Once upon a time, there were two children who would quarrel just before bedtime – but it was happily for all the right reasons.
One wanted to read PJ Library’s Meet The Latkes, the story of a family of potato pancakes who are enthralled by Grandpa Latke’s rendition of the miracle of Chanukah, while the other was adamant they should choose Izzy the Whiz and Passover McClean, a tale about an inventor who comes up with a very clever machine to get the house ready for the holiday.
It didn’t seem to matter it was the height of summer and neither festival was about to be celebrated – for my son and daughter simply wanted to hear a story they had read and loved so many times before, and which helped them connect to their Jewishness.
Now, a decade later, Ella – who was among the first cohort of children in the UK to receive a PJ Library book every month – is a fully fledged teenager but she still enjoys reading the stories to her younger brother.
“I like the stories because they teach you about being Jewish,” enthuses Zack, who, aged 10, still likes to dip into the vast collection of books on our shelves.
PJ Library founder Harold Grinspoon visits Sinai school
Happily, in our household the magic of PJ Library has not quite yet left the building – nor has it for many of the thousands of other youngsters around the world aged nought to eight who have enjoyed their Jewish-themed books at absolutely no cost.
In the UK alone – where the project is marking its 10th anniversary – PJ Library has just signed up its 20,000th subscriber.
PJ Library was started 20 years ago by US philanthropist Harold Grinspoon, who came up with the clever idea of making Jewish children’s books more readily available to families wherever they are in the world.
And he did so by targeting the one time in the day parents put aside to read with their children – bedtime.
“He took an activity that families are doing anyway and said, ‘well, why not make that moment a Jewish moment?’” explains Lauren Hamburger, director of PJ Library in the UK.
George and Dylan
Since then, PJ Library – named for the pyjamas worn at bedtime – has gone from strength to strength, reaching 650,000 children in 40 countries every single month, with books printed in seven different languages.
In the UK, 8,000 Jewish families from the Orkney Islands to Jersey and everywhere in between are currently subscribed to the service – but if you ask them what they love most about the project it’s not just receiving “beautiful stories”. For many, PJ Library has helped youngsters and their parents feel more connected to their Jewishness – but also enabled those living in more remote areas to maintain their identities in smaller communities.
“We want to be that ramp into the Jewish community,” explains Lauren, who adds that a third of subscribers in the UK live outside of London, Manchester and Leeds. “We want people to feel excited to read their free monthly Jewish book each month – but then to also feel positive about being Jewish.”
PJ Library works with more than 150 partners, including nurseries, schools, cheders and synagogues, as well as community hubs and charities like JW3, Maccabi and Jewish Care, to encourage more parents to subscribe, become more knowledgeable and pass on a “joy for Judaism”, says Lauren.
“Our main goals really are to reach more Jewish children, wherever they are, and to ensure they are receiving high-quality books. Alongside that, we want to support parents and be there for them in a way that helps them define their family’s Jewish identity.
“That’s the real beauty of PJ Library – there are no financial barriers to entry and there are no geographical ones, because the books come to you. There are also no religious barriers – if you define yourselves as a family raising Jewish kids then you are welcome to sign up.
“Our last goal is really to ensure PJ Library can sustain its impact, by encouraging people to support us – and alongside very generous foundations, trusts and patrons, we have families who have enjoyed PJ Library so much that they are happy to pay it forward and cover the costs for another child.”
For Alexi Lewy, who moved with husband Zach to Jersey during the pandemic, receiving PJ Library books for her two youngest daughters has meant “everything”.
Members of an antenatal group reveiving their baby books
With a community of just 100 Jews living on the Channel Island, Australian-born Alexi – who also has two older stepsons – wanted to ensure her children still felt connected to their Jewish culture and found the answer with PJ Library.
“To be able to share with them and help instil a pride of being Jewish has been so important,” explains Alexi. “They pull these books off the shelves regularly to read and it doesn’t matter if it is a Pesach book that we read in December, for example, because it’s the values and stories that make these books so special. It’s not even just Jewish values and Jewish identity, which are incredibly important, but also actual life values that children can learn about.”
Alexi points to a story she has just been reading with her daughters called Manny’s Fridge, about a young girl trying to help her friend whose mother does not have enough money to buy food for their fridge.
“It speaks about the values of being just a good person and prompts the children to ask questions, which is really important.”
Alexi was so inspired by the PJ Library scheme that she got in touch with the charity to provide resources so that she could go into her daughters’ nursery and tell the other youngsters about upcoming Jewish festivals and shabbat.
She has also now set up a group for other Jewish families on the island and recently became a board member for PJ Library in the UK, so she can continue to help shape the experience for other families.
“What PJ Library has given us is a feeling that we can be proud about our Jewishness. My children are different to other families in Jersey, but they are proud of that difference.”
Cameron Stein is the 20,000th PJ Library member
Over in South London, Cameron Stein, four, was hand-delivered his first book by PJ Library board member Dr Marina Saprtisky-Hanum, after being unveiled last month as the 20,000th subscriber in the UK. His mum Dara says: “PJ Library offers more than just free books. It’s a great resource to help foster a love for learning while enabling a deeper connection to Jewish heritage.”
Lauren acknowledges that the last two years have been challenging in the wake of October 7, but PJ Library has not “sought to shy away from sharing Jewish stories or publishing books about Israel.”
If anything, she recognises that families “really needed that positive Jewish enforcement”. She recalls how just weeks after the atrocities, PJ Library hosted its annual Chanukah workshop for parents of children at non-Jewish schools.
“We usually get 30 to 40 people coming, but that time we had 150,” recalls Lauren. “They all wanted their kid to go into school and feel good about Chanukah and being Jewish.
“If PJ Library can help parents feel confident and their children feel proud about their Judaism, then that gives us as a lot of satisfaction we really are making an impact.”
To sign up to PJ Library, visit pjlibrary.org.uk
