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By JERRY SILVERMAN<\/p>\n
Nate couldn\u2019t decide what he wanted to be for Purim \u2013 follow his heart and dress as an alien or succumb to peer pressure and wear a superhero costume? It\u2019s a tough decision for a little boy, but he got some help from his two dads.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Purim Superhero\u201d is one of PJ Library\u2019s book selections for this month. For nine years, and in partnerships with various donors and Jewish Federations, PJ Library has been sending free monthly book selections to Jewish children up to age 8. Created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), it\u2019s a tremendous program that not only encourages reading, but does so in a Jewish context. Each month, 130,000 books are sent to families in North America, and the program has expanded to Israel and additional countries as well. Many Federations have PJ Library gatherings to connect and engage families.<\/p>\n
As \u201cThe Purim Superhero\u201d demonstrates, children receiving those books learn about more than Jewish holidays and traditions. They learn about Jewish life, and their families find an entry to Jewish communal life. Indeed, a study of 20,000 American Jewish families participating in the project found that 58 percent said the program has influenced their decisions to \u201cbuild upon or add a Jewish tradition to their home life\u201d and 62 percent said it \u201cincreased their families\u2019 positive feelings about being Jewish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through PJ Library, books that focus on families with adopted children, disabled children (and kids with disabled family members), interracial and intermarried families, Jews of color, secular and Orthodox families, and, in this case, LBGT Jews, young children are exposed to the multifaceted world that is today\u2019s Jewish community.<\/p>\n
Books such as Elizabeth Kushner\u2019s \u201cThe Purim Superhero\u201d reflect life that so many of us already see in our communities, our children\u2019s schools, our synagogues and Jewish camps and sometimes in our own families. Few among us can say that we don\u2019t know a child with two moms or two dads.<\/p>\n
PJ Library predicted, though, that this particular book might raise questions, so it made the selection available only by request as an additional book. Some questioned why didn\u2019t they just automatically send it to all. I applaud the HGF for being sensitive, realizing we have a community that is diverse and offering a choice. The response has been overwhelming. In less than two days, PJ Library had exhausted its stock of 2,000 books. They quickly ordered thousands more.<\/p>\n
A very few in our community were alienated by the choice of this book, and have dropped their subscriptions altogether, even though they had the option of simply not selecting the book. That\u2019s their choice, of course, but that\u2019s also unfortunate. Those few families that canceled entire subscriptions are missing out on a wonderful gift for their children \u2013 a gift that demonstrates that not all families are the same \u2013 and one that is so much bigger than this single great book.<\/p>\n
At Jewish Federations, we believe that every Jew deserves a welcome place in our community. We encourage PJ Library to continue sending children books that reflect the Jewish community\u2019s wonderful diversity. We recognize that not every family will choose to read every Jewish book to a child, but each family should be able to make the decision on its own. But those families who do choose to read all the books will be giving their children a tremendous gift \u2013 a gift that allows them to see the richness and diversity of Jewish life.<\/p>\n
Jerry Silverman is president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of North America.<\/em><\/p>\n