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April 2, 2010
Free book program launches
PJ Library brings Jewish stories to Lower Mainland homes.
EVA COHEN
Families in the Lower Mainland are about to begin receiving free Jewish books and CDs each month as part of the PJ Library program, an initiative that was started in western Massachusetts by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
Harold Grinspoon, a Jewish philanthropist, got the idea from a program initiated by Dolly Parton. He had been making donations to that program and felt that a similar one could be created to enrich the lives of Jewish youth and their families.
What began in Massachusetts is now in more than 130 communities across North America, as well as a couple of spin-offs in Israel. Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver (JFGV) heard about the book project and its success in other cities. Now, in partnership with the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and local donors, PJ has been launched in this province.
“There are a lot of families who don’t live right in the city; they live in places like Coquitlam and Langley, and once a family is further away from the Jewish community, it is harder for them to stay involved, harder to stay Jewish,” said Michael Fugman, JFGV board chair. “The PJ Library program will bring Jewish stories, Jewish values, into the home and, each month, will be something exciting for both the children and parents to look forward to.”
In anticipation of the program, the children’s illustrated book Something from Nothing, by Phoebe Gilman, was sent to households on the Federation mailing list. Gilman released the publication in 1992, and many Jewish children in North America have been exposed to the story. It is books like these, those teaching about family, sharing the warmth of a Jewish home, that have been chosen by a committee to be a part of the PJ Library program.
The number of families the program can currently support is 360 and, Fugman said, the spots are rapidly filling up. However, the more support and involvement the program gets, the more it will be able to grow to include an even greater number of families.
Ginaya Peters is a mother of three in Vancouver who has signed her family up for the PJ Library. She said she had heard about the program in other cities and was immediately interested.
“My eldest child is currently in the kindergarten program at Talmud Torah, and they get some exposure to Jewish novels and stories there, but it’s not the same as having a book sent straight into the home,” she said. “Also, my children won’t be staying in Jewish school past kindergarten, so I think a program like this is really important to help maintain a Jewish presence in the home when they won’t be getting it many other places.”
When a city launches the PJ Library program, participating families are sent questionnaires by the Grinspoon Foundation to follow up on their experiences. Marcie Greenfield Simons, director of PJ Library, said the program has been overwhelmingly accepted in all of the communities it has entered.
“Of the families involved, up to 80 percent are likely to become more involved in their local Jewish communities,” said Simons. “This may range from beginning with going to just one Shabbat meal, or by families reaching out to other families in their area whose children are enjoying the same stories. This program has a positive effect on Jewish communities as a whole.”
In Vancouver, for example, many of the families now applying for the PJ Library were previously unknown to Federation.
For more information, contact Federation at 604-257-5100, or visit jfgv.com.
Eva Cohen is a freelance writer, currently residing in Vancouver.
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