’Shevat and Purim as well as the Ethiopian Jewish holiday of Sigd, which is not well-known outside of Israel. We are already looking toward opportunities to explore the holidays between Passover and the start of Rosh Hashanah. PJ Library: What challenges are you encountering in the creative process? LR: Many Jewish holidays have very mature themes: Yom Kippur is a day of atonement, and Purim deals with threats of annihilation. We chose to emphasize the key themes of each holiday, including how the ancient roots of
In August, PJ Library families will receive the High Holidays guide A Time to Grow in their mailboxes. Each section presents tips on preparing for the holidays and ideas for celebrating as a family.
holidays connect to our contemporary lives. For example, the High Holidays guide [now called A Time to Grow] features a reflection on how the holidays’ origins in the autumnal harvest season in the land of Israel echo the parental experience of raising children. Our amazing illustrator Sophia Vincent Guy and designer Zoe Pappenheimer have brought the same cast of illustrated characters from the Haggadah through all the subsequent guides. Readers see the same kids experiencing the joy and introspection of the Jewish holiday cycle with their families. PJ Library: How has working on the family holiday guides impacted you? LR: It has been an amazing growth opportunity. Nothing in my background (as a musician turned lawyer) prepared me for this type of project — other than being a busy parent! In September 2021, I also joined the board of trustees of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. I’ve really enjoyed exploring the Foundation’s larger mission and how its various programs, including PJ Library, support the Jewish community. My personal goal is to help promote meaningful experiences for parents who are interested in raising their children as Jews, regardless of their family structure, background, or observance level. If the holiday guides can serve as a useful tool to help parents fulfill their own goals for Jewish practice with their children, that’s a success. PROOF
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PJ Library Goes to Space PJ Library books have shown up in some unexpected places — a hut on the Appalachian Trail and islands in the Caribbean, to name a few — but a stay on the International Space Station tops the list.
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BY REB EC C A NORD QU IS T MA NAG ING EDI T OR
ission specialist Eytan Stibbe floats effortlessly into view on the screen. A blue children’s book spins in front of him. Behind him are cords plugged into every kind of device and outlet, and two yellowish lights illuminate the techy-looking area. Dressed in a navy polo and khakis, he’s completely upside down by the time he reaches his destination. Once upright, he introduces himself with a wave and says in Hebrew, “In just a moment, we’re going to read a book I really like called A Beautiful World.” A few days earlier on April 8, Stibbe boarded the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for a 20-hour-plus flight to the International Space Station, some 250 miles above Earth. This made Stibbe the second Israeli to venture into space, and he took A Beautiful World with him, making it the first PJ Library book in space.
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As a young boy, Eytan Stibbe dreamed of going to space. He realized that dream in April — and took a PJ Library book with him to the International Space Station. SCREENSH OT COURTESY OF TH E R AMON FOUNDATION
Stibbe — an Air Force fighter pilot turned businessman and philanthropist — and three other Axiom Mission 1 crew members were part of an inaugural all-private mission to the International Space Station. Their collective goal? Advance science, technology, art, and education through experiments and outreach. For Stibbe, reading to the children of Israel in both Hebrew and Arabic was a part of that. The idea for a storytime started with the Ramon Foundation, a foundation to which Stibbe has a personal connection. It was founded after Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon — his friend and former Air Force commander — died when the space shuttle Columbia broke apart just before landing in 2003. In part, the organization works to inspire a new generation of young Israelis through advanced programs in the fields of science, aviation, and space, including helping to send Stibbe to space.
FAST FACTS 8.27" 6.5"
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For A Beautiful World to fit into Eytan Stibbe’s luggage and meet NASA specifications, the book size was reduced by 20% to save on weight.
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During Stibbe’s 15-day stay on the International Space Station, he traveled around Earth approximately 240 times — or every 90 minutes — flying about 6.3 million miles in total.
Stibbe brought several meaningful items with him to space, including pages of the late Ilan Ramon’s journal that survived the space shuttle Columbia tragedy. In fact, he continued Ramon’s work of studying thunderstorms from space.
$55 Million
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When it needed a book for storytime, organizers called Keren Grinspoon Israel, which runs the classroom-based literacy programs Sifriyat Pijama (Hebrew for PJ Library) and Maktabat al-Fanoos (Arabic for Lantern Library). And A Beautiful World was an obvious choice for the event. Written by Yael Gover, illustrated by Paul Kor, and published by Kinneret Publishing, it tells the story of creation from Genesis, and the bright illustrations show Earth from an aerial perspective. It also helped that Hebrew- and Arabic-speaking children in Israel were already familiar with the book. In the 2018– 2019 school year, KGI distributed A Beautiful World to almost 200,000 children in partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Education, and leading up to the storytime, there were videos, games, and other activities available to children. “Storytime in space was especially meaningful to us because so many children across Israel could watch an astronaut reading a book from space and say, ‘That’s my book!’” said Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library’s parent organization. “We are excited that so many children got to share that proud Israeli moment in history more deeply with one of our books.” Three of those children belonged to Sara Chertoff. On April 17, they headed to a friend’s house in Jerusalem for a viewing party. The children, six in total, plopped on the couch and watched the prerecorded storytime on the projector screen. “They were so excited,” she said. “They couldn’t stop giggling, but once he started speaking, they were silent.” For Chertoff, the gravity of the event went far beyond its unique nature. Her children, especially her 8-year-old son who is fascinated with space, didn’t realize there were other Israeli astronauts besides Ramon. “To say that is an Israeli up in the International Space Station representing us and speaking Hebrew was really special,” said Chertoff, mother to 4-year-old twins as well. “To say, ‘Yeah, you guys could do this too,’ and to see the light in their eyes.” That light is exactly what Andrea Arbel, the executive director of Keren Grinspoon Israel, hoped this storytime would give children. She also hopes that reading PJ Library books — at home or in space — will continue to inspire children to dream. “If you have that love of getting lost in a good story,” she said, “that’s going to help ensure that you’re going to have that next generation of dreamers, visionaries, and educators.”
The estimated ticket price for a private trip to the International Space Station? $55 million.
WANT TO WATCH THE STORYTIME? Go to pjlibrary.org/storytime-in-space to see it on YouTube with English subtitles.
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How Am I Supposed to Explain This?
Unfortunately, that’s a common question Jewish parents ask themselves when it comes to acts of hate. Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was held hostage with members of his congregation in January, and other experts have some guidance.
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BY S A M B ORDEN
ix months ago, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker was just trying to stay alive. His synagogue had been breached. A man with a gun was shouting. Rabbi Charlie and a group of congregants were hostages. Yet even amid the fear of the 11-hour ordeal that unfolded outside Dallas back in January, Rabbi Charlie was still able to recognize, in that moment, that however everything ended, the trauma of the situation he was living through wouldn’t be limited to just the people in the room. It couldn’t. It was playing out right there on his computer screen. “Honestly, I thought of it while it was happening,” he said recently. “All the comments and people posting — there was no doubt that
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“What was happening to us was being felt and would be felt by so many Jews.” R ABBI CH ARL IE CYTRON-WAL KER
what was happening to us was being felt and would be felt by so many Jews.” In a quirk of pandemic-era worship, thousands of people began following the livestream of Congregation Beth Israel’s Shabbat service on that Saturday once news broke that a gunman had entered the synagogue, delivered an antisemitic screed, and demanded the release of an Islamic extremist from a nearby prison. And after Rabbi Charlie helped defuse the situation so he and the other hostages could escape unharmed, he was able to process the meaning of the online audience. He was able to realize that in addition to being incredibly supportive, it was also an acute affirmation of a truth that he and so many Jews are feeling more and more these days: in the ARTWORK BY ISTOCK .CO M /G DARTS
“How do I tell my children about the latest terrible thing that just happened? And how do I make them aware of rising antisemitism without making them scared of being Jewish?” hyperaware, news-at-your-fingertips world of the 21st century, the trickle-down effects of antisemitism have never been stronger. Now, the ramifications of that trickle-down are certainly universal. But even beyond the personal anxieties it inspires in people of all ages, there is also a very specific set of issues it presents for young Jewish families — a reality that Rabbi Charlie and others talked about in a recent PJ Library Conversations, a series of virtual discussions for donors. Among the issues they talked about were the two questions that Jewish parents in the digital age find themselves confronting over and over: How do I tell my children about the latest terrible thing that just happened? And how do I make them aware of rising antisemitism without making them scared of being Jewish? SO MANY SYNAGOGUES in the United States have a similar feature in 2022: police on the property. And while most congregants appreciate the commitment to tangible safety and security measures, those measures also come with a new set of concerns for parents. The presence of police and openness about escape plans or active-shooter responses may reduce worries about physical harm, but there is a psychological cost, especially in children, that comes with it. Will seeing officers with guns outside their synagogue change the way kids feel about being Jewish? Will it make them think their religion is unsafe? Or dangerous? And what about when they hear about how someone was harmed because they wore a yarmulke or kept kosher or lit candles? “Antisemitism is a defining experience,” said Ilana Garber, who spent 15 years as the assistant rabbi at Beth El Temple in West Hartford, Connecticut, and now is the director of global rabbinic development at the Rabbinical Assembly. She also has two boys. “The question parents have to answer is,
This summer Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker will become rabbi of Temple Emanuel (pictured here) in North Carolina. COURTESY PH OTO
What else is defining?” she continued. “How big or how small do we make that particular piece?” It is easy, Garber added, to come at Jewish identity from a place of caution or fear or guilt. So many Generation X and Generation Y Jews in the United States, in particular, were raised in homes where that type of attitude proliferated. A focus on the negative history — or the possibility that such negative history might repeat itself — framed being Jewish in a light that was more about victimhood than celebration or even faith. For many parents of young children now, though, that isn’t the headspace in which they want their children to live. And so there are questions about how, exactly, to position Judaism in the context of something brighter. Something more enriching. Something that flows from a place of warmth as opposed to a history of persecution or pain, even while acknowledging there will continue to be excruciating moments. As Garber said, “I don’t believe in a Judaism that comes out of the Holocaust just like I don’t believe in an America that comes out of 9/11.” Rabbi Charlie feels the same. He understands the place parents are coming from when they say they are troubled about raising their children in a world of rising antisemitism. But the best thing those parents can do, he said, is to revise the question. “I think parents
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“When there’s a strong identity, it makes it much, much easier to cope. So the question for parents is, What are we doing to give our kids that foundation of identity?” are always going to have to talk to their kids about the fact that not everyone likes them. But antisemitism is so much easier to deal with when there’s a strong sense of self. When there’s a strong identity, it makes it much, much easier to cope,” Rabbi Charlie said. “So the question for parents is, What are we doing to give our kids that foundation of identity?” NOT SURPRISINGLY, the antisemitic incidents that get the most attention in the United States are the most violent ones, the ones where people (and synagogues) are under direct physical attack. This isn’t unusual; violence is often the focus of the news media. But the truth is, the vast majority of Jews will never be involved in anything quite so harrowing. They’ll likely never even be close to something like that. Because, for most people most of the time, antisemitic incidents are far more subtle. More personal. More emotional. Rabbi Charlie recalled an incident in Texas where middle schoolers took cans of Axe body spray, spritzed them in the air toward a Jewish classmate, and shouted, “Let’s gas the Jew!” Garber remembered an episode at a local high school where a student found a swastika made from classroom materials on her desk. These kinds of aggressions are everywhere. The scars for those incidents are internal but linger all the same. And that is why building a foundation of Jewish pride is so critical for kids, Rabbi Charlie said. Making Shabbat a part of the family’s weekly routine — and lighting the candles even if guests are visiting — can be a critical brick in that build. Celebrating holidays or going to community events or making matzah balls do the same. “This is how we do the mitzvah of teaching our children,” he said. But parents should know that not all the construction is so direct. Reaching children on their own terms is valuable too. During the PJ Library Conversations discussion, Rabbi Charlie was joined by Jeff Finkelstein, president 18
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“By giving families the tools to celebrate Jewish life and access Jewish community, we are also giving them paths for approaching crisis.” CATRIEL L A FREEDMAN
and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and Catriella Freedman, PJ Library’s director of author and illustrator stewardship. Freedman was emphatic in highlighting the value that stories can have in helping children feel proud of their religion. “We’ve really made an effort at PJ Library to make sure that kids are seeing themselves,” she said, “no matter what background and culture and Jewish community they’re coming from.” In a separate interview, Freedman said it doesn’t matter whether the subject matter is specifically Jewish. The key is that the child makes a connection between what they’re reading and themselves; once that happens, the sentiment behind the text will stick. “As kids get older, books become a way for them to role-play,” she said. “They identify with protagonists; they identify with characters. It becomes a natural outgrowth. “Essentially, PJ Library’s impact goes beyond the physical pages of a book. It’s really about building positive identity. By giving families the tools to celebrate Jewish life and access Jewish community, we are also giving them paths for approaching crisis. When people feel comfortable and feel like they have a sense of joy that comes with Jewish identity, then when something difficult happens, they feel like they have a way to respond.” One PJ Library book that Rabbi Charlie always thinks about fondly is The Only One Club, a story about a girl who is the only Jew in her first-grade class. Rabbi Charlie grew up in Lansing, Michigan, where he was “the only Jew in my school other than my siblings,” so the book resonated with his personal history. Learning to be comfortable in those kinds of situations takes work, he said, and similar circumstances are common for kids growing up outside of traditionally Jewish-heavy population areas. “Especially in smaller areas, it’s really important to have that sense of Jewish identity because when you have that sense of self it makes the idea of dealing with the difficulties easier,” Rabbi Charlie said. “We know bad things are going to happen at some point in life. So it’s about building up that ability to deal with it.” IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS after the 2018 tragedy at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed, Finkelstein was surrounded by grief. He went to funerals. He went to shivas. He checked in
on survivors and their family members. It was, as he said, simply brutal. But one of the things that makes Finkelstein proud when he thinks about that time is what happened on Monday, two days after the attack. “We were really focusing on showing resilience in the community — we wanted Jews showing up for Jewish life. We didn’t want Jews to be scared,” he said. “And on Monday morning, the JCC preschool — just a few blocks away — was full. All but one family showed up that morning, even though the FBI was working out of that building. It didn’t matter. They were part of the community, and they were going to go to school.” That togetherness, obviously, is especially meaningful in the aftermath of a traumatic event, when people are desperate for the support that can only come with shared emotion. But for young Jews, a feeling of community is imperative, too, in everyday life. Children want to belong, want to fit in, want to feel like they are a part of a bigger entity than As the president just themselves. live our values. Living our values is one of the and CEO of Creating and nurturing a Jewish identity, most important things we can do. If we value the Jewish then, must also include the development of an Jewish community, then we have to make it Federation attachment to something larger. “So much of part of our life,” he said. of Greater our identity comes from the community around If parents do that, he continued, it will Pittsburgh, Jeff Finkelstein us,” Garber said. “As adults, we know that, seep down. It will be accepted by their kids. played a large role It will make a difference in how they feel about right? And kids are the same way. It doesn’t in comforting have to be dramatic. Knowing that someone themselves and their religion. It will matter. the community else is reading those books that they’re reading Parents can’t control who says something after the Tree of or going to the same events they’re going to — rude or hateful. And they can’t control who Life tragedy that makes a huge difference. Even if it’s just wants to hurt someone or scare someone. in 2018. PH OTO BY one or two other people, it matters.” What they can control is what they feel JOSHUA FR ANZOS Engaging with the Jewish community is a pride in. And how they model a commitment choice that almost always falls on the parents. to being a meaningful companion. And the larger point Garber made is that while When asked what he would say to a child it absolutely matters if one is active in the who wanted to understand antisemitism, community after a tragedy or other dramatic Rabbi Charlie paused for a moment. event, the work of growing a budding Jewish “I would say to that child that unfortunately identity in your child almost surely comes there are people who don’t like other people through something more mundane, for lots of different reasons,” he said finally. “something regular.” “And that I can’t answer why that is.” Yes, of course, lean on the community when He smiled. “But I can tell you that because emotion demands it, she said. But the weekthat does happen, that’s why we need a really to-week routine, the monthly gatherings, the wonderful and diverse group of people who consistent interactions that feel like love us and support us. That’s why we they’re just part of life are the ones need to be proud of who we are.” FOR MORE INSIGHT from that will resonate. Those are the ones Rabbi Charlie and the other that will serve a child best if and Sam Borden is an award-winning panelists, watch PJ Conversations: when being Jewish doesn’t feel senior writer for ESPN and a former Inspiring Our Jewish Future so easy. reporter at The New York Times. in the Climate of Antisemitism on pjlibrary.org/ourjewishfuture. Rabbi Charlie shares that He’s also a PJ Library dad of two sentiment. “That is what it means to girls, Riley and Hannah. PROOF
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The Power of a Community PJ Library doesn’t happen on its own. These are the stories of three people in Greater New Haven who help make the magic happen. Kayla Bisbee: PJ Library program professional, Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven
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f you had told me that I would be Jewish, married, and raising a daughter in the Jewish community of New Haven, Connecticut, by my 30s, I would have thought you had lost your mind. And yet, here I am, and I could not be happier. I grew up as a Southern Baptist kid in Texas. When I met my husband at a Christian college, we quickly wed and planned to devote our lives to Bible translation and church planting in Papua New Guinea. As he studied Greek and we both studied Hebrew, we started to ask a lot of hard questions. I still remember sitting in a bamboo hut in the rain forest as we discussed what it meant to no longer believe in what we were doing and what it would look like if we abandoned a belief system that we held on to so tightly. Ultimately, we left our mission organization and determined that further education would be the next step. My husband was accepted into a university in Dallas. One day, a visiting Orthodox rabbi was
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Part of Kayla Bisbee’s role in the Greater New Haven community is connecting PJ Library parents to each other. COURTESY PH OTO
New Haven, Connecticut
available for Q&A at the university. My husband mentioned he was Jewish by birth but was not raised in the religion. They began regularly meeting over Skype, and through these meetings my husband discovered he had many relatives in the Orthodox community, primarily in New Jersey and Israel. We also got connected with the local Orthodox community. I’ll never forget sitting at the rabbi’s table for Shabbat, watching him bless his children and experiencing the warmth and love. I immediately felt at home with Judaism. Fast-forward through many Shabbats and many questions asked. My husband was accepted to a master’s program in religious studies at Yale University, and we were off to Connecticut. Our rabbi from Dallas helped us get connected, and once I had my sponsoring rabbi, I began the process of an Orthodox conversion to Judaism. After spending a month in Israel, we finally had our Jewish wedding on the week of our 10th anniversary. That same month, I began working for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. It wasn’t long before we welcomed our daughter, Naomi Hadassah. PJ Library immediately became a wealth of information and connection for me in my new journey of raising a Jewish daughter. I soon transitioned into the role of family outreach coordinator and officially became a PJ Library program professional. Nothing could offer more job satisfaction than having the platform to connect with other families with diverse stories and backgrounds. I have enjoyed playing matchmaker for new parents looking for connection in their community. More than anything, I am grateful for the gift of Jewish children’s books from PJ Library and the gift of inclusivity and welcoming, lowbarrier Jewish education that always has a bit of surprise and delight along the way.
Heidi Hurwitz: PJ Library donor
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y husband Norman z”l and I enjoyed celebrating the Jewish holidays and creating family traditions. It was a way to share our Jewish heritage and customs. I continue to support PJ Library because it makes Judaism accessible and helps families create their own warm memories. I like that the program gives young families the ability to learn about Jewish customs through the free books, and they can participate in programs such as listening to podcasts or attending online Havdalah events. PJ Library is wonderful for adults, too, and creates opportunities for conversation about living Jewishly. I am proud to be involved with a program that helps families “do Jewish” and contributes to a vibrant Jewish future. L’dor vador, from one generation to another.
Heidi Hurwitz, pictured with her late husband, Norman, gives to PJ Library to support the next generation. CO URTESY P H OTO
“I am proud to be involved with a program that helps families ‘do Jewish’ and contributes to a vibrant Jewish future.” H EIDI HURWIT Z
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PJ LIBRARY COMMUNITY? Contact your local organization, email give@hgf.org to learn more, or go to pjlibrary.org/donate to make a gift today.
Judy Alperin: CEO, Jewish Federation, Foundation and JCC of Greater New Haven
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remember when I was just starting my family and thinking about how kids don’t come into this world with an instruction manual. How was I supposed to know how to raise them and keep them safe, healthy, and educated? How would I bring them up with a strong Jewish identity? Unfortunately for my children — and me — PJ Library did not yet exist. Among my peers, those fortunate to come from strongly identified Jewish backgrounds found pathways to Jewish life, but those who did not often drifted away. With the greatest appreciation to PJ Library, today’s lived experience is infinitely better. PJ Library brings the joy of Judaism to families raising Jewish kids. It provides an opportunity for the whole family to see the world through a Jewish lens based upon Jewish values. The books and materials benefit everyone. The monthly packages from PJ Library are
Judy Alperin says PJ Library provides a road map on how to be Jewish. COURTESY PH OTO
amazing, and their impact is elevated in combination with meaningful programming, support, and connection on the local level. Greater New Haven in Connecticut has benefited from PJ Library since its inception in 2005, and the level of engagement we are enjoying today is unparalleled. For the community, PJ Library is a trusted and identifiable brand that opens the possibilities of collaboration and partnership with congregations and groups. PJ Library is a tangible and relatable investment of community philanthropy in action. We could not be happier to be part of the PJ Library family and look forward to much continued growth and success. PROOF
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DONOR
Spotlight
Meet a few of the people who make PJ Library possible. Our family has always been deeply involved with the Jewish community. Our family learned about PJ Library from the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, and we found that the program connected our passions of supporting both the Jewish community and education. We knew of the local PJ Library program but didn’t realize how global it was. We ultimately decided to make a lead gift to endow PJ Library in Houston. It’s a legacy that would make our grandfather proud. Tracy Northington, Granddaughter of Morris Glesby From left: Nancy Glesby, William Northington, Charlotte Northington, Tracy Northington, Gary Glesby, and Lauren Mahan. COURTESY PH OTO
Nearly 30 years ago, I married the love of my life, Jerry Spitz. We united our two families and our five children. Jerry and I shared similar views on Jewish family life, Jewish community, and philanthropy. Our kids? Not so much. When Jerry was diagnosed with a terminal illness, we started planning for our family’s future. We knew our legacy was instilling Jewish philanthropy into the hearts of our children, and we started the Spitz Tuchman Charitable Trust. Our children were designated as advisers. 22
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Trustees of the Spitz Tuchman Charitable Trust (from left): Warren Spitz, Jillian Tuchman, Erica Tuchman, Danielle Spitz Kolojay, Maren Spitz Kohl, and Lauren Spitz. PH OTO BY ROBERTO FALCK PH OTOGR APHY
I soon learned about PJ Library and wanted to enroll my grandchildren in Denver, but PJ Library was not yet there. I had the books sent to my home in Connecticut and then forwarded them to Denver. The grandkids, their mother — Danielle — and I all loved the books. The following year when it was time to decide on which gifts to give from our trust, Danielle made a great case for helping to start PJ Library in Denver. We offered Denver seed money in 2012, which inspired its bigger fundraising efforts. Danielle attended the kickoff luncheon where PJ Library founder Harold Grinspoon spoke with passion. Danielle got it. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and since then our family has been passionate about funding PJ Library in our local communities. This past year, I watched PJ Library expand globally at a breakneck speed. When we were asked to be founding donors of the PJ Library International Fund, we were all on board. This initiative provides a feeling of belonging to a larger family and of being a part of the worldwide community of Jews. If there is a pen-pal component, count us in! Lauren Spitz, Spitz Tuchman Charitable Trust
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BY W I NNI E SA N DLE R G RIN S PO ON P RE S I DEN T, H A ROL D G RINS PO ON F OUN DAT ION
t was only three years ago that PJ Library launched a program in Ukraine, bringing high-quality Jewish children’s books to more than 3,200 children. Many Jews share history in that region — the former Pale of Settlement, a swath of territory with ever-changing boundaries across eastern Europe. That part of the world has long had fast-changing geopolitics, and that has never been truer than it is now. It is difficult to hear about how this war has affected so many people. I personally find it comforting to know that within the chaos, some things remain constant. One of those things is the PJ Library community. I have watched it unite all around the world and put Jewish values into action. I am inspired to see how PJ Library connects families to Jewish communities, no matter where they live — and to see how powerful and deep those connections truly are. These are just a few stories from around the world that have moved me, and I wanted to share them with you. As PJ Library Ukraine director Yevgeniya Ponomarenko and her family, including three young children, fled to Denmark in February, they needed a place to stay along the way. Our PJ Library team in Germany placed them with a Russian-speaking family in Hamburg for a couple of nights. As of press time, our other two colleagues in Ukraine, Olga Tsyporukha and Olga Bard, have found safety as well in Israel and Ukraine, respectively. Fifteen-year-old Trevor Ostfeld, a former PJ Library subscriber who descends from Ukrainian Jews, and his dad, Scott, spent spring break in Poland and Ukraine with members of their synagogue from Closter, New Jersey. As a group, they delivered more than 9,000 pounds
The start of PJ Library in Ukraine in 2019. From left: Yevgeniya Ponomarenko, Tamar Remz, Olga Bard, Alex Zablotsky, and Winnie Sandler Grinspoon. COURTESY OF AL EX ZABLOTSKY
“I am inspired to see how PJ Library connects families to Jewish communities, no matter where they live — and to see how powerful and deep those connections truly are.”
of humanitarian supplies to refugees. Olena Kushnir, a PJ Library parent connector in Brooklyn, New York, galvanized her local community to find ways to help Ukrainians relocate — including her mom and brother, who are now safe. The tight-knit group also supported one another and collected medical supplies for hospitals in Ukraine. When holidays were interrupted, Elena Boguslavsky, a PJ Library coordinator in Montreal, and the Federation CJA organized a virtual Purim program for children in Ukraine. The Jewish Agency for Israel — one of our partners — and Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration hosted Passover seders in Israel for refugees, and families received the PJ Library Haggadah. JAFI also provided Haggadahs for refugees in Poland, Romania, and Hungary. There is a long road ahead for the Jewish community and many others in that region, but continuing to come together — just like the acts of kindness above — spreads hope and unites us in our shared desire for peace. For our part, we will continue to seek out ways to support Jewish families from Ukraine as they navigate an uncertain future. After all, we’re connected in many ways. Thank you to the PJ Library community for showing up and helping those affected by the human tragedy in Ukraine. Every effort, big or small, makes a difference to someone. PROOF
J ULY 2022
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