May PJ Library Family of the Month!

Marianna, Aaron, Shaina and Jaikob live in San Francisco.  Aaron is a business analyst and Marianna is a stay-at-home mom.  Big sister, Shaina, loves the When It’s Purim book and says she wants it to be Purim and to eat hamantashen year round!  Baby Jaikob loves looking at the pictures of Let’s Visit Israel and especially likes to chew on it – he is teething.  They have been members of The PJ Library® for 9 months. From Marianna:

I am a Ukrainian Jew.  My family came to America when I was just 4 years old.  My parents and I were refugees who had barely escaped communism.  My family wasn’t as developed in Jewish traditions because we weren’t allowed to practice Judaism in the USSR. Even so, I always knew that Iwas Jewish even though I didn't have a bat mitzvah or learn to speak Hebrew.  My husband  grew up in the Midwest and was raised as a Conservative Jew.  His mother is very much into all the traditions and he received a Jewish education.  But, as an adult, he doesn't have much time to practice what he was brought up with.  That's where I come in.  My dedication and commitment to instilling Jewish values in our kids makes him proud. Now, we enjoy teaching our children Jewish traditions and we like to decorate our home with Jewish symbols like the mezuzah, the menorah and sabbath candles.  We love the PJ Library books that teach about the different holidays.  The PJ book, Passover, was a great teaching tool because we could read and enjoy the seder illustrated in the book.  We want to expose our children to Jewish experiences and connections when they are this young.  The PJ book, Let's Visit Israel, brought out a desire to take our children to Israel at a young age.  I saw Israel for the first time when I was 18 years old and I feel like it would be amazing to see it through the eyes of a child.

Thank you to the Pollak Family for sharing their story. We hope you make it to Israel soon. Happy Reading!