PJ Library

FROM THE JEWISH FEDERATION

703-J-CARING Community Support Line
Feeling overwhelmed? Unsure about your options for support? Call 703-J-CARING: The Jewish Community Support Line (703-522-7464), to be connected with the many resources available to residents of DC, MD, and Northern VA.

Discover Local Jewish Preschools

Discover Local Jewish Religious Schools

Discover Local Jewish Day Schools

Discover Jewish Summer Camps

How to Talk to Children About Antisemitism
It’s a sad reality that even as we share holiday greetings and festive foods, we also need to offer expert advice on talking to your children about this topic.

Connect with Purpose with Your Grandchildren

FROM PJ LIBRARY

A Time to Grow

You don’t have to be an expert to get your family engaged with this month’s many Jewish holidays, but you might look like one if you download your free copy of PJ Library’s beautifully illustrated family guide to starting the Jewish New Year or check the limited supply of printed copies for sale on Amazon.com.

Sharing Family Recipes

The PJ Library home office is starting this new year with recipes from staff members’ own kitchens. The first is a grandma-honoring apple crisp with the crumby, crispy, cinnamon-sugary sweetness this new year needs. Then there’s a creative carrot soup, sweet like tzimmes and speckled with delicious pomegranate molasses.

Tikvah Means Hope Family Discussion Guide

Tikvah Means Hope by Patricia Polacco is a powerful Sukkot story with a very cute cat and unfortunate relevance for families experiencing the current wildfires and other natural disasters. PJ Library’s new family discussion guide offers ways to use this picture book as a gentle prompt for meaningful family conversation around supporting — and being supported by — your community.

Two New Years Family Discussion Guide

So many PJ Library families are fortunate enough to have connections to more than one culture. All families will benefit from this discussion guide based on an amazing new book whose author celebrates Two New Years every year.

What Is a Shofar?

Families might be familiar with the traditional horn blown on the upcoming Jewish holidays, but a new post called What Is a Shofar? has explanations and videos covering everything from who blows it and when, how it’s made, and what a shofar sounds like.

PJ OUR WAY

PJ Our Way October Choices

PJ Our Way is proud to offer four fascinating books this month. Your child can read along as Melanie struggles to choose between the popular crowd and a new Israeli friend, follow 11-year-old Yonatan as he works to get water to Jerusalem in Ancient Israel, stand up alongside Beni as he fights bullies while his brother is fights in the Yom Kippur war, and learn to throw a mean knuckleball with VJ Cohen. Learn more about each of these titles. The book selection deadline is the 10^th of the month. Next help deciding? Check out these tips.

Here are two ways to get advice from noted expert Dr. Sivan Zakai on discussing the tragic situation in Israel with children:

• Read her article in Kveller, called “How to Talk to Kids About What’s Happening in Israel Right Now.”
• The Jewish Education Project hosted a webinar with Dr. Zakai to support adults having these challenging conversations with kids. Watch the recording here.