Milestone Birthdays
PJ Library programs around the world are celebrating years of books — and impact.
By Saskia Swenson Moss, International Program Officer, and Maya Farfel, International Project Manager
This story appeared in the summer 2026 issue of PROOF, a PJ Library magazine.
PJ Library sends more than 650,000 books to families in over 40 countries and seven languages every month. What’s most meaningful is the impact behind the numbers: a child’s excitement to receive beautiful Jewish stories in their own language, the family conversations about Jewish traditions that follow, and the connections that form at community gatherings in big cities and small towns. Around the world, PJ Library unites families with a foundation of Jewish stories, values, and a shared sense of identity. What better time to celebrate than a milestone birthday?
PJ Library recently marked big birthdays in four locations internationally. Read on for a glimpse into the ways families have found joy, meaning, and Jewish connection over the years.
PJ Library in German
5 Years
PHOTO BY JUDITH DIAMOND
- Over 1,500 families in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland receive PJ Library books in German. The Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland (Central Council of Jews in Germany), located in Berlin, advises on book selection, distributes books, contributes funding, and creates family programs.
- PJ Library in German provides free audio books on Spotify, allowing children to discover Jewish storytelling in diverse ways. And children in Berlin can enjoy read-alouds, Jewish baking, and crafts at monthly PJ Library Live events.
- In a 2025 subscriber survey, 75% of families said PJ Library is a valuable parenting tool and 66% said PJ Library supported their family in having conversations about Jewish traditions, values, or customs.
“We love the books. It’s a great way to teach children Jewish values.”
- A PJ Library in German parent
PJ Library in Brazil
5 Years
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ELY FAMILY
- When PJ Library launched in Brazil in 2020, only five Jewish children’s books were available in Portuguese. Today, families can enjoy over 110 Jewish children’s titles!
- PJ Library reaches more than 3,500 children each month and partners with nearly 100 synagogues, Jewish day schools, and organizations — some in the Amazon rainforest.
- A remarkable 95% of families said in a 2024 subscriber survey that PJ Library increased their children’s knowledge or familiarity with Jewish traditions, values, and customs. And 88% of parents said PJ Library increased their own knowledge.
“We live in a small town, far from the Jewish community, and the books from PJ Library help me every day to educate my children. My children jump for joy when the books arrive, and they listen to the stories with excitement.”
- A PJ Library parent in Brazil
PJ Library in the UK
10 Years
PHOTO COURTESY OF PJ LIBRARY IN THE UK
- Since 2015, more than 20,000 children across the UK have received over 700,000 PJ Library books, reinforcing their Jewish identity.
- In PJ Library’s 2024 triennial subscriber survey, 83% of UK subscriber families said they use PJ Library to introduce Jewish topics; 83% also said PJ Library has supported their family in enhancing or adding a Jewish tradition to their home.
- PJ Library in the UK hosted 10th birthday events for families in English, Hebrew, and Russian so that the whole Jewish community — which is especially diverse in London — could participate. The team organized a sold-out party at JW3, the Jewish community center in London; an opera for Russian-speaking families; and a special virtual interview with basketball star Tamir Goodman, author of the PJ Library book Live Your Dream: The Story of a Jewish Basketball All-Star.
“PJ Library has filled our bookshelf and our lives with so much simcha (joy) these last couple of years! Not only have the books created a deeper connection with Judaism for my kids, but they have also done so much for us as a whole family. We love to do the activities in the back of the books together. And the holiday guides PJ Library has sent have become a staple in our home. We are beyond grateful.”
- A PJ Library parent in London
PJ Library in Russian
10 years
PHOTO BY ILYA DOLGOPOLSKY
- In 10 years, more than 22,000 children have received PJ Library books in Russian. To date, PJ Library has sent nearly 625,000 books to Russian families across 11 time zones!
- Since PJ Library’s launch in Russia, 199 Jewish children’s titles have been published in Russian, enriching the canon of Jewish children’s literature. A network of 100 educational partners in 60 Russian cities use PJ Library books in their curricula.
- Subscriber families in Russian cities gather in synagogues, cafes, and one another’s homes for PJ Sunday events featuring read-alouds and book-related activities.
- Teenage PJ Library alums in Russia return to the program as PJ Library madrichim (instructors), helping at events and creating programs for younger children.
- In 2021, PJ Library made Russian-language books available to families in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. PJ Library has sent 30,000 books to families in the Baltic region so far.
“Congratulations on PJ Library’s 10th birthday. We live in the small town of Skovorodino [in Siberia], and for us, a PJ Library subscription is a real celebration. The children eagerly wait for their parcel. May your books spread around the country and beyond, giving joy to children and parents.”
- A PJ Library parent in Russia