PJ Library is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, a North American Jewish non-profit organization based in West Springfield, Massachusetts. It was created in December 2005 as a Jewish engagement and literacy program for Jewish and interfaith families raising young Jewish children. The Shalom Institute in conjunction with the Jewish Communal Appeal (JCA) have brought this amazing program to Australia.
Families raising Jewish children in NSW or the ACT aged 6 months to 6 years can join this amazing program.
Children enrolled in PJ Library receive age-appropriate books highlighting Jewish holidays, values, Bible stories, and folklore. Books are selected by the PJ Library Book Selection Committee. Working with authors, publishers and editors, the committee strives to ensure that the finest Jewish books for children find their way each month into the mailboxes of all PJ Library families. Many of the PJ Library books have won prestigious awards, including the Caldecott Medal and the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Several have been named as finalists for the National Jewish Book Award from the Jewish Book Council.
At a point when many young families are exploring how they want to raise their children, the PJ Library books and music arrive in families’ homes. Offering resources for making Jewish choices and establishing Jewish connections.
The program also sparks meaningful Jewish conversations within families and reaches Jews on the periphery.