(Courtesy of PJ Library) Monmouth and Greater Middlesex County-area families raising Jewish children will now have more opportunities to connect with each other by participating in Jewish life, thanks to a new program reimbursing them up to $100 to create and share their own Jewish-inspired experiences with neighbors, family and friends—no strings attached.
The “Get Together” program is available to members of PJ Library® and PJ Our Way™, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) programs that the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey brings to this community. With the Federation’s support, PJ Library and PJ Our Way send free Jewish books and music CDs each month to more than 3,000 kids in Monmouth and Middlesex counties.
Applications for the “Get Together” program are now being accepted through April 30, 2019. PJ Library and PJ Our Way families currently living in Monmouth and Greater Middlesex counties may apply for as many as three “Get Together” grants for events to take place before April 30. Applications and details are online at pjlibrary.org/GetTogether2018.
The “Get Together” program is designed to help build social connections among families and encourage them to engage in Jewish life, programming or learning. Parents can use “Get Together” incentives for Shabbat- and holiday-themed experiences, baking or crafts, book clubs, and adults-only evenings. Get-togethers happen when and how families want to experience them.
“The main goal of PJ Library, PJ Our Way, and these ‘Get Together’ grants is to excite young families about connecting with Jewish life in a fun way,” said Inbar Singal, manager of community engagement with the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey. The Federation funds PJ Library and PJ Our Way in Monmouth and Greater Middlesex, and supports “Get Together” programs with event planning, supplies and promotions.
Many young families want to be part of a Jewish community; they crave content, culture and connection, but they want to do it in ways that suit them. The get-togethers are a way to encourage families to celebrate Jewish life and community their way. Federation helps make this possible.
“What a wonderful evening we had with friends and family celebrating the first crazy night of Chanukah!” Jacqeline Goldberg Komisar of Metuchen posted on Facebook about the “Get Together” grant she received for a Chanukah bash with other Jewish families from her area. “Thank you all who got a little crazy with us and brought your love, laughter and cheer into our home! It’s especially light in our life this year!”
“Every one of the tens of thousands of PJ Library and PJ Our Way books sent across the country each month is an individual invitation into a broader community not bound by geographic borders,” said Judi Wisch, director of community engagement for PJ Library. “We work closely with our local partners to ensure that the invitation doesn’t end when the story ends, which is why we support events and provide financial resources to encourage families to build connections with one another.”
