Donor Spotlight: The Korman Family
A close-knit family of storytellers honors the power of Jewish narratives.
By Faye Wolfe, Freelance Journalist
This story appeared in the summer 2026 issue of PROOF, a PJ Library magazine.
The Korman family champions Jewish storytelling as part of the PJ Library Alliance.
LEFT PHOTO BY CINDY LEE; RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF LILY KORMAN
The Korman siblings have always loved storytelling. When Shai, Lily, and Becky Korman were young, they looked forward to watching movies together on Friday nights after Shabbat dinner. Decades later, they have parlayed their spirited discussions of film, story, and plot into professional success: The trio hosts the Signal Award-winning Friday Night Movie podcast and founded K180 Studios together (their feature film The Floaters, set in a Jewish summer camp, has won awards at film festivals around the US and Canada). It’s no surprise that the siblings see great value in PJ Library — both within their own families and in their philanthropic work.
“In our podcast and in the movies we make, we have a natural gravitation toward Jewish stories and work that widens the lens of what authentic Jewish life looks like,” says Becky. “PJ Library books expand our children’s understanding of Jewish stories, Jewish practice, Jewish people. There’s a strong connection between ourselves as storytellers and what PJ Library is doing with storytelling.”
Shai and his wife, Allison Tombros Korman, founder of the Red Tent Fund, first learned about PJ Library 14 years ago when their older daughter was a baby. “Signing up for PJ Library,” says Shai, “was like joining an amazing club.” He fondly recalls receiving the book It's Tu B’Shevat; Allison’s favorite was The Hardest Word. “These became our initial library of Jewish books,” Shai says.
As Shai and Allison’s kids outgrew their PJ Library books, Lily happily toted the “hand-me-downs — suitcases of them,” she says, to her family’s home in the Canary Islands, where Jewish children’s books aren’t easy to find for her two sons. And PJ Library’s holiday guides have been “a lifeline” when her family can’t celebrate with the rest of the Korman family, she adds.
“I know a lot about Judaism, but I don’t necessarily know how to teach it to a 5-year-old,” Lily says. “The guides are chock-full of information, beautiful, and written in language that is completely accessible.”
For Becky’s family, PJ Library fills a different gap. “Having grown up in an observant Jewish household, I took my knowledge about Judaism a bit for granted. But my husband, a Soviet Jew, had no Jewish education,” she says. “It’s wild to see my husband and girls reading together and to see his attachment to the books.”
Along with their parents, Fanny and Roger, the Korman family recently joined the PJ Library Alliance, a group of leading philanthropic partners who deepen PJ Library’s impact worldwide.
“Having seen the impact in our family, I felt very strongly that I want to be able to make a big difference,” Lily explains. Shai adds, “PJ Library’s professionalism is incredible: the way data is used, the passion, the innovation, the global impact. PJ Library is a fire hose of Jewish values at a very formative period in an easy format to integrate into your life: It’s like drinking your milk. It’s constructive, it’s positive, and it builds confidence. These are the most important ingredients for preparing our kids for the world.”