For the last 18 years, PJ Library has been inspiring joyful Jewish experiences by sending free storybooks and activities to families with children up to age 12.
“PJ Library is designed to be welcoming, inclusive and meaningful to families, regardless of Jewish experience or level of observance,” Alex Zablotsky, executive director of PJ Library, told The Journal. “No matter what Jewishness looks like in any family, strengthening a child’s connection to Jewish values, traditions and celebrations can be as easy as adding PJ Library storybooks to reading time.”
Founded in 2005 by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) and today, with the support of generous donors and partners, PJ Library distributes books in seven languages to more than 650,000 children in over 40 countries every month.
“New generations of kids are growing up with their own library of books that allows them to explore Jewish holidays, traditions and culture,” Zablotsky said. “Seeing positive, joyful Jewish representation in these stories helps to reinforce and strengthen a child’s Jewish identity and the entire family’s connections to Jewish life.”
To celebrate this milestone, PJ Library’s community partners across North America are hosting events.
“We’ve also celebrated with our colleagues and community partners at our PJ Library conference back in April and will celebrate with a collective of our leading donors in August,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to thank all our partners and supporters who have made our first 18 years so unbelievably successful.”
The Journal spoke with Zablotsky about the program’s origins, growth and value to Jewish families around the world.
JJ: What inspired PJ Library?
AZ: In 2005 PJ Library’s founder, Harold Grinspoon, heard country-music legend Dolly Parton on the radio discussing her children’s book-gifting program called Imagination Library. Dolly wanted kids to have their own library of books in their homes to grow their love of reading and build literacy for new generations.
At that time, Harold had already been thinking of ways to share the joys of Jewish life with children. He wanted to build Jewish literacy and connection to the values, stories, and tradition that have always been at the center of the Jewish experience.
As Harold listened to Dolly lay out the structure of her program, the idea for PJ Library started taking shape. He would use this as his blueprint. Harold later called his daughter-in-law and now president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, to say, “We should create a Jewish version of Imagination Library.” The model of sourcing and distributing books to children each month with the help of local partnerships is still the foundation of how PJ Library operates today.
JJ: How has it evolved over the years?
AZ: PJ Library has evolved in so many ways. In North America it has grown from a book program created for kids to a program that engages the whole family in both local and online Jewish communities. Our local partners utilize a full suite of programs, events, parent ambassadors and other engagement opportunities to help families connect with one another. The resources, activities, and tools that we create as companions to the books inspire conversations and help families from the wide diversity of the Jewish experience connect to Jewish life.
We have also expanded beyond the books to telling stories in other media, including podcasts, story time videos and audiobooks.
PJ Library has also evolved and adapted to grow around the world. The program is now found in 40+ countries with books in seven languages including English, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian, and Ukrainian. Our largest program is in Israel, where we distribute more than 370,000 Hebrew-language books each month in partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Education.
PJ Library has also evolved and adapted to grow around the world. The program is now found in 40+ countries with books in seven languages including English, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian, and Ukrainian.
JJ: What has been the greatest challenge?
AZ: Meeting global demand. Scaling the program and distributing books to nearly a third of Jewish families around the world has been a tremendous achievement. And there are still many global Jewish communities that we are not yet engaging, as we seek local partners and financial supporters to extend beyond the current seven languages offered. We hear from families regularly from all around the world asking for the opportunity to engage their children in Jewish life through PJ Library books.
JJ: The biggest accomplishment?
AZ: Contributing to the publication of hundreds of wonderful Jewish books: Classic stories, old stories told in new ways and brand-new stories that share new and increasingly diverse Jewish voices with families all around the world. Jewish children today have access to an extraordinary canon of beautiful, joyful Jewish stories from a broad range of publishers, each of which is an invitation to connect to Jewish life.
JJ: What is something people don’t typically know about PJ Library?
AZ: It’s funny: So many people ask what does the “PJ” in PJ Library stand for? It simply stands for Pajamas.
JJ: Anything to add?
AZ: At such a tumultuous time, we hope that PJ Library can play a small part in helping Jews around the world feel connected to each other and to the larger global Jewish community. We are proud to be partnering with the Israeli Ministry of Education to support families displaced following Oct. 7, to continue providing Jewish connections for more than 3,000 Jewish Ukrainian children across Europe and to be a source of reliable, much-needed Jewish joy for families.
Learn more or sign up for monthly children’s books at pjlibrary.org. Learn about some of the East Coast celebrations: https://newyork.pjlibrary.org/18. ■
