Free Hebrew Books For Young Children Available To Public Through HMJDS and Sifriyat Pijama B'America

This is a guest post by Justin Berndt, Communications Coordinator for the Amos and Celia Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School (HMJDS).
Parents looking to get their young child reading in Hebrew finally have a place to go, and it’s free.
The Amos and Celia Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School (HMJDS) has been selected by the Israeli Leadership Council (ILC) and the Avi Chai Foundation to bring Sifriyat Pajama B’America (SPBA), a free Hebrew book program for young children, to the Twin Cities.
The program, which will begin in September 2012 and run through the school year, is open to the public and for children aged 3- to 6-years old and offers families an opportunity to strengthen their Hebrew language proficiency and connections to Jewish values and culture, while promoting quality reading experiences at home.
All SPBA participants receive 18, free, high-quality Hebrew storybooks or music CDs over a two-year period. The books are all published in Israel and selected by the Israeli Ministry of Education and the Israeli Center for Libraries, and each book or CD also comes with suggestions for adjunct family activities.
“We are thrilled to be selected as one of 30 day schools throughout the country to partner with these two internationally-recognized organizations, in bringing SPBA’s unique and creative program to the market. As a school that values high quality Hebrew, Judaic and General Studies teaching — as well as family learning experiences — HMJDS’s multi-disciplinary approach aligns perfectly with SPBA’s goals,” said HMJDS Head of School, Dr. Ray Levi. “It is particularly exciting that the ILC and Avi Chai are recognizing the positive impact day schools are having on their communities by bringing diverse Jewish families together, and continuing our tradition of life-long learning and leadership for generations to come.”
Inspired by PJ Library, SPBA strives to attract and motivate Jewish-American and Israeli-Jewish families who otherwise haven’t become part of the organized Jewish community. To this end, HMJDS will host Kor’im K’tanim Umishpahot (Little Readers and Families) events during the 2012-13 school year. These events will be free and open to the public and feature an SPBA as well as songs, crafts, snacks and community. To register for SPBA visit www.hmjds.org.
For more information on SPBA visit www.sp-ba.org. Additional SPBA funders include the Adam and Gila Milstein Family foundation and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.