PJ Library Minneapolis celebrates 10th birthday
PJ Library, a program of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis’ (JFCS), will be celebrating two major milestones on Sunday, Nov. 11 – its 10th birthday, marking the 10 years the program has been in Minneapolis, and the delivery of its 100,000th free book! The event will be held from 2-4 p.m. at Jewish Housing and Programming (J-HAP) (9300 Golden Valley Rd, Golden Valley). Click here to register!
PJ Library is an international award-winning program designed to strengthen Jewish identity by sending Jewish-content books and music on a monthly basis to children from age 6 months through 8 years. It’s an initiative of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and was established with the goal of helping families with young children create stronger Jewish homes through books with Jewish content.
The 10th birthday party is for the whole family – attendees can decorate aprons and participate in Cupcake Wars, where bakers will be judged on taste, style, and presentation! Noah, 11, a PJ Library participant who has been receiving free books for all of PJ Library’s 10 years, will be presented with the program’s milestone 100,000th free book at the event!
Michelle Parks, Noah’s mother, said their family focuses a lot on tradition, so the PJ Library books only enhance the way they celebrate holidays and milestones. She added that her children learned of Jewish customs partly through these books.
Noah
“Noah has loved so many of his books throughout the years,” Michelle said. “Some were silly, like Five Little Gefiltes, which we read over and over, and some were serious and touched on real-life experiences. Noah has had many thoughtful questions and comments about the books over the years. They’ve sparked many interesting discussions over the dinner table or at bedtime. His love of Jewish learning started when he received his first PJ Library book.”
Noah is old enough where he chooses his own books now though the PJ Our Way program (for kids ages 8-1/2 through 11), but always loved receiving the PJ Library books in the mail when he was younger. “Our family has been receiving PJ Library books for as long as I can remember,” Michelle said. “There is excitement every time we open a new PJ envelope.”