National Recognition

The Coalition of Jewish Education of the JFSA is proud to announce that The PJ Library® was selected as one of Slingshot 08/09 resource guide’s fifty most inspiring and innovative organizations, projects, and programs in the North American Jewish community today as announced in September  2008.  Slingshot 08/09 is a resource guide published by 21/64, a nonprofit consulting division of The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies.
The 50 newest Slingshot programs to be inducted stood out from hundreds of nominated Jewish projects, based on programmatic originality, community impact, leadership and organizational efficiency.
The PJ Library® sends high-quality Jewish-content books and music on a monthly basis to families with children ages six months through seven years (ages varies from community to community). The PJ Library® is funded nationally in partnership with local philanthropists and organizations. The PJ Library® is now in 80-plus communities, reaching over 29,000 children. Another 40 communities are soon to launch.
“We are thrilled for these honors,” remarked Harold Grinspoon, founder and chairman of The Harold Grinspoon Foundation. “Being selected by Slingshot will be a catalyst for reaching out to more young Jewish families to become PJ Library subscribers.”
To select the Slingshot inductees, 21/64 conducts an extensive evaluation process overseen by 25 foundation professionals. They look for programs and leaders that reinvigorate Jewish expression and practice in the areas of ritual, history, language, liturgy, culture, and tikkun olam – healing the planet.
Slingshot 08/09 was unveiled at an event in Manhattan on September 18, 2008. The publication is available in hard copy and as a free download at www.2164.net or at www.slingshotfund.org.
“Reinvention and adaptation are the hallmarks of Judaism, and the Slingshot organizations are leading the charge in North America,” said Sharna Goldseker, co-founder and Director of 21/64. “By challenging convention and exploring new ways to bridge the past with the next generation, these nonprofits tell us that our tradition, history, and culture are still central to how we identify ourselves.”