PJ Library Dallas

We appreciate our PJ Dads every day! How did you spend the weekend?

What's Jewish about Father's Day?

According to the Jewish understanding of the fifth commandment, honoring parents happens not just on one day, but every day. Does that mean the third Sunday in June is an unnecessary holiday for Jewish families in the US?

While honoring our parents is an everyday mitzvah, Father’s Day gives us the opportunity to refocus our appreciation. We love the way these Jewish sources explain it:

"Our relationships with those commandments, like our relationships with our parents, can themselves become hollow routines that fail to inspire and evoke our best behavior. That’s where the brilliance of Father’s Day comes in. Special days, days like Father’s Day, break routines; they shake up the norms and demand special attention." --Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, New York Jewish Week

"On this Father's Day, let us honor the working-class men who form the bulk of stay-at-home dads. Let’s honor the q***r dads, who now must not pretend to be straight to become fathers. Let me honor my own dad who confounded rural Wisconsin by rarely being seen without his own children in tow." --Jesse Bacon, Kveller

Let's learn about Shavuot! When you have young children, three Jewish holidays get most of the holiday street cred with the kids: Passover, Purim, and Hanukkah. But while these holidays might have more cultural awareness around them, the holiday of Shavuot has plenty of traditions that make it appealing for younger participants, too.

Shavuot, which means “weeks,” comes seven weeks after Passover, a period known as the Omer. On the Jewish calendar, Shavuot is the one of the three pilgrimage festivals, special holidays when families would travel to the Temple. The other two are Sukkot in the fall and Passover in the spring.

Modern day celebrations don’t include a trek to the site of the ancient Temple; instead they tie in to the summer season and enjoying the outdoors. Whether you're used to observing Shavuot or ready to celebrate for the first time, here are a few easy, new-to-your family traditions:
*Stay up late
*Camp out (or in your living room)
*Enjoy a cheesy dessert
*Take a hike
*Make a nature craft (like a sun catcher or flower crown)

PJ Library families, what's your favorite story about Shavuot?

What is your family up to this weekend? If you're looking to build your community, our friends at JBorhood are hosting get-togethers, one for grandparents and another for families of school-aged children. Learn about these events and more Jborhood family fun coming up in June: https://us18.campaign-archive.com/?e=%5BUNIQID%5D&u=f767bae6abfa2adf58c90bfe8&id=b86030f3ad

Shavuot is coming up in just one week! Get ready to celebrate next Tuesday night with these activities to try:

⚡️Learn something new⚡️
All-night studying is often a part of Shavuot celebrations, but you can try out a new game or book without keeping everyone up past bedtime.

🫶Do a mitzvah🫶
The values in the story of Ruth (which we read on Shavuot) like friendship, feeding the hungry, taking care of others, and compassion are things that children of all ages can understand.

🍰Eat something cheesy🍰
One very delicious and fun Shavuot tradition, which has several possible origins, is eating dairy. Discover a new recipe as a family!

✂️Create papercut shapes ✂️
An Eastern European Shavuot tradition involves making elaborate papercut art to hang in your window as a decoration.

🌸Make flower crowns🌸
Children in Israel wear crowns of flowers on Shavuot, symbolizing the spring harvest and the crowns of the Torah.

Find more ways to celebrate:
https://pjlibrary.org/beyond-books/pjblog/march-2021/easy-ways-to-celebrate-shavuot

This Sunday come find PJ Library Dallas at Friendship Circle's community carnival for Lag Ba'Omer! 🤩 We look forward to a fun-filled time for all!
You can register your family for the event here: https://www.friendshipdallas.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/6361991/jewish/Friendshipfest.htm
Learn more about this joyful Jewish holiday at: https://pjlibrary.org/beyond-books/holidays-for-kids/lagbomer

On Friday night as Shabbat begins, many parents give blessings not just over something – like candles, wine, or challah – but to someone. They bless their children.

Maybe you grew up with your parents blessing you every Friday night or maybe you’re ready to start a family tradition of your own. Click the link to learn how to bless your children on Shabbat and holidays and how you can personalize this age-old tradition to be just right for you.

https://pjlibrary.org/beyond-books/pjblog/august-2019/how-to-bless-your-children-on-shabbat-and-holidays

Here's a great way to celebrate PJ Library's 18th birthday: invite your friends to enroll, and you'll get $5! It's true - you can help other Jewish families by spreading the word AND get rewarded for it. Current subscribers, check your email for a personalized link that you can share with your friends. For each qualified sign-up, we'll send you a $5 gift card and enter you to win Apple gear. Easy peasy! Full details and terms at pjlibrary.org/RAF

The impact of Jewish camp is immediate—campers return home connected to a community and friends that will last them a lifetime. And it doesn’t stop there. Children with pivotal Jewish camp experiences are more likely to become adults who value their Jewish heritage, support Jewish causes, and take on leadership roles in their communities.

Your camper may be eligible to receive up to $1000 off their first summer by applying for a One Happy Camper grant! For more information visit jewishdallas.org/jewishcamping

This year PJ Library is celebrating our 18th birthday, and we have just one wish — we want even more families to get free Jewish children's books just like you do. This month, when you help PJ Library spread the word, you'll earn gift cards and Apple gear — it's easy!

Step 1: Tell a friend about PJ Library
Step 2: When they sign up and are approved using your referral link, we'll send you a $5 gift card. And for every approved enrollment after your first 10 referrals, we'll send you a $10 gift card!
Step 3: Wait, there's more! Each enrolled family also gives you a chance to win either an iPad Pro or a set of AirPods Max. Details and terms at pjlibrary.org/RAF

Do you know someone who had a baby in 2023? Share the love and encourage them to sign up for free Jewish storybooks! Only about 30% of Jewish families in the Dallas area are enrolled in PJ Library and we want to GROW! PJ's Refer-a-Friend program is happening now! Current subscribers will get a unique referral code by email. Share it with families you know and PJ Library will thank you with Amazon gift cards and the chance to win some amazing prizes!

You don't have to do Shabbat "right" in order to start celebrating at home. If you've been thinking about adding Shabbat rituals to your family's weekend, Jewish educator Jessica Slavin Connelly is here with some words of encouragement. And we could all use a little encouragement!

Nervous About Hosting Your First Shabbat?
Tips from Jessica Slavin Connelly

Shalom, it’s me, the Accidental Jewish Educator! I’m here to tell you that you can start celebrating Shabbat at home, even if you think you have no idea what you are doing. What I’m saying is, when you decide you want to introduce Shabbat into your home, you don’t need to “do Shabbat right” if you are sincere in your efforts.

But what about all of the blessings, you ask? The Hebrew, the tunes you don’t think you can carry, the silver candlesticks from classic photographs that you don’t own, the challah that isn’t sold nearby or that you don’t have time to bake? Isn’t that doing Shabbat?

What if you make mistakes? What will happen? I’m here to tell you … nothing bad will happen. In fact, it will be quite the opposite. Once you’ve started “doing Shabbat” (experiencing its beauty and magic, the weekly ritual of pressing pause on our busy lives to be together in gratitude) you’ll be hooked.

Even the ancient Israelites, following their enslavement in the land of Egypt, after wandering in the desert and receiving the 10 Commandments; when it came to Shabbat? They had to improvise. Relatable, right?

You may have ideas about what the perfect Shabbat experience is supposed to look like. And you want to be able to lead it on your own, in your home. But look, we can be like the ancient Israelites and learn by doing. So, go ahead! Turn some plastic cups into candlesticks. Download the blessings in English, Hebrew, transliteration, song—whatever! Play a recording, stumble your way through. Grab a piece of bread or a bagel to stand in for challah; appreciate the meaning behind the action, which is to express gratitude. Learn by doing, and the wisdom will come. Shabbat shalom!

PJ Library has a wish for our 18th birthday — we want our community to grow! And we've got some incredible new ways to thank you for helping to spread the word. When you refer friends and family, they can get free Jewish children's books like you do, and you can earn gift cards and entries to win some amazing Apple gear! Current subscribers will get their unique referral code by email. Share it, and everybody wins!

Can you possibly think of a way to celebrate National Hot Chocolate Day today?

While you take a minute to grab a mug and some marshmallows, let's learn a little about the wonder of the cocoa bean! Did you know there are Jewish connections to the history of chocolate? The book The Chocolate King is all about how chocolate first came to France.

Benjamin’s family is originally from Spain, where for centuries Sephardic Jews lived in harmony with their neighbors. When Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, they scattered to other countries around Europe, the Middle East, and the New World. Wherever they settled, Sephardic Jews brought their distinctive Jewish flavors with them — and shared those flavors with their new communities.

Benjamin’s story is unique in some ways and common in others. Jews have long found themselves moving from one country to another, fleeing persecution and pursuing opportunity.

When Benjamin’s family first arrives in France, no one wants to buy their chocolate, which leaves them quite poor. This is similar to the experience of 19th-century Eastern European Jews who moved to the United States to work in sweatshops, or highly educated Soviet Jews who became street cleaners in Israel. It takes time, hard work, and a bit of luck to find one’s way in a new land.

The Chocolate King was written by Michael Leventhal, illustrated by Laura Catalaan, and published by Green Bean Books.

Looking for something fun to do with your family? Join the Dallas Jewish community in cheering on our Dallas Stars!

Jewish Community Night and Kosher Game Day Ticket Information:
https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/JCNKGD
After purchasing your ticket online- a unique link will be generated for you to invite additional friends and family. Your guest(s) will be seated close to you when they buy their tickets from your unique link.
***We expect high demand, so secure your tickets early for the best seating arrangements. The first 200 tickets purchased get a commemorative puck.***

Shabbat shalom!!!

You can say Shehecheyanu!

The Shehecheyanu blessing marks doing something for the first time. It gives thanks for the moment you just experienced. You can say the Shehecheyanu when your child laughs for the first time, loses their first tooth, when you try on new clothes, or when you try a new-to-you food. Really any first, no matter how big or small, merits a Shehecheyanu.

On the PJ Library website (search "Shehecheyanu") you'll find a blessing card you can download with the Hebrew prayer, English translation, and transliteration to help with pronunciation.

“We all have genius in our lives. It’s all about having the opportunity to express yourself in the way that’s right for you, which I didn’t have as a kid. But I have it now.”

--Harold Grinspoon with today's Wednesday Wisdom

All of us at PJ Library are forever grateful for the ways in which our founder, Harold Grinspoon, has expressed his own genius, whether it's through his breathtaking sculptures, or the idea that Jewish families should have access to Jewish stories.

Photo by Julia Kaplan for Haroldgrinspoonartworks

What is your favorite Hanukkah food? Check out these 10 family-friendly Hanukkah recipes! https://pjlibrary.org/beyond-books/pjblog/november-2020/10-easy-hanukkah-recipes

However you spell Hanukkah, PJ Library will send your family FREE Jewish books for your children ages 0-8!!! Sign up today at https://pjlibrary.org/enroll-in-a-community

Taking a break from the family dreidel tournament? Take 5 minutes to sign your children up to receive FREE Jewish books from PJ Library! https://pjlibrary.org/enroll-in-a-community