PM Netanyahu and the Rapid Growth of Sifriyat Pijama

ISRAEL -- Sifriyat Pijama was held in the spotlight this week by none other than the Israeli Prime Minister himself. In a visit to an Israeli preschool, PM Benjamin Netanyahu took the opportunity to read a children's book aloud to a classroom of Israeli students -- and a Sifriyat Pijama book was selected for the read.

Sifriyat Pijama is a pre-literacy and Jewish heritage program that provides free children's books to students in more than 4,000 of the 10,000 total public preschools in Israel.

RAPID GROWTH IN ISRAEL

In three short years, PJ Library’s sister program in Israel, Sifriyat Pijama, has grown dramatically, providing Hebrew language children’s books to the country’s neediest preschoolers.

In 2009, the pre-literacy and Jewish heritage program started by serving 3,500 preschoolers in Israel. A year later, it grew to 45,000 children; and this fall, the program will triple, serving 120,000 young children.

“What’s really important is that when you are reaching 40 percent of the public school population with the same books, you really are creating a common heritage in a society where religious and secular children usually do not read the same books,” says Galina Vromen, Sifriyat Pijama’s director in Israel.

A NEW MARKET FOR BELOVED BOOKS
Another noteworthy aspect of Sifriyat Pijama is that it creates a new market for books with a broad appeal about Jewish heritage and values. According to Vromen, Sifriyat Pijama has even dispatched a researcher to the National Library of Israel to research out-of-print books and stories that might be included in the book program.

In addition to "reviving" otherwise out-of-print books, Sifriyat Pijama has also prompted the translation of some popular selections of the PJ Library into Hebrew. She cites Bagels from Benny, as one example. “We are stimulating publishers and children’s book authors in Israel to think about creating great story books that introduce Jewish culture, folklore, and values to children in fresh and engaging ways,” she says.

PLANS FOR EXPANSION

The Israel Ministry of Education is offering a challenge grant for Sifriyat Pijama for the upcoming school year. The overall program is expected to cost $3.6 million. The Ministry of Education has committed $1.4 million toward the project while the Harold Grinspoon Foundation has committed $1.2 million and is seeking additional philanthropic partners to fund the remaining $1 million.

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation operates and funds the PJ Library in North America in partnership with more than 155 local communities and donors. Each month over 85,000 children, ages six months to eight years old, receive a book mailed directly to their home. This program has received many awards and is soon to be launching in Australia.

Inspired by the fact that the combined programs are now reaching 200,000 children worldwide, PJ Library founder Harold Grinspoon says, “To witness this extraordinary expansion in Israel in such a short time span affirms my belief that the PJ Library is doing an important service in bringing Jewish stories into the hearts and minds of young people all around the world.”

Partners in funding Sifriyat Pijama include:

• Mitzi and Warren Eisenberg Family Foundation


• Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation


• Goldring Family Foundation


• Central Galilee-Michigan Partnership 2000


• Western Galilee-Central Area Consortium Partnership 2000


• Kiryat Gat-Lachish-Shafir-Chicago Partnership 2000


• Nesher-Broward County Partnership 2000.

All Partnership 2000 communities are through the Jewish Agency for Israel. 

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September 12, 2011