PJ Library® Is Putting “Tzedakah” into Action

Tzedakah (Hebrew for righteousness, fairness, or justice) is the Jewish value of helping those in need. When children are taught to give to others, they discover that they can make a difference in the world. This winter, PJ Library® launched two important tzedakah projects in the Bay Area to encourage kids to take action in their communities.    

During Chanukah, Bay Area preschoolers learned a valuable lesson on how they can give back to those less fortunate. For the third year in a row, PJ Library® partnered with Parents Place and 17 Bay Area Jewish preschools on the “Fifth Night Project,” a program that provides hands-on ways for kids to learn about tzedakah and donate a toy to another child. All gifts were donated to Parents Place, a program of Jewish Family and Children’s Services, with branches in Marin, San Francisco, the North Bay and South Bay. To date, the Fifth Night Project has collected over 2,000 educational toys for Parents Place. 

Additionally, this January, every PJ Library® subscriber in the Bay Area received a special gift of a Tzedakah Box and Kindness Cards from PJ Library®’s founder, Harold Grinspoon. Harold collected tin tzedakah boxes as a child and wanted to gift every PJ Library® child with one of their own. He hopes to inspire family discussions on what giving means and how children can help. Parents can join the PJ Library® tzedakah campaign on social media and use the hashtag #kidsgive to post photos of how their children are using their tzedakah box and where their giving will go. 

Everyone, no one matter the age, can help others. We are proud of our PJ Library® families and our community partners who are making the world a better place. 

PJ Library® is a program of the ECE Initiative of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and is generously funded by a grant from the Federation, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and generous local donors. Learn more at pjlibrary.org. 

Parents Place is a program of Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) and is the Bay Area's leading family resource center. From everyday issues to challenges requiring specialized assessment, Parents Place helps parents, caregivers and educators support children at all ages through parenting workshops, parent coaching & consultation, clinical & special needs services, parent/child activity groups, and child & family therapy. Learn more at parentsplaceonline.org.