IN JEWISH TRADITION, creating and nurturing family is highly valued; cultivating and maintaining family connections is similarly prized. Several of the July PJ Library selections this month address this core Jewish value.
A good example is First Rain, written by Charlotte Herman and illustrated by Kathryn Mitter. In this Dates and Almonds (4 to 5 years of age) Group selection, Abby, the main character, misses her grandmother and recalls the good times they have had together. Abby learns to correspond with her grandmother in order to continue their relationship over a great distance.
Other grandparent-related books this month include A Grandma/Grandpa Like Yours, written by Adria Warmflash Rosenbaum (a Bagels & Lox Group selection) and The Friday Nights of Nana by Amy Hest (a Challah Toast Group selection).
THE ROLE OF GRANDPARENTS
Sharon Morton is the founder and executive director of Grandparents for Social Action (GSA), a non-profit described as “a movement of grandparents and active seniors learning and sharing their roots in social action with their grandchildren.”
In a recent interview with Union for Reform Judaism’s adult learning specialist Wendy Grinberg (part of URJ’s Jewish Parenting Podcasts series), Morton says the impetus for her creating GSA was the question, “What is the legacy I want to leave for my grandchildren?”
“I decided I wanted [my grandchildren] to know more about how they can live as philanthropists and social action activists.” Morton recalls. “So, I started Grandparents for Social Action. The mission is to educate and engage seniors to do social action, to empower grandchildren to improve the world, and to create a legacy from one generation to another.”
To get ideas for social action projects that PJ children can take on alongside their grandparents, visit GSA’s Social Action Ideas page.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW
To learn more about GSA, Sharon Morton, and the importance of a grandparent’s legacy, listen to Grinberg’s complete interview of Morton using the audio bar below.
Click the Play Button in the Audio Bar Below to Hear the Interview
© 2011 Union for Reform Judaism