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THE PJ LIBRARY EXPANDS TO 32 JEWISH COMMUNITIES AND GROWING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 5, 2007, Springfield, MA... The Next Big Thing in Judaism is happening in beds across America. The major players are likely found in their pajamas, cozying up with their favorite blankies, a parent, and a wonderful book. This is the PJ Library at work (www.pjlibrary.org).

A recent survey shows that the PJ Library provides a highly effective strategy for reaching intermarried and unaffiliated Jewish parents with young children, by gifting them free, monthly Jewish books and music with universal appeal. An initiative of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, the library feeds curiosity about Jewish culture, traditions and values, by mailing parents with children aged six months to six years a high-quality, age-appropriate book or CD every month, free-of-charge, to explore with their tots.

The survey reveals that before joining the PJ Library, the families owned five or less Jewish children's books, and only 23% of the parents were very likely to buy Jewish books or CDs. However, 75% now read the PJ Library books to their children once a week or more. Ninety-five percent requested the PJ Library be extended through age eight. Over 73% intend to re-enroll next year, even when asked to contribute $18 per year. Most gave the program top rankings, and said the books spark Jewish conversations amongst family members. In a majority of these homes, only one parent is Jewish, or one is a Jew by choice, lacking Jewish childhood memories to pass on. In many cases, both parents grew up with little Jewish culture.

The PJ Library is the brainchild of Harold Grinspoon, a highly innovative philanthropist from Springfield, Massachusetts, who found his inspiration in country singer Dolly Parton. "About four years ago I brought Dolly's Imagination Library, which distributes books to inner-city children, to Western Massachusetts," Grinspoon explained. "Then it occurred to me -- this is the ideal project to adapt to the Jewish community. We need to get Yiddishkeit into the homes of unengaged Jewish families in a positive way."

Grinspoon knew that reading stories and listening to music are among the most powerful childhood learning experiences. Parents and children have warm memories of that special time right before bed where snuggled together, they end the day with a book. In Winter 2005, he decided to turn these special moments into "Jewish moments". He named the library "PJ" -- short for "pajamas" -- with the notion that books and music add to the magic of bedtime.

Since then, the PJ Library has extended from Western Massachusetts to 32 communities, including San Francisco, Columbus, Denver, Sarasota, Shreveport, Portland and Detroit.

With Grinspoon Foundation subsidies, the PJ Library costs $60 per child per year, paid by a philanthropic partner, be it a private or organizational donor, such as a local Jewish Federation.

Grinspoon Foundation is seeking additional partners to reach its goal of putting the PJ Library in thousands more young Jewish households across the country by the end of 2007.

For press information, contact Annabelle Stevens, AnnabelleStevens.com PR & Philanthropic Consulting, at 310-435-6996 or annabelle@annabellestevens.com or Dahlia Greer at 310-339-1060 or Dahlia.Greer@gmail.com.

For information about funding or creating the PJ Library in your community, contact Marcie Greenfield Simons at 413-736-2552 or Marcie@hgf.org.

Visit the PJ Library website at www.pjlibrary.org.

(LIST OF THE PJ LIBRARY COMMUNITIES CURRENTLY LAUNCHED, ATTACHED)


At this time, the PJ Library has established partnerships with the following communities:

Akron, OH
Anshe Emet Synagogue, Chicago, IL
Boulder, CO
Columbus, OH
Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, Syracuse NY
Dayton, OH
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
Eugene, OR
Fort Worth, TX
Greensboro, NC
Greenwich, CT
Houston, TX
Jewish Family Services of Metrowest MA
Judaism Your Way, Denver, CO
New Haven, CT
New Orleans, LA
North Shore MA
Omaha, NE
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
San Francisco, CA
Santa Cruz, CA
Sarasota, FL
Shreveport, LA
Southbend, IN
Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor, MI
Temple Shalom of Newton, MA
Toledo, OH
Tulsa, OK
Western CT
Western MA

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