BB Camp, PJ Library partner to bring Jewish stories to children statewide

By JEWISH REVIEW

article created on: 2011-02-01T00:00:00

In a first-of-its-kind partnership anywhere in the country, B’nai B’rith Camp has committed funds to The PJ Library to send Jewish books to young Jewish children all over Oregon.

The PJ Library sends thousands of Jewish bedtime story books to hundreds of households worldwide to make Jewish learning an exciting and easily accessible part of kids’ bedtime routines. It’s already reached more than 1,000 children in the Portland metro area and surrounding communities. But Jewish kids in Central and Southern Oregon haven’t had that kind of access.

And BB Camp wanted to play a role in introducing and connecting nearly 500 children in Bend, Eugene, Salem, Corvallis and Southern Oregon to great books with quality Jewish content.

A number of organizations and generous individual donors have made this possible. The organizations are B’nai B’rith Men’s Camp Association, which owns BB Camp; the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation; and area synagogues in Bend, Eugene, Salem, Corvallis and Southern Oregon. The partnership between The PJ Library and participating communities also is a first, with the exception of Eugene, whose program began in 2007.

“This new model of collaboration marries BB Camp, OJCF and PJ Library’s missions of building community,” says Michelle Koplan, BB Camp executive director. “Our goal is to strengthen our Jewish community, and this partnership allows all three organizations, along with the participating communities, to outreach to many more Oregon families to create stronger Jewish identities and enhanced learning opportunities.”

“In its first year of this collaboration, The PJ Library anticipates reaching more than 500 children,” according to Julie Diamond, OJCF’s executive director, referring to the broader partnership between The PJ Library, other organizations and numerous donors.

Said Irv Potter, BB Camp’s board of directors president: “We are thrilled to be able to help bring this program to future campers and to their families—and hundreds of others—throughout the state.”

Children eligible to receive The PJ Library books must live in Bend, Eugene, the Salem-Corvallis area, Southern Oregon, or these communities’ surrounding areas and be 8 years old or younger.

These small cities and more-rural locales have small Jewish communities, often without access to Jewish books for children. The PJ Library wanted to replicate for them what families in the Portland area have been able to tap into since 2007.

In Portland and its environs, PJ Library families often connect through story times and other community gatherings it sponsors. PJ Library’s books help create meaningful Jewish connections early in kids’ lives and, true to the PJ Library’s mission, it wanted as many Oregon kids—and their families—as possible to enjoy these connections, too. (In the Portland area, eligible children are 6 years old and younger.)

The PJ Library, an award-winning Jewish family engagement program, is available in more than 130 communities across the United States, Canada and Israel, and each is sponsored by local Jewish organizations and donors.

The PJ Library program is designed to strengthen the identities of Jewish children and families and their relationship to the Jewish community. The organization in the Portland metro area provides free bedtime books and music every month for children ages 6 months to 6 years; the age range varies by community, so check local PJ Library information.

The program in Portland is made possible by generous local donors, the OJCF and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

For more information, or to learn about becoming a program funder, contact the OJCF at www.ojcf.org, www.pjlibrary.org or pjlibraryportland@gmail.com.

B’nai B’rith Camp is located on a lakeside campus on the scenic Oregon coast. Since 1921, the camp has been dedicated to providing the best summer experience for today’s campers while preparing them to be tomorrow’s community leaders. BB Camp strives to teach the values and ethics of Jewish living by example, experience and creative expression.