PROOF
PJ Library alums
reach adulthood
on page 8
Celebrating four international PJ Library birthdays p. 12
Jewish grandparenting with PJ Library p. 20
Community, identity, and resilience in Sydney p. 18
PROOF
Summer 2026 | Volume 12, Issue 21
Founder Harold Grinspoon
President Winnie Sandler Grinspoon
Chief Operating Officer Adrian Dion
Executive Director Alex Zablotsky
Chief Philanthropy Officer Lara Knuettel
Deputy Director of Advancement
Shelley Friel
Managing Editor Rachel Zaimont
Graphic Designer Allison Biggs
Contributing Editors
Marketing Project Lead Beth Honeyman
Creative Director Danny Paller
Contributing Writers
Naomi Barnett, Maya Farfel, Jessica McCormick, Rachel Moloshok, Saskia Swenson Moss, Lauren Panzano, Naomi Pfefferman, Margaret Piraino, Naomi Shulman, Netanya Thompson, Alli Thresher, Faye Wolfe
Operations Support
Director of Data Management
Adrianne Levine
Senior Manager of Print Production & Distribution Renée Zborowski
Web Marketing Manager Rory Hurlburt
Stewardship Coordinator Jessica Kaleta
Project Manager, Advancement & Finance
Jessica Fernandez
Advancement Assistant Robert Davies
Web Operations Associate Xavier Hillman
PROOF subscriptions: development@hgf.org
Questions about PJ Library: pjlibrary@hgf.org
Have a story idea? proof@hgf.org
Cover credit: Courtesy of Tovar Stein
Copyright © 2026 Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
THE Foreword
When PJ Library launched in 2005, Harold Grinspoon’s vision was straightforward — to get Jewish books into the hands of more children and help families celebrate the joy of Jewish life. But building a program reaching Jewish families around the world would take more than a single committed founder — it would take a community of people who believe that the stories children grow up with help shape who they become.
That is one of the topics we explore in this issue of PROOF magazine: How does PJ Library impact the children who participate? Does the joy of reading Jewish stories keep kids connected to Jewish life as they grow up? Everyone I’ve spoken to agrees that beautiful Jewish books are “nice to have,” but we’ve always known PJ Library also has significant long-term potential to affect Jewish identity, pride, and resilience. And on pages 8-10, we’re pleased to share evidence. I hope you enjoy meeting four incredible PJ Library alums who are now living inspired and engaged Jewish lives as young adults. And I invite you to reach out and tell us about the PJ Library alums in your life! We would be thrilled to hear their stories.
In this issue, you’ll also meet some of the dedicated PJ Library supporters who believe in Harold’s mission and invest in families around the world. Beginning on page 11, you’ll find a collection of five profiles in which donors share how their own values and life experiences led them to their decision to support PJ Library. What unites them is a shared belief in the power of stories to help future generations of Jewish children find confidence and strength in who they are.
I hope the stories in these pages stay with you — from the generous donors who enable PJ Library to spark precious Jewish moments to the inspiring young adults who have grown up fortified by those early memories and are now ready to take on the world.
Thank you for your partnership and commitment to a bright Jewish future.
Lara Knuettel Chief Philanthropy Officer PJ Library
From Childhood to Campus and Beyond
The first generation of children who received PJ Library books are now entering young adulthood. Meet four alums and learn about PJ Library’s lasting impact.
Magic in the Mailbox
PJ Publishing celebrates two lyrical new books and their creators.
Milestone Birthdays
PJ Library programs around the world are celebrating years of books — and impact.
New York Innovation
PJ Library is piloting creative ways to reach families in metro New York.
Community and Resilience in Sydney
A Q&A with Alain Hasson, CEO of Jewish Communal Appeal (JCA).
Grandparenting with PJ Library
Jewish grandparents play a unique and meaningful role in their families. PJ Library can help.
LETTERS TO THE Editor
“My family has been signed up for PJ Library since our daughter was born, and we’ve loved receiving books every month. Mara literally jumps for joy when the blue-andwhite envelope comes peeking out from the mailbox. Over the last eight years, you’ve been with us and have become a staple of our semicharmed, semi-Jewish life. (My dad was Jewish, my wife is not, and our kid loves Judaism!)
During this past winter break, we did some downsizing and decluttering. Eventually, we reached our 8-year-old’s bookshelf.
We did a strict book purge: We would grab a stack of books off the shelf, show them to the kid, get the verdict, move on. The very first PJ Library book to show up in the stack was A Basket Full of Figs
Mara’s response was immediate: “If it says ‘PJ Library,’ it’s a keeper!”
Some of the PJ Library books were already “keepers” by my estimation, especially Emma’s Poem and the beautiful Never Too Quiet, but I was pleasantly shocked by how attached to these books our child has become.
I want to thank you for what you’ve done for my family. I have been trying to celebrate the holidays properly since my father passed in 2020. This past Hanukkah, for the first time, my daughter wanted to say the blessings, and she asked me how to learn the Hebrew.
We will continue to read the books you send and will be grateful for them.
Donor Spotlight
Get to know PJ Library supporters and why they give on pages 11, 14, 15, 17, and 22.
The Newsfeed
A quick take on what’s happening at PJ Library.
Parting Thoughts
A note from Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
Take care,
Jonathan S., Suffern, New York
*We want to hear from you! Send your thoughts, questions, and opinions on the articles in PROOF (and PJ Library in general!) to proof@hgf.org.
THE Newsfeed
There’s
always plenty going on at
PJ Library. Here’s a quick roundup of the latest news and events.
BY PJ LIBRARY STAFF
PJ Library’s First Jewish Children’s Book Festival
MORE THAN 2,000 CHILDREN, PARENTS, AND GRANDPARENTS packed New York City’s 92nd Street Y (92NY) in January for PJ Library’s first-ever Jewish Children’s Book Festival. With support from UJA-Federation of New York and 92NY, PJ Library’s New York team welcomed families for a day of Jewish stories, culture, and creativity, featuring workshops and readalouds with PJ Library authors, upbeat musical performances by Grammy Award winner Joanie Leeds, and hands-on art activities.
Families explored a vibrant book shuk (market), where they had the opportunity to browse books reflecting the diversity of Jewish life and identity; attendees took home more than 8,000 books. Parents and grandparents also enjoyed the chance to discover books for themselves, thanks to the generosity of the Jewish Book Council.
“This event was a love letter to the PJ Library community in New York,” says Meara Ashtivker, director of PJ Library in New York. “We are helping families find time to be together to delight in the joy of Jewish books.”
—By
Rachel Zaimont
Holiday Guides at the Right Time
PJ Library welcomed New York City families for the first Jewish Children’s Book Festival, featuring music, workshops, and beautiful books to browse.
Starting in August, PJ Library will roll out a novel way of delivering our full suite of family holiday guides — including the new A Time to Gather and A Palace in Time — so that each family receives the right guide at the right time for their oldest child’s age and stage.
A family whose oldest child is 5, for example, may receive Passover resources by mail in March, including PJ Library’s spring holidays guide, A Time to Gather. The guide takes families on a joyful journey from Passover through Shavuot, featuring stories, recipes, and family challenges. A Palace in Time, to be distributed to families whose oldest child is 3, is an immersive, interactive exploration of Shabbat that helps families craft their own weekly practices.
“These guides give families a curated path for Jewish growth — one that meets them where they are, year after year,” says Jessica McCormick, PJ Library’s director of family experience. “We’re proud to offer so many ways for each family to shape their own unique Jewish experience.”
—By Danny Paller
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION
A Friend in Israeli Classrooms
Keren Grinspoon Israel (KGI) organized a profound response for Israeli families after October 7; the team donated thousands of books, delivered activity kits to families in shelters, and hosted online story-hour programs children could access anywhere. But the team also began planning beyond families’ immediate needs. What more could they do to help young children struggling with the long-term — and repeated — impacts of war?
One answer? The Pijama Doll (a nod to Sifriyat Pijama, Hebrew for PJ Library). Recognizing that teachers’ roles are more complex in times of war, KGI designed a classroom doll that teachers could use to address difficult topics with children. The doll debuted in 3,000 kindergarten classrooms in 2025, and teachers also received educational prompts to help children see the doll as a form of emotional support.
“Our goal is to provide a warm new space where young children can feel safe,” says Andrea Arbel, KGI’s executive director. “The doll is a friend they can hug when they need a hug, a friend to whom they can whisper their inner feelings with no questions asked. If we help one child feel more secure, then we made a whole world feel better.”
—By Rachel Zaimont
Celebrating 2 Million PJ Our Way Books
PJ Our Way marked a major milestone this past January: The PJ Library program for tweens ages 9-12 mailed its 2 millionth book! Since 2016, PJ Our Way has encouraged middle-grade readers to choose their own monthly book from a set of curated titles and engaged participants with kid-generated book reviews, videos, and polls. One lucky subscriber in Philadelphia received the 2 millionth book: a copy of Pickled Watermelon by Esty Schachter.
“It’s incredible to think about 2 million Jewish middle-grade books in homes across the US and Canada,” says Jamie Light, deputy director of PJ Library. “I am thrilled that we have been able to engage so many middle graders through PJ Our Way.”
—By Naomi Barnett
PJ Library Podcasts Hit 2 Million Downloads
In 2019, PJ Library created a first-of-its-kind podcast, Have I Got a Story for You! The award-winning show featured contemporary retellings of classic Jewish stories and inspired us to create PJ Library Presents, an entire network of podcasts rooted in Jewish tradition, history, and culture. Our flagship shows, Beyond the Bookcase and Afternoons with Mimi, have racked up honors, award nominations, and notes of appreciation like this one from the Gillette-Scharf family: “Our whole family loves the show. We’ve listened all the way through multiple times.”
In April, PJ Library podcasts surpassed 2 million downloads! That’s 2 million moments of original Jewish storytelling shared by families around the world. Production is now underway for Season 6 of both Beyond the Bookcase and Afternoons with Mimi. To learn more and to listen, visit pjlibrary.org/podcast
—By Alli Thresher
You make all this and more possible for Jewish families. Visit pjlibrary.org/proofgift or scan the QR code to make a gift.
The team designed versions of the doll for Israeli Jewish and Israeli Arab classrooms. PHOTO COURTESY OF KEREN GRINSPOON ISRAEL
Magic in the Mailbox
PJ Publishing celebrates an enchanting new board book — and the author and illustrator stewardship programs that made it possible.
BY NAOMI SHULMAN, MANAGING EDITOR OF PJ PUBLISHING
It takes a lot of exceptional books to surprise and delight children and families month after month. And where do exceptional books come from? From inspired authors and illustrators. That’s why PJ Library invests in stewarding a talented and diverse network of content creators and brings their beautiful Jewish stories to life through our in-house publishing imprint, PJ Publishing. This summer, we’re delighted to share a special PJ Publishing title with families of 1-year-olds: Bless the World, written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Noa Mishkin. This lyrical board book celebrates small everyday moments as a family moves through their day from morning to night, appreciating each other and the world around them. And the story behind the story is just as charming: Both the author and illustrator drew creative inspiration from PJ Library’s stewardship programs. I sat down with Lesléa and Noa recently to chat about this project and their experiences with PJ Library.
Naomi Shulman: Let’s start at the beginning. Lesléa, PJ Library has sent out so many of your books. Can you tell us a bit about your experience with PJ Library author stewardship programming?
Lesléa Newman: I was at the very first PJ Library meeting back in 2005 when Harold Grinspoon announced that he wanted to send Jewish children’s books, free of charge, to families. Only Harold could come up with this wild idea and bring it to fruition beyond our wildest dreams! Since
“If you want stories that touch on what it means to be a Jew ... you have to invest in the people who make that work. I see PJ Library doing that.”
NOA MISHKIN
Lesléa Newman has authored over a dozen books PJ Library has sent to families.
PHOTO BY MARY VAZQUEZ
then, I’ve been to Tent: Children’s Literature [an author retreat PJ Library sponsored in 2017], traveled to Israel on PJ Library’s first Author Israel Adventure, and taught at Picture Book Summer Camp [an annual PJ Library retreat held at the Boyds Mills campus in Pennsylvania]. I’ve made lifelong friends and written books that came directly from those experiences. Most of all, my work has landed in the hands of thousands of children, which gives me such joy.
NS: It gives us joy too! Tell us a bit about the genesis of this particular manuscript.
LN: Bless the World was born during Picture Book Summer Camp in 2024. I was with a wonderful cohort of Jewish children’s book creators during a full moon — always a great time to be creative! There was a very dramatic thunderstorm that night. We all rushed outdoors when it was over, and the moon filled me with awe. It made me think about blessings and how all the world is a blessing.
bless the rainbow in our yard.
Bless the rain that falls down hard, Bless that falls down
the rainbow in our
NS: Noa, when I first read Lesléa’s manuscript, your work immediately came to mind. Do you recall when I shared it with you?
Noa Mishkin: Yes! You and I had met through the PJ Library Illustrator and Visual Storyteller Fellowship in 2024, when I was working on a book with similar themes. I was happy when you reached out. I had never done a board book for such young readers and was excited to simplify these big themes for a younger audience.
NS: After you both signed your contracts to work on this project, I arranged for the three of us to meet via Zoom.
NM: I’d requested that because I’m just at the beginning of my career and I wanted to do something more collaborative. What I remember most was when I suggested that since I’m in Israel, maybe we could take this book in an Israeli direction. I wasn’t sure how an American author would respond to that but, Lesléa, you were so enthusiastic about it! It gave me so much confidence. My neighborhood in Jerusalem overlooks the Old City, and the very first view I see when I walk each morning is the Dome of the Rock. It’s a big, political, sensitive image, but it’s also just my neighborhood. The fact that I can place that in a picture book as a fact of everyday life makes PJ Publishing very special.
LN: You know, having a conversation with the illustrator is just not done in mainstream children’s publishing, but to talk to you was such a gift. When you asked me how it would feel to have this book set in Jerusalem, I started to cry. That this simple poem could be set in Israel is so meaningful to me. With everything happening in the world, this is a small, but not so small, thing to offer children. And the illustrations are beautiful.
NM: I want to thank PJ Library for investing not only in authors but also in illustrators. If you want stories that really touch on what it means to be a Jew, you have to get into the specifics of people’s experiences, and you can do that with good illustrations. In order to see yourself in these books and learn about how others live, in a real, honest way, you have to invest in
PHOTO BY DANIEL HANOCH
the lives of people who make that work. I see PJ Library doing that in all sorts of ways.
LN: Yes. I also want to reiterate my gratitude to PJ Library and to shine a light on Harold’s generosity — and the generosity of all PJ Library supporters. I’m so excited about Bless the World. I’m excited to see PJ Publishing grow. And I’m excited to see more and more wonderful books as a result.
A BRIGHT LEGACY
BY RACHEL MOLOSHOK, MANAGER OF INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS
In June of 2024, the PJ Publishing team was thrilled to extend an offer to author-illustrator Amalia Hoffman to publish her latest manuscript, Welcome Moon, a picture book about the monthly Jewish new moon celebration of Rosh Chodesh.
As with her previous PJ Publishing books, My Hands Make the World and First Fruits, Amalia had paired gorgeous handmade art with child-friendly language to explore surprisingly abstract concepts: the waxing and waning of the moon and the connection between natural cycles and the Jewish experience. Sadly, days after she accepted our offer, we received the news that Amalia had passed away.
Amalia’s son, Jonathan Hoffman, worked closely with PJ Publishing’s staff to maintain his mother’s artistic and authorial vision. It is PJ Library’s great privilege and honor to publish Amalia’s final book and share it with families of 3-year-olds this summer.
A few days later, the animals looked at the moon again Now the moon looks like my round bright eyes ” Owl said
Illustrator Noa Mishkin set Bless the World in Jerusalem.
From Childhood to Campus and Beyond
They grew up with
PJ
Library. Now they’re entering young adulthood. Four alums speak about PJ Library’s lasting impact.
BY RACHEL ZAIMONT, MANAGING EDITOR
PJ Library helps families raise confident, resilient Jewish children who are connected to their Jewish identity, traditions, and values. But what happens when kids grow up? Does the PJ Library experience stay with them? Do the memories matter?
Founded in 2005, PJ Library has entered young adulthood — and so has the first generation of children who received books when they were young. We sat down with several alums and learned something gratifying: PJ Library has shaped them in profound ways. For them, PJ Library remains a point of
connection among peer groups. It serves as a stepping stone to future Jewish decisions. It strengthens them as they navigate new social worlds amid challenging times. They may not receive books in the mail anymore, but the lessons inside left their mark.
Read on to meet four members of the first PJ Library generation — a generation leading involved, engaged, proudly Jewish lives.
Tovar Stein
(L-R) Tovar Stein volunteered in Israel after October 7; Jordana Goldstein bonded with peers over PJ Library books; Hannah Plotkin teaches Torah study to women.
PHOTO S COURTESY OF TOVAR STEIN, JORDANA GOLDSTEIN, AND HANNAH PLOTKIN
Growing up in the Washington, D.C., area, Tovar Stein eagerly awaited his new PJ Library book each month. So when he moved to Singapore with his family during high school and his mother volunteered to coordinate PJ Library for their new community, Tovar took pride in helping deliver books to young children. He also used the books as teaching tools for second and third graders at the local religious school, relishing the chance to share the same experience with them that had brought him so much joy.
“I remembered how PJ Library impacted me as a kid. It normalized my Jewish upbringing. Reading the books, they were always about people like me,” Tovar recalls. “Getting to read kids PJ Library books at the Sunday school was really special to me. The Jewish community in Singapore is pretty small,
and I wanted the kids to be able to have the same experience that I did.”
Since then, Tovar’s connection to Jewish life has only grown stronger — and has changed his life in ways he didn’t expect.
After high school, Tovar embarked on an immersive gap-year program in Israel. But six weeks into the program, everything changed when he awoke to sirens the day of the October 7 attacks. Rather than return home, Tovar realized he could make a difference as a volunteer. “I volunteered to pick tomatoes and olives on a farm, sort goods at a food bank, and later spent almost a month in a hotel kitchen as a sous chef,” cooking for Israelis displaced from their homes, he says. Back home, he enrolled in an EMT course, training to save lives — and switched his college major to premed, hoping to specialize in disaster relief.
Now 21 and a junior at the University of Florida, Tovar is involved in Jewish life through Hillel. As president of Challah for Hunger on campus, he helps run challah-baking events for fellow students; the group donates proceeds to regional food banks and charities. “Being involved with Jewish life in college is extremely important to me, given the climate on college campuses right now,” he says. “Doing Jewish activities and bringing good into the world through them helps remind me that those who hate us do not define who we are.”
Looking back, Tovar appreciates the early Jewish memories that helped shape his outlook. “PJ Library helped me become the person and the Jew that I am today,” he says.
Jordana Goldstein
Jordana Goldstein was traveling across the US on a bus with dozens of other Jewish teens after her freshman year of high school — through the USY on Wheels youth group experience — when she realized she and her new friends shared a profound connection. “Can you raise your hand if you received PJ Library books as a kid?” she asked. Nearly all the teens on the bus raised their hands.
Now 19 and a sophomore at Dickinson College, Jordana still grins as she remembers the way she bonded with fellow program participants over favorite childhood stories. “I was talking about one of my favorite books, about different ways to eat matzah brei, and one of my friends knew exactly which book I was talking about,” she recalls. “Knowing that a lot of my peers grew up with the same books
“PJ Library helped me become the person and the Jew that I am today.”
TOVAR STEIN
I had read, it created a sense of community. We’d already had this Jewish experience in common before I even met them.”
For Jordana, that experience began when she was a young child growing up in New Jersey. “I remember this sense of excitement every time a new book would arrive. I would open it and sit down immediately to read it with my mom,” she says. “PJ Library showed me that it’s possible to see myself in a book.”
In her tween years, PJ Our Way deepened that Jewish connection and served as a bridge to other Jewish opportunities in high school. She took part in United Synagogue Youth, Jewish Student Union, and the Diller Teen Fellows program, a yearlong Jewish leadership cohort.
The impact of PJ Library still resonates for Jordana today.
“PJ Library definitely helped set me up for future Jewish engagement,” she shares. “PJ Library helped build a sense of Jewish connection from the moment I started receiving books. Having good Jewish role models in books growing up created a sense of pride and belonging. It helped shape who I am and inspired a passion to be involved with my Jewish community.”
Hannah Plotkin
Hannah Plotkin smiles as she recalls telling her parents about new things she learned in books as a child — concepts like tikkun olam (repairing the world) or tzedakah (charitable giving). That’s because the books that surrounded Hannah and her sister as they grew up in Cleveland, the books they read together and requested for bedtime stories, were PJ Library books.
“PJ Our Way shaped my ability to translate deep Jewish ideas into language that’s accessible, engaging, and relevant to others.”
HANNAH PLOTKIN
“I grew up with a huge love of reading, which was fostered by PJ Library and PJ Our Way,” she says. “When I think about favorite stories, I don’t think about Little Red Riding Hood. I think about Sammy Spider and Rabbi Harvey and Chicken Man. Those are the characters of my childhood.”
Hannah, now 21 and living in Israel, has channeled her lifelong love of reading and learning into her work as a Jewish educator. And she says PJ Library planted the seed.
In middle school, Hannah loved choosing her own monthly chapter books and jumped at the chance to join the PJ Our Way Design Team — a rotating group of kids, selected through a competitive application process, who dream up creative ways to market the
books to other tween readers. On the Design Team, she wrote book reviews, created blog posts, and filmed videos. She began to feel a sense of “ownership” over her Jewish identity, she recalls. And she eventually became the team leader, mentoring other young members as they developed their own book-related projects.
“Being the Design Team leader was my first experience with being a leader, and it gave me a lot of confidence,” Hannah says. “The opportunity to lead peers pushed me to learn to speak up and give direction and trust my judgment. It showed me that I have the ability to contribute meaningfully to my community.”
That early experience as a mentor fortified Hannah as she embarked on her teaching career. She now teaches advanced Torah study to women at two yeshivot (academies of traditional Jewish learning) in Jerusalem.
“PJ Our Way shaped my ability to translate deep Jewish ideas into language that’s accessible, engaging, and relevant to others,” Hannah says. “It helped me understand that Torah and Judaism can and should be taught in a way that empowers learners to think for themselves. That has given me clarity in my teaching and confidence in my ability to help other people connect meaningfully to Torah.”
Pnina Sasson
Pnina Sasson advocates for Jewish and Israeli students on campus.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PNINA SASSON
Two weeks after the October 7 attacks, Pnina Sasson, then a college freshman, encountered a protest she couldn’t look away from. Scores of students and older adults had gathered near her campus at Tulane University, shouting anti-Israel and anti-Jewish slogans. “I didn’t plan on counterprotesting, but when you have to pass it to get to class, it’s harmful and distressing,” Pnina recalls. “There were people on the other side telling us to go to Auschwitz, saying ‘gas the Jews.’ My Jewish identity is so deeply rooted that I couldn’t just walk past it.”
Pnina and her fellow Jewish students engaged in a counterprotest that was peaceful at first. Then she and her friends saw two men try to light an Israeli flag on fire. One classmate rushed in to stop them; they beat him. Another man broke another friend’s nose.
Shaken by the experience, Pnina wondered what she could do. She reached out to her network of Jewish summer camp peers seeking media contacts and told the story to Jewish news outlets across the US. “From that,” she says, “I learned the
“Being Jewish in college right now forces you to choose one or the other: to hide or to be proud. That’s the main thing that PJ Library teaches us — to be proud Jews and not to hide.”
PNINA SASSON
importance of community — having a Jewish community that has your back.”
Pnina, now 21 and a college senior, has become a leader of the Jewish community at Tulane. She serves as president of TIPAC, the Tulane Israel Public Affairs Committee, and is an advisor for SSI, Students Supporting Israel. In these roles, she advocates for Jewish and Israeli students, helps bring attention to antisemitism on campus, and fosters dialogue between schoolmates. Her commitment to this work, she says, came from a warm Jewish childhood in which PJ Library was a cornerstone.
“Being Jewish in college right now forces you to choose one or the other: to hide or to be proud,” Pnina says. “That’s the main thing that PJ Library teaches us — to be proud Jews and not to hide. When you feel discouraged by all the hate, you hold onto those core memories from when you were young and remember your identity: Who are you? What messages do you keep close to your heart? The messages of Jewish pride that PJ Library books gave me as a kid have continued to stay with me.”
And she believes PJ Library is more important now than ever before. “What has gone on in the world over these past few years has been earthshaking,” she says. “We see what it’s doing to us as young adults, but we don’t yet know what it’s going to do to future generations. PJ Library books create a digestible way for kids to understand how to be proud of who you are as a Jewish person. Kids need that. The future needs it.”
DONOR Spotlight
PJ Library books offer one family a path to Jewish learning — and inspire them to carry on a legacy of giving.
BY NETANYA THOMPSON, SENIOR MANAGER OF ANNUAL GIVING AND DONOR RELATIONS
When Danielle Capalino reflects on what motivates her, she thinks about her grandfather.
Joseph Gurwin arrived alone in the US after parting from his family in Lithuania as a teenager in the 1930s. He found success as a textile manufacturer and became a prominent philanthropist. After losing his parents during the Holocaust, Joseph dedicated himself to strengthening Jewish life through charitable support to Jewish organizations in the US and Israel. He hoped to ensure that future generations of Jews would be cared for and protected.
“Jewish philanthropy was the most important thing in his life,” Danielle shares. “He wanted to make sure the Holocaust could never happen again. He wanted to take care of Jewish people in the way he knew how.”
Danielle and her husband, Reid, are now carrying on her grandfatherʼs legacy as supporters of PJ Library. Their 8-year-old son, Rex, started receiving PJ Library books when he was a baby. Getting a new book in the mail each month has become an exciting tradition for the whole family. Already avid readers, the Capalinos say that because of PJ Library, their book collection now includes a wide variety of vibrant and diverse Jewish children’s literature that they probably wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.
Danielle didn’t grow up with the same exposure to Jewish children’s books.
“PJ Library simply didn’t exist yet,” she says. “So seeing Rex grow up with this kind of access to Jewish stories feels very different and very meaningful.”
Danielle and Reid say the books have nurtured their son’s growing interest in Jewish learning and identity. After attending nursery school at a synagogue, Rex wanted to continue his Jewish education in religious school. “Rex has a much broader and richer knowledge of Jewish customs and values than he would otherwise,” Reid says.
For Reid, who didn’t grow up in a Jewish family, reading PJ Library books with Rex
Danielle and Reid Capalinoʼs son Rex has received PJ Library books since he was a baby.
PHOTOS BY JAMI SAUNDERS
has offered a shared entry point into Jewish tradition that has benefited them both. “The books cover a wide range of topics and are very accessible,” Reid says. “They make Jewish customs and values understandable not just for kids but for parents too.”
After Danielle’s grandfather passed away in 2009, her family continued to carry on his philanthropic work — and they were especially inspired to give to organizations that had impacted them personally. “Supporting PJ Library is an extension of our commitment to Jewish philanthropy with a focus on children, and that became very relevant for us after becoming parents,” Danielle says.
“Supporting PJ Library is an extension of our commitment to Jewish philanthropy with a focus on children.”
DANIELLE CAPALINO
The Capalinos are passionate about making it possible for other children and families to experience PJ Library. “What’s important to me is being able to think beyond just ourselves,” Danielle explains. “It’s meaningful to know that these books are reaching families in rural communities and other countries who wouldn’t otherwise have access to them.”
Danielle and Reid already see Rex carrying forward the values of his grandparents and great-grandparents — the same values found in his PJ Library books: integrity, compassion for others, curiosity about the world, and commitment to giving back. In that way, PJ Library has become part of their family’s Jewish legacy — one passed carefully from generation to generation.
Milestone Birthdays
PJ Library programs around the world are celebrating years of books — and impact.
BY SASKIA SWENSON MOSS, INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM OFFICER, AND MAYA FARFEL, INTERNATIONAL PROJECT MANAGER
PJ Library in German
PJ Library sends more than 650,000 books to families in over 40 countries and seven languages every month. What’s most meaningful is the impact behind the numbers: a child’s excitement to receive beautiful Jewish stories in their own language, the family conversations about Jewish traditions that follow, and the connections that form at community gatherings in big cities and small towns. Around the world, PJ Library unites families with a foundation of Jewish stories, values, and a shared sense of identity. What better time to celebrate than a milestone birthday?
PJ Library recently marked big birthdays in four locations internationally. Read on for a glimpse into the ways families have found joy, meaning, and Jewish connection over the years.
PJ Library in Brazil
5 years
5 years
Over 1,500 families in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland receive PJ Library books in German. The Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland (Central Council of Jews in Germany), located in Berlin, advises on book selection, distributes books, contributes funding, and creates family programs.
PJ Library in German provides free audio books on Spotify, allowing children to discover Jewish storytelling in diverse ways. And children in Berlin can enjoy read-alouds, Jewish baking, and crafts at monthly PJ Library Live events.
In a 2025 subscriber survey, 75% of families said PJ Library is a valuable parenting tool and 66% said PJ Library supported their family in having conversations about Jewish traditions, values, or customs.
“We love the books. It’s a great way to teach children Jewish values.”— A PJ LIBRARY IN GERMAN PARENT
When PJ Library launched in Brazil in 2020, only five Jewish children’s books were available in Portuguese. Today, families can enjoy over 110 Jewish children’s titles!
PJ Library reaches more than 3,500 children each month and partners with nearly 100 synagogues, Jewish day schools, and organizations — some in the Amazon rainforest.
A remarkable 95% of families said in a 2024 subscriber survey that PJ Library increased their children’s knowledge or familiarity with Jewish traditions, values, and customs. And 88% of parents said PJ Library increased their own knowledge.
“We live in a small town, far from the Jewish community, and the books from PJ Library help me every day to educate my children. My children jump for joy when the books arrive, and they listen to the stories with excitement.”
— A PJ LIBRARY PARENT IN BRAZIL
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ELY FAMILY
PHOTO BY JUDITH DIAMOND
PJ Library in the UK 10 years
Since 2015, more than 20,000 children across the UK have received over 700,000 PJ Library books, reinforcing their Jewish identity.
In PJ Library’s 2024 triennial subscriber survey, 83% of UK subscriber families said they use PJ Library to introduce Jewish topics; 83% also said PJ Library has supported their family in enhancing or adding a Jewish tradition to their home.
PJ Library in the UK hosted 10th birthday events for families in English, Hebrew, and Russian so that the whole Jewish community — which is especially diverse in London — could participate. The team organized a sold-out party at JW3, the Jewish community center in London; an opera for Russian-speaking families; and a special virtual interview with basketball star Tamir Goodman, author of the PJ Library book Live Your Dream: The Story of a Jewish Basketball All-Star
“PJ Library has filled our bookshelf and our lives with so much simcha (joy) these last couple of years! Not only have the books created a deeper connection with Judaism for my kids, but they have also done so much for us as a whole family. We love to do the activities in the back of the books together. And the holiday guides PJ Library has sent have become a staple in our home. We are beyond grateful.”
— A PJ
PJ
PHOTO
In 10 years, more than 22,000 children have received PJ Library books in Russian. To date, PJ Library has sent nearly 625,000 books to Russian families across 11 time zones!
Since PJ Library’s launch in Russia, 199 Jewish children’s titles have been published in Russian, enriching the canon of Jewish children’s literature. A network of 100 educational partners in 60 Russian cities use PJ Library books in their curricula.
Subscriber families in Russian cities gather in synagogues, cafes, and one another’s homes for PJ Sunday events featuring readalouds and book-related activities.
Teenage PJ Library alums in Russia return to the program as PJ Library madrichim (instructors), helping at events and creating programs for younger children.
In 2021, PJ Library made Russian-language books available to families in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. PJ Library has sent 30,000 books to families in the Baltic region so far.
“Congratulations on PJ Library’s 10th birthday. We live in the small town of Skovorodino [in Siberia], and for us, a PJ Library subscription is a real celebration. The children eagerly wait for their parcel. May your books spread around the country and beyond, giving joy to children and parents.”
— A PJ LIBRARY PARENT IN RUSSIA
The PJ Library International Fund provides children outside the US, Canada, and Israel with a reliable source of Jewish learning and connection. To support communities like those featured here, visit pjlibrary.org/proofgift.
BY ILYA DOLGOPOLSKY
Library in Russian
LIBRARY PARENT IN LONDON
PHOTO COURTESY OF PJ LIBRARY IN THE UK
The Reed and the Cedar by Shirley Yuval-Yair, illus. by Menahem, Hamavoch Books Ltd.
DONOR Spotlight
Supporting PJ Library families in the UK is “a privilege” for one philanthropic family.
BY RACHEL ZAIMONT, MANAGING EDITOR
When David A. Dangoor considers his children’s and grandchildren’s Jewish education in London, he can’t help but note the contrast with his own early childhood. David grew up in Iraq, one of four sons in a prominent Jewish family at a time when societal conditions were deteriorating for the country’s once-vibrant Jewish community.
“I grew up in Baghdad. There, you could not be open about being Jewish,” recalls David, who immigrated to the UK in the 1960s with his parents and siblings. “Because there were so many dangers for Jews in Iraq, you had to keep a lot of things hidden. Storybooks with Jewish elements are things we didn’t have then, and we are happy to have them now — especially those that resonate with Sephardi Jews.”
David and his family — including his wife, Judy, son Simon, daughter-in-law Libby, and David and Judy’s three other children — have become committed supporters of PJ Library in the UK through their family foundation, the Exilarch’s Foundation. With their philanthropic work focused largely on education and the Jewish community, they all feel strongly connected to PJ Library’s mission.
“The beauty of exposing youngsters to Jewish education is they can learn to enjoy so many aspects of Judaism: dressing up for Purim, eating meals in a sukkah,” Judy says. “In focusing on the young, PJ Library is absolutely hitting the right spot. When children are exposed to our history and our value system, it gives them a wonderful moral foundation and sense of identity. When you look at the role PJ Library has taken on, it’s an invaluable program.”
Simon and Libby discovered PJ Library at their synagogue and have seen the impact firsthand as they’ve raised their three children, now ages 12, 9, and 9. “PJ Library books are professionally done, smart books that imbued our kids with pride in their Judaism,” Simon says. “PJ Library books give you a vehicle to communicate an important message to your child that you wouldn’t necessarily have the right voice to communicate. Reading becomes
The Dangoor family values PJ Library’s ability to help families connect with Jewish life.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIBBY DANGOOR
a collaborative event between you and your child. That’s very special.”
For Libby, who didn’t grow up Jewish, PJ Library offered an easy way to transmit Jewish lessons to her children. “I converted and, for me, the books were such a useful tool,” she says. “I could share a Jewish story with my children with guidance. These books were like how-to guides, which was very helpful.”
Libby took her enthusiasm for PJ Library a step further and joined PJ Library’s UK Advisory Board, which she now chairs. There, she provides feedback to the staff about programs, hosts events to raise awareness of PJ Library, and strategizes about driving engagement — especially in hard-to-reach communities far from centers of Jewish life.
“In focusing on the young, PJ Library is absolutely hitting the right spot.”
JUDY DANGOOR
The whole family is proud that their support helps share books they consider classics — like Shohamʼs Bangle, Bagels from Benny, and My Grandfather’s Coat — with children across the UK.
“My late grandfather used to say, ‘What I spent, I had. What I saved, I lost. What I gave, I kept.’ There’s a lot of wisdom in that,” Simon recalls. Adds Judy, “To be able to help in any way is a privilege. We’re blessed to be able to do this.”
DONOR Spotlight
A close-knit family of storytellers honors the power of Jewish narratives.
BY FAYE WOLFE, FREELANCE JOURNALIST
The Korman siblings have always loved storytelling. When Shai, Lily, and Becky Korman were young, they looked forward to watching movies together on Friday nights after Shabbat dinner. Decades later, they have parlayed their spirited discussions of film, story, and plot into professional success: The trio hosts the Signal Award-winning Friday Night Movie podcast and founded K180 Studios together (their feature film The Floaters, set in a Jewish summer camp, has won awards at film festivals around the US and Canada). It’s no surprise that the siblings see great value in PJ Library — both within their own families and in their philanthropic work.
“In our podcast and in the movies we make, we have a natural gravitation toward Jewish stories and work that widens the lens of what authentic Jewish life looks like,” says Becky. “PJ Library books expand our children’s understanding of Jewish stories, Jewish practice, Jewish people. There’s a strong connection between ourselves as storytellers and what PJ Library is doing with storytelling.”
Shai and his wife, Allison Tombros Korman, founder of the Red Tent Fund, first learned about PJ Library 14 years ago when their older daughter was a baby. “Signing up for PJ Library,” says Shai, “was like joining an amazing club.” He fondly recalls receiving the book It's Tu B’Shevat; Allison’s favorite was The Hardest Word. “These became our initial library of Jewish books,” Shai says.
The Korman family champions Jewish storytelling as part of the PJ Library Alliance.
LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF LILY KORMAN; RIGHT PHOTO BY CINDY LEE
As Shai and Allison’s kids outgrew their PJ Library books, Lily happily toted the “hand-me-downs — suitcases of them,” she says, to her family’s home in the Canary Islands, where Jewish children’s books aren’t easy to find for her two sons. And PJ Library’s holiday guides have been “a lifeline” when her family can’t celebrate with the rest of the Korman family, she adds.
“I know a lot about Judaism, but I don’t necessarily know how to teach it to a 5-yearold,” Lily says. “The guides are chock-full of information, beautiful, and written in language that is completely accessible.”
“There’s a strong connection between ourselves as storytellers and what PJ Library is doing with storytelling.”
BECKY KORMAN
For Becky’s family, PJ Library fills a different gap. “Having grown up in an observant Jewish household, I took my knowledge about Judaism a bit for granted. But my husband, a Soviet Jew, had no Jewish education,” she says. “It’s wild to see my husband and girls reading together and to see his attachment to the books.”
Along with their parents, Fanny and Roger, the Korman family recently joined the PJ Library Alliance, a group of leading philanthropic partners who deepen PJ Library’s impact worldwide.
“Having seen the impact in our family, I felt very strongly that I want to be able to make a big difference,” Lily explains. Shai adds, “PJ Library’s professionalism is incredible: the way data is used, the passion, the innovation, the global impact. PJ Library is a fire hose of Jewish values at a very formative period in an easy format to integrate into your life: It’s like drinking your milk. It’s constructive, it’s positive, and it builds confidence. These are the most important ingredients for preparing our kids for the world.”
Big Ideas in the Big Apple
PJ Library is piloting creative ways to reach families in metro
New York.
BY MARGARET PIRAINO, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EVENTS COORDINATOR
PJ Library is constantly experimenting with new ways to reach more families and help them discover the joy of Jewish storybooks, no matter where they live or what being Jewish looks like to them. As the largest PJ Library community in the US and Canada, the metro New York area has become a test market for innovative ideas. From a traveling bookmobile to a historical scavenger hunt, our team has been exploring what it looks like to share Jewish stories beyond homes. The goal? To show children they can celebrate being Jewish everywhere, every day.
In the summer of 2024, PJ Library’s New York team tried something new: a traveling book bus! The PJ Library Bookmobile made stops at four Brooklyn playgrounds over the course of one day, bringing stories and fun to families right in their neighborhoods. Encouraged by families’ enthusiasm, our bookmobile team hit the road for two weeks last summer and visited the entire metro New York area. The brightly colored book bus traversed all five boroughs plus Westchester and Long Island. In all, the bookmobile made 42 stops, welcomed 5,000 visitors, and distributed 6,000 preloved PJ Library books. The bookmobile also inspired families to pay it forward — many parents handed their children cash or coins for PJ Library’s tzedakah box on the bus so that even more families could experience the joy of PJ Library. Look out for the bookmobile again this summer!
Kids can enjoy Jewish books anywhere, not just at home. Through our recent Books to Businesses initiative, PJ Library helped families encounter Jewish stories in places they already visit, such as doctors’ offices or
The PJ Library Bookmobile (exterior and interior shown above) has welcomed thousands of visitors in neighborhoods across metro New York.
PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH KORELITZ
“Kids can enjoy Jewish books anywhere, not just at home.”
play spaces. PJ Library partnered with over 50 local businesses across New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, bringing Jewish tales into everyday community spaces. “I love having these books in my pediatric speech therapy clinic in Lynbrook,” says Lily G., a speech and language pathologist and Books to Businesses partner. “We use them in sessions with families all the time. The kids light up when we read them together.”
This past summer, PJ Library invited families to take a self-guided journey through New York City’s historic Lower East Side as part of the Great New York Scavenger Hunt. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, participants explored iconic neighborhood spots, uncovered stories of Jewish heritage, and celebrated Jewish immigrants’ lasting impact on the city via PJ Library books in the windows or interiors of nine local shops and restaurants. From pickles and pastrami to knishes and candies, families navigated and noshed their way through a lesson on the Jewish community’s melting pot history — and connected with PJ Library’s vast catalogue of books that explore Jewish immigrant life in the neighborhood over a century ago. “The Lower East Side and New York City in general has been forever changed by the Jewish immigrant experience,” says Meara Ashtivker, director of PJ Library in New York. “This scavenger hunt was designed to honor the generations that came before us.”
DONOR Spotlight
A family’s belief in the power of books inspires a tradition of giving passed from generation to generation.
BY SHELLEY FRIEL, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT
When Mitchell and Rosemarie
Klipper established the Klipper Family Foundation in 2013,
Rosemarie was volunteering as a literacy tutor at an elementary school. Mitchell was then chief executive officer of the retail group at Barnes & Noble, with 30 years of experience in books and largescale distribution. The couple learned about PJ Library through their involvement in UJA-Federation of New York. Their interests in books, literacy, and strengthening the Jewish community made them natural advisors and philanthropic partners to PJ Library.
The idea of family has always been central to the Klippers’ charitable giving. Now all four of their adult sons and their wives are deeply involved in their foundation’s work, and all five grandchildren (spanning ages 1-10) eagerly read PJ Library books.
“PJ Library has quickly become a meaningful part of our family life. It’s a wonderful way to introduce Jewish values, traditions, and storytelling at such an early age,” says Alan Klipper, whose 1-year-old son Noah’s favorite book is Challahbaloo!
“I think books change lives,” shares Rosemarie, “and so for us, it’s just such a natural way of directing philanthropy. Education, books, reading, promoting Jewish values — it doesn’t get better than that.”
For more than a decade, the Klippers’ generosity has helped PJ Library reach families around the world and particularly in New York, where Rosemarie serves on PJ Library’s New York Advisory Council, providing input to local staff about program ideas and events.
Rosemarie and Mitchell, longtime friends of PJ Library founder Harold Grinspoon, are proud to support a program so meaningful to their family. “Harold, to me, is very inspirational,” says Mitchell. “He once told me that when you give the gift of your time, of your money, of your knowledge, it’s you — you are the one who receives the actual gift, not just the recipient.”
As their foundation grew, Rosemarie and Mitchell established a new family tradition:
The Klipper family proudly supports PJ Library’s work around the world and especially in New York.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE KLIPPER FAMILY
Every year on Thanksgiving, a few hours before their meal, they hold their formal Klipper Family Foundation meeting. “We all spread out, and everyone speaks. The boys and their wives share their philanthropic moment of the year and explain what it meant to them. And then as a group, we talk about our vision and priorities for the coming year,” explains Mitchell.
“Sitting down for a formal meeting makes clear not only that the foundation’s work is an important part of our family’s identity but also that the foundation is meant to continue on so that I, my brothers, our wives, and our children one day honor our parents’ legacy through philanthropy that supports the Jewish community,” says Robert Klipper.
“I think books change lives. And so for us, it’s just a natural way of directing philanthropy.”
ROSEMARIE KLIPPER
Rosemarie and Mitchell couldn’t be prouder of the way their family has continued to support PJ Library — and how they have found their own connections to philanthropy.
“In their own way, they found what’s important to them, and I can’t wait until their kids are old enough to sit around the table and make decisions on how they can better the lives of fellow human beings,” Mitchell says.
Community and Resilience in Sydney
After last December’s tragic terror attack, the Jewish community finds its way forward.
BY RACHEL ZAIMONT, MANAGING EDITOR
On December 14, 2025, hundreds of Jewish revelers had gathered for a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney when the unthinkable occurred: Two gunmen opened fire, killing 15 and wounding nearly 40 more. The world watched the news in shock as details emerged about the tragedy — the deadliest attack targeting Jewish people since the events of October 7.
To understand the Jewish community in Sydney, the atmosphere leading up to the attack, and what has changed in its aftermath, we sat down with Alain Hasson, CEO of Jewish Communal Appeal (JCA). As head of the primary organizational funder of PJ Library in Sydney and the wider New South Wales (NSW) and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) regions, Alain shared his insight into the state of the Jewish community, its response in the wake of the attack, and the role PJ Library can play on the road to healing.
Rachel Zaimont: Tell us about the Australian Jewish community and its relationship with Australian society in general.
Alain Hasson: The Australian Jewish community is the ninthlargest Jewish population in the world and is a diverse multicultural Jewish community largely made up of expats, a majority of whom arrived from South Africa, Israel, and the former Soviet Union. Only recently, the population has tipped toward a majority of Australian-born Jews. Per capita, Australia has the highest number of Holocaust survivors in the world outside Israel. But the Australian Jewish community has been here since the first fleet 200 years ago; the Jewish
population has been instrumental in the history and identity of Australia.
For Australian Jewry, this has been a safe diaspora community. Pre-October 7 — or pre-October 9, when the protests happened at the Sydney Opera House — you would say this was a utopia. We have a highly multicultural society that has been very warm and accepting, with bipartisan support of Israel. No one felt anything other than safety and freedom to practice their Jewish identity in Australia. Pre-October 7, our community was largely becoming more secular and progressive because of that acceptance and integration. But I think October 7 and now December 14 have started to change that. A lot of people who had broader non-Jewish networks now feel more safety among their own Jewish community. That is bringing the Jewish community closer together.
RZ: We all watched in horror when news of the attack broke on December 14. What do you want the Jewish community around the world to understand?
“General Australian society is in shock. Most people never expected that anything of this nature could happen in Australia.”
ALAIN HASSON
AH: This was shocking for the Australian Jewish community and was the pinnacle of two-and-a-half years of pain. Australian-born Jews never really experienced antisemitism in Australia, but then we saw the October 9 protests at the opera house and felt danger building. There were warnings and warnings — we said to the government, “If you do not do anything, this will lead to a significant attack on our community.” And the attack happened, and it was the worst thing we could have imagined.
The day after the attack, I reached out to my global Jewish network and asked, “What do we do? What are the lessons learned from communities who have dealt with this?” Jeff Finkelstein, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, was very kind to send through their learnings after the Tree of Life attack in 2018. One of the saddest things that people said was “Welcome to the club.”
General Australian society is in shock. Most people never expected that anything of this nature could happen in Australia. This wasn’t just an attack on Australian Jewry; it was an attack on Australian society at an iconic location, and people are now asking how this happened. This is the worst terrorist incident to happen in Australia. Australia has not experienced events like 9/11 or the London Tube bombings
“We can’t succumb to this. Our response has to be, ‘If you try and hurt us, you’re only going to make us stronger.’”
ALAIN HASSON
and doesn’t have that experience with radical terrorism. This is a global problem well beyond the Jewish community.
RZ: How has the community changed in the aftermath? Is there more connectedness within the Jewish community or feelings of connection with the wider Jewish world?
AH: Definitely. The NSW Jewish community rallied and has been working together more closely than I’ve ever seen. There is unbelievable collaboration between organizations in the mental health and welfare spaces, those supporting the victims. We all came together to support the Chabad community of Bondi, which was at the epicenter of this. People have largely overcome differences to ask, “How do we work together for the betterment of this community?” We can’t succumb to this. Our response has to be, “If you try and hurt us, you’re only going to make us stronger.”
RZ: How does JCA work, and why does it provide funding for PJ Library?
AH: JCA is the centralized fundraising organization for the local Jewish community of NSW and ACT. JCA is the closest equivalent Australia has to a Jewish federation. We fundraise, plan, and allocate funds to serve the needs of the Australian Jewish community. Our research shows that when it comes to Jewish identity building blocks, there are five pillars: synagogue, youth movements, Israel, Jewish education, and — at the center of it all — home. The home has more impact on Jewish identity than any other point of Jewish connection. Even before I had children, I’ve always looked at PJ Library as one of the best programs for getting into the home and letting families connect with their kids about Jewish identity. That ability to sit with your child and tell a story about their culture — that plants seeds of Jewish identity throughout childhood.
RZ: Is PJ Library especially relevant in Australia right now?
AH: We’re still learning how families and individuals are being affected by the trauma of this attack. One of the amazing things that PJ Library does is it gives parents tools to take their kids through some of the challenges that we face as Jewish people. Children are going to have ongoing hard questions, and parents will need to have hard conversations with their kids. Books can help families have these conversations. Storytelling is one of the most critical things we can do.
PJ Library books can help families address difficult topics with children.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PJ LIBRARY IN AUSTRALIA AND ALAIN HASSON
In 2011, PJ Library launched its first international program in Australia. Now the program reaches 3,600 children each month with a book delivered to their home — a reliable point of Jewish connection during a challenging time.
“PJ Library plays an important role for families in NSW and ACT. In a time when Jewish families are seeking connection and a stronger sense of identity, it provides a gentle-but-powerful anchor to Jewish life. Our impact is greater than ever in the aftermath of crisis — we have been able to reach out directly to families, helping them feel part of a community.”
—Wendy Dolowitz, director of PJ Library in NSW and ACT
Grandparenting with PJ Library
Jewish grandparents play a unique and meaningful role in their families. PJ Library can help.
BY NAOMI BARNETT, HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Judy Meritz, now a grandparent of three, still fondly remembers time with her own grandparents, her bubbe and zayde. “They vacationed in Far Rockaway [in New York], and we would go there for two weeks during the summer. Long ago, there were Jewish hotels there,” she recalls, picturing the town as it was back then. “Memories. What kids love most about grandparents are the memories.”
Judy and her husband, Larry Muenz, have long recognized PJ Library’s power to connect young children to the joy of Jewish life. For the past two summers, they have harnessed that joy as a foundation for nurturing the unique bond between grandparents and grandchildren as PJ Library grandparent connectors. From their summer home in Quogue, Long Island, they have created a network of other Jewish grandparents who are excited to gather together — both with their grandchildren and with one another — to create unforgettable Jewish summer memories.
PJ Library has long engaged parent connectors as key players in the important work of involving families in Jewish life. These parents build bridges in their communities, plan events, foster relationships, and weave strong local networks to help families feel welcome in the Jewish community. Through PJ Library programming, they bring familiar, friendly Jewish experiences right to a local family’s doorstep. Across the US and Canada, over 220 parent connectors bring PJ Library — along with Jewish values, holidays, and traditions — to life. (Forty work in the metro New York area alone!)
Judy and Larry’s daughter served as a parent connector in Astoria, Queens, convening hundreds of people for Tot Shabbats and Purim carnivals. When she
Judy Meritz and Larry Muenz create joyful Jewish experiences as grandparent connectors.
PHOTO
COURTESY OF JUDY MERITZ AND LARRY MUENZ
heard that PJ Library was looking to start a connector program for grandparents, she encouraged her parents to apply. They began their term as grandparent connectors in the summer of 2024 and got straight to work.
Quogue, where Judy and Larry have lived full-time for eight years, isn’t known as a particularly Jewish part of the Hamptons. The population of surrounding towns — including Westhampton, Riverhead, and Southampton — swells seasonally as residents flock to summer homes. But Judy and Larry knew there must be other Jewish grandparents around. Their own kids regularly came to visit them with their families. They believed there were other local grandparents hosting visiting grandchildren over the summer. The question was how to find them.
“We want our grandchildren to think being Jewish is fun.”
JUDY MERITZ
Judy and Larry leaned into the PJ Library brand — and the shared language of Jewish values. “Grandparents know about the books; they know their kids get them,” Judy shares. “So we wrote on flyers, in our social media post, and in a PJ Library email to families in the Hamptons that we were hosting ‘PJ Library events for grandparents raising children with Jewish values.’”
Larry and Judy knew that the Jewish grandparents they hoped to reach in the area likely weren’t members of the only local synagogue. They also knew that other local families might have grandchildren being raised in multifaith households.
“For people who have a daughter- or son-in-law who isn’t Jewish, it’s especially important that the grandkids have access to fun Jewish traditions,” Judy says. “It’s as simple as getting a book about Shabbat and reading it together. I love sharing the fun of celebrating Jewish holidays and sharing Jewish values that are so important in these challenging times. When we read the books and create traditions together, the kids get to associate being Jewish with us and create a special connection to Judaism through their grandparents.”
At Judy and Larry’s first program, Shabbat on the Quogue Dock, 25 attendees gathered for Jewish summer fun with a distinctly local flavor. The couple handed out pails and shovels so children could play on the beach and distributed PJ Library books about Shabbat. At the event, families introduced themselves with an icebreaker, and then everyone sang the blessings for the candles, wine, and challah. The program was meaningful for grandparents and grandchildren, who relished the chance to have fun together at a Jewish-themed event. But grandparents also came away with an added benefit: They learned that they had a built-in Jewish community right in their neighborhood.
“People want a support group; they want to find others with similar values and backgrounds,” says Larry. “Once we started publicizing that we were putting on PJ Library programming, we quickly met Jewish grandparents in the area who we would never have known about otherwise.”
Larry, Judy, and their grandparent peers have found lasting joy in joining together. Along with Shabbat on the Quogue Dock, which has become a recurring event, Judy and Larry hosted a coffee-and-bagel gathering for Jewish grandparents in their own home and met five Jewish couples they hadn’t known previously. Other grandparent-only programming over the past two summers has included a wine-tasting event at a Hamptons winery and Jewish trivia at a local elementary school. As the Jewish grandparent network grows, Quogue has started to feel more like
“We met Jewish grandparents in the area who we would never have known about.”
LARRY MUENZ
home: Last Hanukkah, the town held a public menorah lighting for the first time.
Judy and Larry consider their experience a win-win-win: As grandparent connectors they are meeting their own needs by fostering a thriving local Jewish community, cementing their grandchildren’s love of Jewish time together, and using PJ Library to help create kid-friendly Jewish experiences for other multigenerational families in the area.
“Kids of this age love spending time with their grandparents,” says Judy. “Grandparents already come with a warm, fuzzy feeling. It’s a natural fit because grandparents already have all these Jewish ways: a Yiddish word, a Jewish way of cooking, all those holiday rituals. We want our grandchildren to think being Jewish is fun. So when they can associate Judaism with us, we build that even-stronger connection.”
LISTENING TO GRANDPARENTS
BY JESSICA MCCORMICK, DIRECTOR OF FAMILY EXPERIENCE, AND LAUREN PANZANO, FAMILY EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR OF PROJECTS
Grandparents are central to families’ Jewish journeys, and our data backs this up. In PJ Library’s 2024 triennial subscriber survey, 82% of subscriber parents reported that grandparents are involved in their childrenʼs Jewish upbringing.
We wanted to better understand our grandparent audience, how they perceive PJ Library, and how PJ Library can help them connect meaningfully with their grandchildren about Jewish topics. So last year we launched a survey of grandparents in the US and Canada, supplemented by focus groups and interviews with Jewish and Jewishadjacent grandparents.
The results made us smile: Grandparents perceive PJ Library in an overwhelmingly positive light. Many credit PJ Library, at least in part, with their grandchildren’s Jewish connection. We also learned that grandparents are hungry for age-appropriate activity ideas, holiday guides rich with stories and traditions, books that reflect the way grandparents today look and behave, and practical ways to weave Jewish values into everyday moments with their grandchildren.
These findings are helping to shape how PJ Library develops content and programs so that we can better serve the entire family of every child we reach.
DONOR Spotlight
Longtime PJ Library supporters feel a duty to provide for the Jewish community’s youngest members.
BY NAOMI PFEFFERMAN, FREELANCE JOURNALIST
Carl Bianco was a young boy growing up during the Holocaust. “I am still trying to comprehend what in human nature could have allowed the Holocaust to happen,” he reflects. “The end result is that I’ve come to believe that it is the responsibility of Jews and the Jewish community to take care of one another.”
That belief first translated into action during the Six-Day War, when Carl was in his late 20s. Inspired by what he saw, he made his first gift of tzedakah (charitable giving): a $100 check to the United Jewish Appeal (UJA). “I felt it was both my obligation and my duty to respond,” he says. “That is still how I feel today.”
Carl and his wife, Joann, have since supported a wide range of Jewish causes, including PJ Library. For more than a decade, they have been members of the PJ Library Alliance, a circle of its most dedicated philanthropic partners.
They were first introduced to PJ Library through the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, initially supporting the program locally. In 2012, they attended the Jewish Funders Network conference in Tel Aviv and spent a day with PJ Library’s leadership team. “That experience really deepened our commitment,” Carl recalls.
PJ Library’s mission resonates strongly with them. “These are formative years in a child’s life, especially for those not growing up in a strong Jewish community,” Carl says. “Being Jewish means understanding that you’re part of a people and a culture. PJ Library creates an accessible entry point to that connection.”
As funders, Carl and Joann also believe in using their giving to catalyze others. “We like to create or participate in challenges,” Carl
Carl and Joann Bianco are pictured with Winnie Sandler Grinspoon.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BIANCOS AND WINNIE SANDLER GRINSPOON
“I’ve come to believe that it is the responsibility of Jews and the Jewish community to take care of one another.”
explains. “They’re a win-win; our contribution can effectively be doubled for a cause we care about.”
Supporting PJ Library, he adds, has been among their most meaningful philanthropic commitments. “It’s both exceptionally well run and highly creative,” Carl says. “PJ Library represents exactly the kind of organization we want to support. It’s where we feel we belong.”
PARTING Thoughts
BY WINNIE SANDLER GRINSPOON PRESIDENT, HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION
Iam thrilled to share our good news:
My husband and I have joined the grandparent club! The baby is doing great, the parents are starting to sleep, and we are deeply in love.
And now our family gets to experience PJ Library in a whole new way.
For our daughter, PJ Library was something she’d grown up around. Her grandfather created the program, inspired by the excitement she and her brothers showed for Jewish storybooks when they were young. And for the past dozen years, PJ Library has been her mother’s work. Our daughter knew that PJ Library sends Jewish storybooks to kids, and she watched me travel to new cities and countries as PJ Library grew to serve more families. She knew the basics.
But knowing about something is different than experiencing it. Seeing PJ Library with new eyes is showing our family what it feels like to be embraced by this community.
At the baby’s brit milah, the Jewish circumcision ritual, the mohelet arrived at the ceremony with a PJ Library welcome bag of books for the baby and information about how to sign up. Had my daughter not already known about PJ Library, this outreach — made possible by PJ Library’s work with hundreds of mohelim and rabbis — would have been a beautiful way to introduce her to the program as a new parent.
A few weeks later, my daughter mentioned that her in-laws in Dallas had signed up online for PJ Library’s grandparent program. This program offers grandparents in the US and Canada a taste of PJ Library: an annual sample of PJ Library books plus emails with resources for raising Jewish grandkids and news about PJ Library happenings. We signed up too and received a lovely welcome box with two books and a sweet letter with best wishes for the new baby.
Living in New York City, our kids get to benefit from a robust PJ Library parent connector program. Many communities offer PJ Library connectors; their role is to welcome new parents and connect them with other PJ Library parents through playgroups and
Winnie Sandler Grinspoon spends quality time with her grandson with his favorite PJ Library book.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WINNIE SANDLER GRINSPOON
other social events. A connector has already reached out, and my daughter is looking forward to meeting other new parents.
And then, of course, the books! This past spring, my daughter shared a video in which she read My Matzah, by Ann Diament Koffsky, to the baby. He absolutely loves this book about a koala’s search for matzah at a Passover seder. He breaks into a smile each time she reads it with him. And because the baby enjoys it, his parents enjoy it too, and they read it repeatedly.
As I watch the many ways PJ Library is showing up for my family with warmth and intentionality, I feel incredibly grateful for every PJ Library professional working behind the scenes and every donor whose generosity makes it possible. And when I share my grandson’s infectious joy as he follows his favorite koala’s matzah hunt, I am reminded again of how this simple gift is helping a whole generation of families create a joyful grounding in their Jewish identity. We are inspiring many happy, meaningful moments for our kids and grandkids. We are teaching families about celebrating life the Jewish way. We are doing deeply impactful work together. From our family to yours, thank you
67 Hunt Street, Suite 100
Agawam, MA 01001 USA
413-276-0800
pjlibrary.org
“
I love being Jewish , and I have seen firsthand how PJ Library’s books and resources help young children develop their own love of being Jewish. That’s why I have updated my estate plans to provide support for PJ Library beyond my lifetime. Won’t you consider joining me by supporting PJ Library with a gift that feels meaningful to you? Together we can strengthen Jewish families — and ensure a proud, resilient Jewish future.
I invite you to contact us so that we can have a conversation about your philanthropic goals and discuss the many creative ways to support PJ Library families. Let’s talk! Email our president, Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, at wgrinspoon@hgf.org or call us at 413-276-0800.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
HAROLD GRINSPOON, FOUNDER OF PJ LIBRARY
In addition to gifts of cash, you can support PJ Library with the following gifts: