28 minute read
PJ Library Welcomed in the Amazon
Manaus, Brazil
PJ Library
WELCOMED IN THE AMAZON
When the first PJ Library books made their way into homes throughout western Massachusetts, no one knew just how far PJ Library books would travel. Now, more than 15 years later, kids in the Amazon — the place, not the store! — are growing up with the same books as children from San Francisco to Siberia.
Meet Anne Benchimol, vice president of the Amazon’s Jewish Committee for the Beit Yaacov Rebi Meyr Synagogue and PJ Library ambassador in Manaus, Brazil, where the days are warm and humid and the Jewish community is tiny with a big history. “We may live far away from the rest of the tribe,” Benchimol says, “but our community is 200 years old.”
So how did Jews end up in the Amazon?
When rubber was king in Brazil in the 1800s, many Jews from Morocco — including Benchimol’s ancestors — immigrated to take part in the burgeoning industry. In 1824, not long after Brazil became an independent nation, the new Brazilian constitution guaranteed freedom of religion for all citizens. With economic prosperity and the opportunity to practice their faith freely, Brazil seemed like the perfect place for Jews to settle with their families.
Unfortunately, that prosperity didn’t last for long. After the rubber industry crashed in 1929, many in the Amazonian Jewish community left to search for new opportunities elsewhere, but those who remained held fast to their traditions and customs. “Jews in the Amazon and Manaus really wanted to preserve their culture,” Benchimol explains, “because when you leave your place of origin, you want to keep your center, your essence.” And their traditions are still being passed down today. “The way we pray is almost the exact same way of praying as our greatgreat-great-grandparents when they arrived in Brazil,” she points out. “The same music, the same intonation, the same everything. We keep our traditions — and we are very proud of them, by the way — because that’s what we can offer to our kids.”
But it’s not all the community has to offer their children. Thanks to Benchimol, they now offer highquality Portuguese Jewish books too. Benchimol first heard about PJ Library through her daughter Rebecca, who married an American. “[Rebecca’s] mother-in-law had signed up one of her American grandchildren for PJ Library, so when he was finished with the books, they’d send them on to Rebecca’s son Benjamin,” she explains.
Then a friend told Benchimol about the PJ Library program in Brazil, so she contacted the director of PJ Library in Brazil, Karin Zingerevitz. In just six short months, just about every Jewish child in Manaus started receiving PJ Library books. “Manaus is like a case study — every eligible child is signed up,” says Zingerevitz. She ascribes the rapid growth to the incredibly close-knit nature of the Jewish network.
With an organization that promotes acceptance and inclusion of all Jewish traditions and cultures and universal Jewish values, PJ Library is a perfect fit for the Manaus Jewish community. Even though the Jewish community in the Amazon has customs that may not be familiar to other Jewish groups, families can easily connect to PJ Library because the books and resources are all-inclusive without focusing on any one culture or practice of Judaism. Benchimol agrees: “It fits us because it’s fit to be everywhere.”
Though the Jewish community in the Amazon is understandably protective of its particular traditions, it embraces PJ Library’s focus on the diversity of Jewish practice and universal values and is searching to expand its connection with the rest of the Jewish world. “You give an opportunity to our kids to be connected all over the world. If I want to pass something on to my kids, the thing I want to pass is good values. And that’s what I find inside these books,” Benchimol explains. “They do not judge if readers are converts or very religious or Ashkenazi or Sephardic or Moroccan — they want to teach Jewish values to kids. That’s what motivates us. And it gives the children a book in their hands!” Zingerevitz echoes this last point. “Before PJ Library came to Brazil, we had maybe five Jewish books in Portuguese for kids. I know the titles because I bought them,” she says, laughing. “Having PJ Library in Brazil will change the future of the Jewish community here.” With more access to Jewish children’s books, kids in the Amazon can feel more connected to the larger Jewish community through PJ Library while also sharing the experience with other Jewish children in their region. And with so many of the eligible children in the Jewish Amazonian community already signed up for PJ Library, it’s clearly a hit with adults and kids alike.
For Benchimol, it’s personal; her own grandkids are now PJ Library subscribers too. “PJ Library is very new here, but we are in love.”
Anne Benchimol with her grandchildren
Material: • um sevivon • pelo menos dez fichas para cada jogador (as fichas podem ser qualquer objeto pequeno: feijões, pedaços de chocolate, moedas etc.) Para começar, cada jogador recebe a mesma quantidade de fichas. O objetivo é ganhar a maior quantidade de moedas possível. A cada rodada, os jogadores devem colocar uma moeda no montinho do meio e girar o sevivon. A letra em que o sevivon cai determina o que o jogador deve fazer.
NUN: o jogador não faz nada.GUIMEL: o jogador pega tudo que está no montinho.
HEI: o jogador pega metade do que está no montinho.
SHIN: o jogador coloca uma de suas moedas no montinho. Sempre que o pote fica vazio, cada jogador coloca uma ficha antes que o próximo jogue. À medida que os jogadores vão ficando sem fichas, são eliminados, e a última pessoa que permanece é a vencedora!
MÃO NA MASSA!
Brincar de sevivon Ari encontra duas meninas brincando com sevivonim debaixo de uma oliveira. Elas lhe explicam o que aquelas letras em hebraico representam. A brincadeira de sevivon é simples e divertida – aprenda a jogar: Material • Dois sacos de papel pequenos • Papel colorido • Canetinha colorida, gizes de ceras, lápis de cor
MÃO NA MASSA!
Surpresa animal Neste livro, as pessoas no mercado não sabiam muito bem o que pensar do burro com o jardim no lombo. Que tal usar a criatividade para inventar novos animais? • Tesoura • Opcional: algodão, glitter, adesivos, cola colorida, sucata, qualquer material que você tenha ou goste de usar Em um lado do papel, faça uma lista com os nomes de dez animais, deixando um espaço entre cada palavra (pode ser lobo, unicórnio, hipopótamo – o que você quiser). Do outro lado do papel, faça uma lista com os nomes de dez objetos do seu dia a dia (cadeira, caminhão, arcoíris – qualquer coisa!). Deixe também um espaço entre cada palavra. Corte todas as palavras que você escreveu (ou peça ajuda para um adulto). Coloque os nomes dos animais em um saco de papel e os nomes dos objetos em outro. Agora, a parte divertida: pegue uma palavra de cada saco de papel para ver qual criatura inesperada sairá! Desenhe e decore seu animal extraordinário e dê um nome para ele. Como você acha que as pessoas no mercado reagiriam ao seu animal?
Busheri • Halberstadt A PJ Library® é um premiado programa de educação judaica que incentiva a integração e o compromisso familiar. É idealizado e apoiado pela Fundação Harold Grinspoon, em conjunto com filantropos e organizações judaicas do mundo todo. Uma vez por mês, as famílias recebem em casa livros infantis de temática judaica, todos de alta qualidade, sendo convidadas a explorar os principais valores (eternos) do judaísmo. Através dessas histórias (baseadas em valores), a PJ Library estimula o comprometimento familiar com a vida judaica, fortalece a identidade judaica e inspira conexões mais profundas com a comunidade e o povo judeu do mundo todo. Para saber mais, acesse pjlibrary.org.br.
O burro e o jardim
M. Mizrahi A PJ Library® é um premiado programa de educação judaica que incentiva a integração e o compromisso familiar. É idealizado e apoiado pela Fundação Harold Grinspoon, em conjunto com filantropos e organizações judaicas do mundo todo. Uma vez por mês, as famílias recebem em casa livros infantis de temática judaica, todos de alta qualidade, sendo convidadas a explorar os principais valores (eternos) do judaísmo. Através dessas histórias (baseadas em valores), a PJ Library estimula o comprometimento familiar com a vida judaica, fortalece a identidade judaica e inspira conexões mais profundas com a comunidade e o povo judeu do mundo todo. Para saber mais, acesse pjlibrary.org.br. O burro e o jardim
Cohen / Kober O MAQUINISTA ARI e o INCIDENTE DE CHANUKÁ ilustrações Shahar Kober Deborah Bodin Cohen O maquinista Ari e o incidente de Chanuká Akiva, exemplo de coragem Como outros líderes do povo judeu, Akiva (que viveu por volta do século II EC) era pastor de ovelhas. “Quando eu me levanto, consigo ver todas as minhas ovelhas, até a menor delas!”, diz ele para Rachel, sua esposa, na história que vamos contar. No entanto, quando ele entra na sala de aula, sua confiança fica do lado de fora. Talvez o passado humilde foi o que o ajudou a conquistar seu lugar como respeitado sábio. O legado de Rabi Akiva está em seus ensinamentos, em sua ieshivá (instituição de ensino) e nos milhares de discípulos que estudaram com ele. Ele também é famoso por eternizar a importância do versículo “Ame ao próximo como a ti mesmo” (Lv 19:18), palavras que aparecem em hebraico no final deste livro. Uma coroa para Rachel Nesta história, o personagem do burro é bem engraçado, mas a verdadeira estrela é Rachel. As fontes judaicas contam que o pai de Rachel, um homem muito rico, não aprovava o casamento dela com Akiva, por isso a riqueza da família foi negada a ela. Apesar de tudo, Rachel não só se casou com ele como também o incentivou a estudar e o apoiou em toda sua jornada. De acordo com outro midrash (lenda rabínica), ela vendeu parte do cabelo no mercado para poder comprar o óleo com o qual Akiva acendia O que você tem aprendido de novo? (continua no verso)
Kar-Ben
An Extraordinary Camaraderie
THE THRIVING JEWISH COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
By Ross Kriel
PRESIDENT, JEWISH COUNCIL OF THE EMIRATES
Since 2008, I have worked in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and I moved permanently to Dubai with my wife and children in August 2013. I have led the Jewish community in the UAE since 2014 along with other founders and builders, following the example of pioneering Jewish families who built the foundations of our community. From them, we gained our ethos — a camaraderie that cuts across Jewish denominations and linguistic and national differences.
Our Jewish community is the first new Jewish community in a Muslim and Arabic country for at least 140 years. What makes our formation all the more significant is that it occurred post-1948 in the context of the state of Israel and the disappearance of Jewish communities in the Islamic and Arabic world.
So how was it possible for a Jewish community to emerge in this setting?
The UAE is a remarkable place, and among its many virtues, it embraces religious expression, accommodating 1,000,000 Christians; 660,000 Hindus; 50,000 Sikhs; 38,364 Baháʼís; 200,000 Buddhists; and so on. This is a legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed (former president of the UAE) and results from the ongoing work of UAE leaders at every level in developing the radical tolerance that typifies the UAE’s society.
As Jewish lay leaders, we made certain choices that helped us find a space in the social ecosystem of the UAE. We could have chosen to be a secret community, concealing our practice from the authorities and creating a covert religious life. Instead, we actively sought to build relationships with government leaders in the UAE and were always affirmed and encouraged to do so.
However, we also did not seek to sensationalize or actively showcase our presence and in the early years accepted that our religious life would be essentially a private one. This allowed us time to make sense of our Jewish life in the UAE and to respect the privacy of our members. Our media shyness changed in 2019 during the Year of Tolerance when the Jewish community was included in a book called Celebrating Tolerance, which featured the various religious communities of the UAE. At this point, we began telling our story and taking our place more publicly in the UAE’s plural religious life.
Through hundreds of acts of kindness, guidance, and intervention, a group of Jewish lay leaders were enabled to achieve something extraordinary: the founding of our community in the UAE. This help spanned many great Jewish organizations, including the American Jewish Committee, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and of course PJ Library; religious leaders, such as the Rev. Andrew Thompson; and key UAE leaders, including Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba and H.E. Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi.
As Jews, we are poised to embrace a future version of ourselves — a future in which Israel is deeply integrated in the region and Jewish-Muslim affairs are positive, reciprocal, and conducive to peace, stability, and prosperity. We look toward a future in which we as diasporic Jews find new relevance in how we relate both to Israel and our new home, the United Arab Emirates, as we work together to build a thriving Middle East.
GLOBAL CONNECTIONS THROUGH BOOKS
By Reva Gorelick HANDS ON!
PJ LIBRARY COORDINATOR, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
I love working for the PJ Library community in Make Stuffed Dates Yaffa and Fatima both grow and sell dates, a sweet and chewy fruit. Dates flourish in warm Dubai for many reasons, one of which is that it climates like Israel, but they are sold in grocery stores around the world. Making stuffed dates is easy, fun, and delicious. gives me an opportunity to meet families who Ingredients Pitted Medjool dates Whipped cream cheese (room temperature) read the books in multiple languages. Many of Crushed pistachios (optional) Honey our families previously received PJ Library books Arrange the dates on a tray, pitted side up. Spoon a little bit of cheese into each date. Sprinkle the tops with pistachios, then in other cities before they relocated to Dubai drizzle with a little honey. Now invite a friend to share a meal of dates and tea, just like Yaffa and Fatima! as expatriates; they are really happy to have something like PJ Library, which links them to www.pjlibrary.org a globally connected Jewish community.
Gilani-Williams/Fedele
YAFFA AND FATIMA SHALOM, SALAAM
Kar-Ben
FAdapted by awzia Gilani-Williams
Illustrations by Chiara Fedele Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam
Brothers and Sisters
This story is inspired by a classic tale of two brothers who sneak grain into each other’s homes, night after night, until the night they accidentally bump into each other. According to tradition, the spot where the brothers met is where King Solomon later built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (which translates to “city of peace” in Hebrew). The Temple is no longer there, and the 3,000-year-old city of Jerusalem has known its share of conflict, but this legend reminds us of the ideal that Jerusalem represents: brotherly (or sisterly!) love. To learn more, visit pjlibrary.org/yaffaandfatima.
Shared Roots
Yaffa and Fatima are neighbors and friends. They’re not sisters, but Hebrew and Arabic are sister languages. The Hebrew word shalom and the Arabic word salaam both mean “peace,” and speakers of both languages use the words to greet one another. As Yaffa and Fatima show us, the best way to bring peace is to see your neighbors as members of a larger human family. The Jewish idea of b’tzelem Elohim (the divine image) holds that all people
(continued on back of flap)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I've delivered PJ Library books by driving around Dubai and dropping them at families’ homes, which has been a really nice opportunity to meet or catch up with children and parents face to face in their backyards. In April, we sent out the book Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam. When I gave the book to one of the parents, her face lit up, and she was so excited about how culturally appropriate the book is. She knew it would be such a good opportunity for both of her children — not only her 5-year-old — to learn about friendships with people of different cultural backgrounds.
I'm really excited to have an opportunity to deliver such an important book to families in our community, and I'd love to be able to distribute that book more widely to families who didn't necessarily receive it this year. It's a wonderful example of how PJ Library books are not only age appropriate but also culturally relevant, which is something the families here in Dubai are really looking for, especially in a place where so many diverse cultures are represented. I'm really happy to play a small role in making that happen.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
My family and I have been regularly visiting Dubai for several years. In that time, we have witnessed its development into a place that not only accepts its Jewish community but openly welcomes and encourages the growth of that community.
Early on, we were struck by how isolated the younger members of the community were, having limited contact with other young Jewish children and cheder (Jewish elementary school). That is why we felt so strongly that the sponsorship of a PJ Library program would be especially meaningful and beneficial. Not only is it a rich source of Jewish content, but it also provides a link to the wider community of PJ Library readers.
PARTNER Spotlight
PJ LIBRARY’S WORLDWIDE IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF JUDAISM HAS PROVEN PARAMOUNT TO OUR
MISSION. We are very fortunate to be able to support the charities, organizations, institutions, and programs we are passionate about, and we feel that the future of these entities depends, in part, upon us leaving legacy gifts. One of our legacy gifts is to the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, including PJ Library, which is managed by the Federation.
The well-being of children has been a lifelong commitment of ours. When Harold Grinspoon presented his brilliant PJ Library concept to the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation in 2006-2007 as he was seeking partner funders, Elizabeth knew that she wanted to be part of this fabulous opportunity. It is an honor and privilege for her to be one of the mother/grandmother founders of PJ Library in Portland. It is such a loving, subtle, nonintimidating way for parents to educate their children about Jewish identity and tradition, and it is a very special opportunity for all parents to bond with their children. Children are a priority, and PJ Library puts them first. It is a win-win situation.
We are so enthusiastic about supporting PJ Library in perpetuity with our legacy gift, and we hope others will join us on this exciting legacy journey.
Elizabeth and Ruben Menashe Portland, Oregon
THE MISSION OF THE ZEFF KESHER FOUNDATION IS TO FOSTER A CONNECTED JEWISH WORLD FOCUSED ON THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN ISRAEL AND WORLD JEWRY. Without active interventions to change a divergent path, we will not be a connected Jewish people. To that end, I support the Jewish Agency for Israel, JEWISHcolorado, my local Federation, and PJ Library. When I moved to Colorado with my 3- and 6-year-olds, it was a dramatic change to come from Israel — where Judaism was just part of the air we breathed — to a place where you need to actively choose to be a Jew. We did not belong to a synagogue in Israel, but in Denver, that was the best way for my children to understand their Jewish heritage. We didn’t have a Federation in Israel, but in Colorado, that was the best link to Israel. That’s where we discovered PJ Library and the ease of connecting to our heritage through amazing books.
Diana Zeff Anderson Denver, Colorado
OUR FAMILY’S INVOLVEMENT WITH PJ LIBRARY BEGAN WHEN CAROL RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM HAROLD GRINSPOON IN WHICH HE DESCRIBED HIS VISION TO BRING PJ LIBRARY
TO COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. He asked to partner with our foundation, the Isaac and Carol Auerbach Family Foundation, to introduce PJ Library to the Philadelphia community. Since then the foundation has contributed each year, primarily in Rachel’s home community of Seattle through the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.
In addition, Carol introduced Harold to the OyBaby series, a collection of Jewish-themed music videos for young children created by Lisi and Rob Wolf. These wonderful videos, the second of which features Rachel’s oldest son Jonah when he was a preschooler (he is now 18!), were sent to families in the early years of PJ Library.
Over the years, six of Carol’s grandchildren have benefited from and enjoyed PJ Library along with countless children all over the world. We applaud Harold’s vision and creativity in being the early gateway to the Jewish engagement of young families, and we are proud to play a small role in this endeavor.
Carol Auerbach and Rachel Hyman Jupiter, Florida, and Seattle, Washington
WE GIVE TO PJ LIBRARY BECAUSE BEING JEWISH IS IMPORTANT TO US AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE
IMPORTANT TO THOSE THAT COME AFTER US. To connect with our long and rich history and understand Jewish values and the relevance of those values to our lives today, we need to remember our stories. There is great wisdom reflected in our 5,000-year history. That wisdom and the traditions that support it are passed on through the stories we tell. When we lived in Jewish villages and neighborhoods, those stories were all around us. Today we are much more scattered, and the stories that transmit Jewish wisdom and tradition aren’t as easily accessible. PJ Library makes sure that these stories remain alive. Through them the essence of being Jewish can be passed on to our children, grandchildren, and the children of others. Without PJ Library, these stories and the reservoir of knowledge and history that they represent might be easily forgotten.
Moses and Susan Libitzky San Francisco, California
WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, WHERE DO YOU
START? For us, the answer lies in our commitment to our local Jewish community.
For the past 30-plus years, we have been involved in the Milwaukee Jewish community, our synagogue, and the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center. Our family has grown to include two girls (now young women!). All of us have benefited from our connection to the Jewish community and its strength, built by the generations before us.
We saw a way to build on the impact of PJ Library and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation in Milwaukee by creating an endowment gift for the PJ Library program at our JCC. We feel it is imperative to strengthen the connection families have with our Jewish community, especially the interfaith families in our JCC. PJ Library books and projects are a major way we can touch those families and make them more comfortable with their Jewish connections.
Our incredible PJ Library program professional, Rabbi Shari Shamah, has developed more ways to connect with our families through PJ Library. We are happy to support the program through special holiday and seasonal gift packages for our families. We also help provide PJ Library materials that grandparents can share with their grandchildren in person or on Zoom. Our goal is to engage and build connections with more Jewish families; our gift to PJ Library makes that happen.
Sue and Rick Strait Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Sue & Rick Strait PJ Library Young Family Engagement Endowment Fund has secured our connections with young Jewish families in our community for the future. In addition to establishing their endowment fund, Sue and Rick have also supported programs like the JCC Family Movie Night: Parking Lot Edition, a Rosh Hashanah outreach event, and a Shabbat engagement event.
Sue and Rick have been involved with Milwaukee’s PJ Library program since its inception, with Sue serving as a trusted advisor from the beginning. and Program Director Rabbi Shari Shamah. “They not only give from their hearts, but they inspire others to want to get involved. We are grateful for their support and partnership.”
The Straits’ endowment also helped launch a five-year strategic planning process for PJ Library. Going forward, we envision both remote and in-person PJ Library programs that will continue to engage young families, particularly those not otherwise Jewishly affiliated.
Sue and Rick Strait have always been passionate about maintaining the vibrancy of Milwaukee’s Jewish community, and their investment in PJ Library helps ensure that goal.
WHEN IS A CHILDREN’S BOOK a Good Book for Children?
By Winnie Sandler Grinspoon
PRESIDENT, HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION
When our son was a toddler, my friend asked him, “Do you know what your mommy does for work?” He answered “Yes! She works in the kitchen!”
This wasn’t the answer my friend expected. I had returned to my job as a lawyer after my son was born. Each morning I headed downtown to a law firm in the financial district where I worked developing civil cases for trials. But from the view of my toddler, my work happened at home. Every evening when I returned home, my son and I would spend time in the kitchen. He would play with his toys, and we’d catch up on the day as I went about getting dinner on the table. Fridays were even busier as I scurried to prepare a more festive meal. My son was right: I did work in the kitchen. His understanding of his mommy’s work made perfect sense from a child’s viewpoint.
The best children’s book authors are keenly aware that children don’t experience the world as adults do. A skilled author writes for a child’s specific cognitive stage, with words and images that a child can connect to. Picture books need just the right mix of prose and illustration to create an engaging story that meets a child at their level. Some books are beautiful and inspiring from an adult’s point of view but simply won’t engage a child. The illustrations may be too busy, for example, or the concepts too abstract. Aspiring authors often try too hard to teach a lesson at the expense of the story itself. A book is a miss when it strays too far from how a child processes the world.
I often sit in on the PJ Library Book Selection Committee meetings. The group searches for engaging stories with beautiful and captivating illustrations that share an important aspect of the Jewish experience, and a primary consideration is whether a book will resonate with a child. The experts on the committee often discuss whether a certain book will work for a particular developmental stage. They consider everything from the visual cues in the illustrations to the quality of the cadence and the complexity of the prose. Books are often tested with children of different ages in advance of the meeting, and we hear reports on what questions they had or what captured their attention. At a recent meeting, one of the toddler books under consideration had a scene of a mom cooking in the kitchen. A committee member noted that this was yet another book that showed a mom at the stove. While the scene was only one element of the story, it was something to consider. The committee strives to create a diverse lineup of engaging books that act as windows and mirrors, providing views into the lives of families that have different experiences than the reader, as well as families that are familiar, whether in composition, religious practice, work life, or home life. With this guiding framework in mind, the committee reviewed the toddler book in its totality. There was agreement that the prose and illustrations were warm and inviting and were likely to engage a young child. It showcased a Jewish holiday celebration in a beautiful way. The kitchen scene was happy and familiar. The illustrations were bright, and there was just the right amount of humor to make the book engaging for both kids and adults. The committee chose the book for the PJ Library lineup.
I appreciate the thought that the committee puts toward every book it considers, and I was pleased that the group selected that toddler book. It was a sweet, lovely story, and I am sure it would have resonated with my toddler when his perspective was centered at home. Plus, the joy of Jewish celebration often happens around a dinner table or festive meal, just like in the book.
As parents and caregivers, our job is to expose our children to a broader worldview as they grow. Children learn through the totality of their experiences, including through the many books they read during childhood. Some children’s books will challenge stereotypes or teach important lessons in age-appropriate ways, and others are wonderful and engaging stories that children enjoy for their warmth and familiarity. Some children’s books artfully accomplish both of these goals. All of these books deserve a valued place in our children’s libraries.
67 Hunt Street, Suite 100 Agawam, MA 01001 USA 413-276-0800 pjlibrary.org
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REFLECTIONS: RETIRING (PROFESSIONALLY) FROM PJ LIBRARY
By Paul Lewis, FORMER PJ LIBRARY TEAM MEMBER, PROUD PJ LIBRARY GRANDPARENT
As we walked off the 18th green, my golf-playing partner asked, “Are you Jewish?” I had met him for the first time just four hours earlier when we teed off, but I wasn’t surprised by the question. I was pretty sure he was Jewish too. “Yes, I am,” I said proudly. “I thought so,” he continued. “I thought I recognized you from Mount Sinai.” I got a good laugh from that. Clearly my fellow golfer took to heart the lesson from the Passover Haggadah, “In every generation, let each person feel as if they themselves had emerged from Egypt.” Being Jewish instantly linked us to each other and our shared story that stretches back thousands of years. I love being part of the Jewish story. And I love telling stories, which may be why I like Passover so much and why I was a journalist for 33 years. As a family engagement program with bedtime stories at its beating heart, PJ Library was a good fit for me in 2009. I retired at the end of 2020, grateful to have had two careers where going to work didn’t feel much like work because I was so invested in the mission. When I came on board at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library had a staff of a dozen, and I heard a lot of “Who is PJ, and why does he have a library?” We had launched in about 50 communities and already were distributing thousands of books each month. My job was to tell the PJ Library story to pitch it to Jewish communities throughout the US and Canada. Frankly, it wasn’t a hard sell. Most people could see this — sending free Jewish books directly to families’ homes — was a big idea that was elegantly simple. To make the program even easier to embrace, philanthropist Harold Grinspoon would pay for half the cost of the program in every community. Harold’s method of philanthropy is brilliant: Create more philanthropists by seeking partners and inspiring others to join him in doing tzedakah. Those early days were exciting and head spinning. In a blur, we grew, and now it’s truly astounding to see children in more than 30 countries around the world receive books published in 7 languages. However, the numbers and the books are only part of the story. It’s the impact of PJ Library that fills me with joy: the numerous people who have told me they met their best friends because they attended PJ Library programs, the families who began lighting Shabbat candles because of PJ Library, the donors who are proud to ensure a vibrant and rich Jewish future for their children and grandchildren through their gifts to PJ Library, and the kids who are excited to live joyful Jewish lives because PJ Library inspired their parents to send them to Jewish summer camp. I’ll always treasure my memories of the mom who couldn’t wait to show me photos of the sukkah her family built for the first time because they were inspired by a PJ Library Sukkot book, and the 5-year-old who learned the word tzedakah from the PJ Library book Bagels from Benny and then asked her dad when he finished reading the story, “Daddy, what do we do for tzedakah?” It’s not hyperbole to say PJ Library is the most effective and most beloved initiative in the Jewish world — and it’s still growing! What an honor to have been a part of it.
