Meet the Shalom Family of San Mateo
PJ Library® Family of the Month
With four children (three of whom are under 5), the Shalom family is very busy. But despite their busy schedules, they have found plenty of time to engage with Jewish life in the Bay Area. Kimberly and Amir Shalom and their 4 children, Kaila Branch (age 20), Lia (4), Ari (3), and Ella (1) are always eager to attend local Jewish events and meet friends, community members, and other Jewish families.
Lia and Ari attend preschool at the Peninsula JCC and Kimberly shares, “We're a big fan of Shabbat Unplugged and our preschool’s ‘shuk’ during Yom Ha’atzmaut [Israel’s Independence Day].” In addition to participating in programs at the JCC, the Shalom family enjoys holiday dinners with their community at Peninsula Sinai Congregation. Celebrating these holidays together is especially meaningful and one of the family’s favorite new traditions. They feel blessed to live in such a culturally rich and diverse community in the Bay Area. Their local Jewish community in the North Peninsula is especially welcoming, which Kimberly says “makes for beautiful days in an already beautiful area.”
At home, PJ Library books are a highlight of the family’s holiday celebrations. Their middle daughter, Lia, started getting her first books at six months old. Kimberly feels that “the books have been a significant teaching tool around holidays and sometimes a helpful refresher for me. They come impeccably timed and correlate with an upcoming holiday.” She loves the simple craft ideas and new recipes that come along with the books. In fact, they recently discovered when they read Apple Days that they had all the ingredients to make applesauce, and were inspired to do just that. It will now become a new tradition in their home.
Kimberly is our new PJ Library Parent Connector!
Kimberly’s enthusiasm for Jewish life will continue to be a great gift to our community, as she just started her role as a PJ Library Parent Connector in the Burlingame/Foster City/San Mateo area. As a parent connector, Kimberly will be supporting families with children ages 0-3 (and their siblings) to create deeper relationships, Jewish connections, and opportunities to check out local programming. She would love to get to know you and your family, so feel free to reach out to her!
PJ Library® sends free Jewish books and music on a monthly basis to children ages 6 months through 8 years of age throughout the Bay Area. Learn More
If you would like to be featured as our Family of the Month, simply fill out this form and we will be in touch!
