Did you know that PJ Library turns 18 years this year? On Sunday, March 3, PJ Library in Southern Arizona will host an 18th Birthday Bash for PJ Library. The Birthday Bash is made possible thanks to a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. The Birthday Bash is free and open to all (you do not have to be Jewish to participate!), and will feature Mr. Nature’s Interactive Music & Story Jams!, facepainting, Storywalk®, crafts, inflatables, pizza available for purchase and more!
PJ Library is an award-winning Jewish engagement program that distributes free monthly age-appropriate books to Jewish children birth through 12 years of age. PJ Library shares Jewish stories that can help families talk together about values and traditions that are important to them and shares resources that foster deeper engagement with Jewish life. The hope is that families everywhere see PJ Library books both as mirrors and windows. Modeled after Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, PJ Library is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and is made possible through partnerships with philanthropists and local Jewish organizations.
Since the launch of PJ Library in Southern Arizona in October 2008, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA), has built a strong foundation as the original local programming partner. The program kicked off in October 2008 with the mailing of an invitation to join and the book Castle on Hester Street to over 5,000 families in Southern Arizona. PJ Library in Southern Arizona’s inaugural December 2008 program celebrated Hanukkah at the Tucson Children’s Museum. The first PJ Library books arrived in mailboxes in January 2009.
In 2022, JPSA and Tucson J leadership came together to discuss the future of PJ Library and determined that the Tucson J will be the lead programming partner moving forward. Since then, the Tucson J and JPSA have worked collaboratively to ensure adequate funding for PJ Library in Southern Arizona through philanthropy and share in the promotion and storytelling of the program, a vital platform in engaging families with young children in Jewish life.
Let’s celebrate 18 years of outreach, engagement, and the enrichment of Jewish lives, together!
Learn more about or sign up for PJ Library in Southern Arizona here.
