JewishMiami.org

Ekev, by Rabbi David J. Zucker, JFNA Rabbinic Cabinet

When Law came into the world, freedom came into the world.

-Talmud-

PJ Library Helps Miami Children Enjoy Bedtime Stories

Thousands of Miami children can now enjoy bedtime stories about Jewish values and traditions, thanks to a new early childhood program called The PJ Library.

Named after the bedtime garb, PJ Library aims to help families teach their children the tenets of Judaism through children’s books.

Families who subscribe to PJ Library can open their mailboxes each month to find a brand-new book featuring a Jewish topic. The program is free for children up to the age of eight and allows youngsters to build their own Jewish library at home.

Miami's PJ Library also hosts events throughout the year that offer young children and their parents a chance to explore their Jewish roots together. All of these events are free and open to the public.

At left, PJ Library Coordinator Jenni Person reads “Engineer Ari” to children and their parents at the Miami Children’s Museum during a Rosh Hashanah story time.

To kick off The PJ Library in Miami last September Federation sent more than 45,000 households a copy of the book “Something From Nothing” by Phoebe Gilman, along with information about how to sign up for the program.

Subscriptions to PJ Library are available for the first 1,800 children who sign up in Miami-Dade County.

At right, children make apple print Shofars during a craft project sponsored by the Open Tent at the Miami Children’s Museum kickoff for The PJ Library on September 21.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s chapter of The PJ Library is part of a national program started in 2005 by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Miami’s PJ Library chapter is funded by the Blank Family Foundation, started by one of Federation’s founders, Sam Blank. It is being launched in partnership with a wide range of early childhood centers, Jewish Community Centers, synagogues and agencies who share the program’s goal to reach as many children as possible.

Click here to learn more about The PJ Library or contact PJ Library coordinator Jenni Person at 305.576.4000. ext. 572 or jperson@gmjf.org.

Greater Miami Jewish Federation
Stanley C. Myers Building
4200 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, FL 33137-3279
Telephone: 305-576-4000

The Mission of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is to mobilize human and financial resources to care for those in need, strengthen Jewish life and advance the unity, values and shared purpose of the Jewish people in Miami, in Israel, and around the world.