With these things in mind, we thought it would be fun to share the food-related “commandments” created by a number of Jewish writers. We hope they give you plenty to contemplate while noshing.

10 FROM KVELLER.com
Writer Natasha Rosenstock gives us rules for ensuring “healthy and delicious eating habits” that are not only good for our families, but for the environment as well.

Rosenstock’s Kveller.com piece, “New Jewish Food Commandments,” includes such sage advice as:

• “Eat dinner together as a family every night;”
• “Show your children what real food is and where it comes from;” and
• “Buy directly from local farms to help perpetuate sustainable practices.”

10 FROM KIDSENABLED.org
In her piece, titled “The Ten Commandments for Developing Healthy Eaters,” Registered, licensed dietitian Carol Ann Brannon provides "Ten Commandments, or strategies, for overcoming ‘selective eater syndrome.’"

According to Brannon, “parents can help their child become a healthier eater” by being responsible, being accepting, being persistent, and by acting as a role model. Her “ten commandments” break it all down.

10 FROM SPARKPEOPLE.com
In her article, "The 10 Commandments of Healthy Eating for Parents," licensed and registered dietitian Becky Hand provides 10 "thou shalts" without much in the way of introduction or explanation. These simple, to-the-point tips are designed for parents looking to impart healthy eating habits for their children.

10 FROM EATINGWELL.com
Foodborne illness affects many millions of Jewish families each year. In an effort to educate readers, the editors of EatingWell.com present “10 Commandments of Food Safety.” Covering everything from food temperatures and food storage to food preparation and cooking, this slideshow presents 10 important rules for food health.

10 FROM NONNA
In her book, Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater, author and public speaker Nonna Joann Bruso presents tips for parents challenged by young appetites. In a related online article, 10 Commandments for Kitchen Safety, Bruso shares tips for a safe kitchen. After all, a safe kitchen means a kid-friendly kitchen — and, as Nonna explains, “involving kids with meal preparation gives them an opportunity to have multi-sensory experiences with various foods.”

10 FROM NATURALNEWS.com
Though not exactly “commandments,” the 10 “reasons” presented by writer Hope Egan are nevertheless worth taking to heart. In her article, “Ten Reasons to Grow Your Own Food,” Egan explains the virtues of gardening. By No. 10, you’ll agree:  Gardening offers “physical, emotional, financial, and intellectual benefits.”

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ALL OUR MOTHERS
In her JTA piece, “For Non-Jewish Mothers Raising Jewish Children, Things Can Get Complicated,” Sue Fishkoff writes:

A growing number of non-Jewish parents in America who have no plans to convert are raising Jewish children, marrying Jewish spouses, building Jewish homes and playing active roles in the Jewish community.

For these parents, things can indeed “get complicated.” Fishkoff adds, however, that there are resources to help, “from national groups to synagogue outreach committees.”

For one thing, general awareness is growing. As New Jersey Jewish News staff writer Johanna Ginsberg writes in her article, "Jewish Kids, Non-Jewish Moms,” the growing number of interfaith families has been “effecting a change in attitudes among synagogue leaders.”

Ginsberg adds, “While policies once reflected a desire to discourage intermarriage, they are now being adjusted under the premise that by welcoming such families, their children are more likely to be raised as Jews.”

PJ LIBRARY CONNECTIONS
At PJ Library, we strive to be a resource for intermarried parents. We often receive testimonials from parents reminding us of the important role PJ Library books play in intermarried households.

For example, a mother from the PJ Library program in Northern New Jersey wrote to us recently, telling us she was raised Christian and is married to a Jewish man, raising their children Jewish. “I originally signed up for PJ Library thinking extra books are always a good thing,” she writes. “I had no idea how great the books would be, not only for my children, but for me!"

This mother goes on to say that PJ Library provides her with a Jewish education and a starting point for discussions with her children.

MOTHER’S CIRCLE
PJ Library isn’t the only program acting as a resource for non-Jewish Moms raising Jewish children. There are many others.

The Jewish Outreach Institute, for example, is an organization that very much values mothers from different backgrounds raising Jewish kids (just see this year’s JOI Mother’s Day card as evidence).

One of JOI’s key programs is “The Mother’s Circle,” which describes itself as “an umbrella of free educational programs and resources for non-Jewish women raising Jewish children within the context of intermarriage or a committed relationship.”

For Barb Rudnick, the program manager for family life education at Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) of Minneapolis, The Mother’s Circle has proven to be invaluable.

In the TCJewFolk.com guest post, “Raising Jewish Children If You Are Not Jewish,” Rudnick explains that her community has adopted The Mother’s Circle as an educational and support resource for non-Jewish mothers raising Jewish children. “The curriculum covers basic information including celebrating holidays, traditions and rituals, and goes deeper to explain the confusing nuances of Jewish culture,” she says.

Look for local iterations of The Mother’s Circle near you for similar resources.

In addition to local implementations of the program, non-Jewish Moms are invited to sign up for the Mother’s Circle national listserv, an e-mail forum made up of mothers with a variety of backgrounds. The signup form is available via The Mother’s Circle homepage. Open conversations are also hosted on The Mother’s Circle Facebook page and via @Mothers_Circle on Twitter.

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EVERDAY FATHER’S DAY
According to Jewish law, every day should be Father’s and Mother’s Day. After all, the fifth Commandment tells us clearly we must honor our parents. Does this mean Father’s Day is an unnecessary holiday?

Rabbi Brad Hirschfield tries to answer this question (and other related ones) in his New York Jewish Week opinion piece, titled “Father’s Day: It’s a Mitzvah.”

According to Rabbi Hirschfield, Father’s Day presents an opportunity to reconnect with the everyday commandment, along with our parents themselves. He writes:

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.

Wendy Mogel, PhD., a clinical psychologist, seemingly agrees with Rabbi Hirschfield.

In her popular book, The Blessings of a Skinned Knee, Mogel suggests that parents and children alike must make special effort to reclaim respectful roots in parent-child relationships. “Today, more than ever, we sympathetic, fair-minded parents need to make a conscious effort to establish ourselves as the honored rulers in our homes,” she writes.

HONORING ALL FATHERS
Indeed, Father’s Day offers a special time for parents and children alike to refocus on the fifth Commandment. The holiday also offers the opportunity for our community at large to recognize the many forms of fatherhood.

Jesse Bacon is a columnist for the parenting website Kveller. In his piece, “Happy (Separated) Father’s Day,” he points out that while many families today present parenting models that may be “alternative” to traditional models, the parents in those families should be no less appreciated.

Bacon writes:

On this Fathers’ Day, let us honor the working class men who form the bulk of stay at home dads. Let’s honor the queer 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.

With a similar appreciative nod, the Jewish Outreach Program makes it a habit to acknowledge the intermarried families and non-Jewish Dads raising Jewish children.

“We at JOI believe that there are people in our community who are not so readily celebrated by the Jewish community for the acts of goodness they perform every day, particularly those who come from other faith communities and raise Jewish children in the context of an intermarriage,” states the organization in a Father’s Day announcement.

“We take this opportunity, on Father’s Day, to thank all those fathers, regardless of their religion of origin, for raising Jewish children and helping to ensure a bright Jewish future,” the JOI announcement adds.

PJ Library, too, thanks all our PJ Dads. While honoring our parents is an everyday Mitzvah, Father’s Day affords us the opportunity to refocus our appreciation. So today, especially, we say, “Thanks!”

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Maurice Sendak (1928-2012) passed away this week, leaving behind a legacy in children’s literature. The esteem of Sendak’s long list of literary awards (which includes the Caldecott Medal and the Hans Christian Andersen Award) is eclipsed this week by the overwhelming personal admiration of his fans and readers.

We at PJ Library honor the legacy of Maurice Sendak. Many of us enjoyed having his books read to us as children, and many of us now enjoy reading his books aloud to our own children.

“Maurice Sendak will certainly be remembered for his creativity and out-of-the-box thinking,” says PJ Library Book Selection Committee chair Chris Barash. “From his earliest work in children’s literature, it was clear that he would open doors that no one else had dared to open. In this, he never disappointed.  His contributions to literature will live on for many generations to come.”

JEWISH ROOTS & CONTRIBUTIONS
In her news piece, “Maurice Sendak, Author of Splendid Nightmares, Dies at 83,” New York Times writer Margalit Fox references Sendak’s general popularity. “Sendak’s books were essential ingredients of childhood for the generation born after 1960 or thereabouts,” she writes, “and in turn for their children.”

What may not be immediately clear, however, was the influence of Mr. Sendak’s Jewish background on his work. MyJewishLearning associate editor Matthue Roth shares a bit of that Jewish background in his piece, “Maurice Sendak.”

As Roth explains, Sendak was the child of Polish, Jewish immigrants. He grew up listening to “nonlinear storytelling with Yiddish-specked sentences,” according to Roth.

According to a Washington Post writer Becky Krystal, Sendak once said, “The Holocaust has run like a river of blood through all my books.” Krystal explains that for Sendak, “as the child of Jewish immigrants from Poland, the Nazi death camps were never far from his mind.”

Indeed, as Marc Tracy of Table Magazine writes, “Sendak’s life and work are pretty inseparable from his Jewishness.” The PJ Library program says “goodbye” to Mr. Sendak, knowing full well that his life and work, however inseparable from his Jewishness, is also inseparable from children’s literature and, in fact, our childhoods themselves.

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For PJ Library parents, the question is: What are some good ways to Count the Omer with children?

TURN OFF THE TV
In a column for Tablet, writer Marjorie Ingall says she will be counting the Omer this year with the television off.

Ingall doesn’t pull any punches about it either. She writes:

“It’s supposed to be a time of personal betterment. It’s a time to be somber. And that is why I encourage all Jews (and all bipeds) to turn off the iCarlys, the Jonases, the Sonnys, the Ravens, the Zack & Codys, the Hannah Montanas and all other live-action television aimed at children and tweens.”

USE PROPS
PJ Library author and Jewish parenting blogger Amy Meltzer is no stranger to the post-Passover lull. After all the preparations and anticipation that goes into Passover, she says, the after-effects of a passed holiday can leave you pining for the next one.

That’s why she created a Counting the Omer calendar for her girls.

“I went over to CVS Pharmacy, cleared out the bin of leftover jelly beans from Easter, wrapped them in tissue paper, and created … our home-made Omer counter.”

• More About Amy Meltzer’s “Counting the Omer Calendar” Tradition

Meltzer reports that her girls look forward to counting the Omer after school. “I know the calendar hasn’t solved the problem of how to make Shavuot meaningful and relevant to my children,” Meltzer admits, “but at least it’s bought me five weeks to figure it out.”

Another Jewish parenting blog, Birkat Chaverim, was inspired by Meltzer and has since published images of its own. Along with photos of Counting the Omer calendars, Birkat Chaverim also offers a few Counting the Omer calendar templates for parents.

READ BOOKS
Shavuot commemorates the Jews receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. Count the Omer in preparation for the holiday. We recommend reading the following books aloud to your children:

• Sammy Spider’s First Shavuot
  Sammy Spider’s First Shavuot is written by Sylvia Rouss and illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn. The book is part of our Challah Toast (3 to 4 years of age) group. In this story, Sammy Spider lowers himself down on a strand of webbing to get a closer look at the Shapiro family’s preparations for Shavuot, a holiday celebrating the time when God gave the Torah to Moses.

 

• A Mountain of Blintzes
  A Mountain of Blintzes by Barbara Diamond Goldin (illustrated by Anik McGrory) is part of PJ Library’s Egg Matza (5 to 6 years of age) group.The story is the story set in the Catskill Mountains. Here, a family finds ways to contribute the ingredients to make blintzes, a traditional food for the holiday of Shavuot.

 

• No Rules of Michael
  No Rules for Michael is written by Sylvia A. Rouss and illustrated by Susan Simon. It’s the story of Michael, whose teacher affords him a day without rules. He, along with the rest of his class, learn what it would be like if there were no rules to follow.No Rules for Michael is a Challah Toast (ages 3 to 4) group selection.

 

• The Littlest Mountain
  The Littlest Mountain by Barb Rosenstock is also a Shavuot book. When God decides to speak to people from a mountaintop and give them laws to follow, the mountains vie for the privilege. Which one will be chosen?The Littlest Mountain is a Dates & Almonds (ages 4 to 5 years) group selection.

LEARN MORE
Torah Tots provides some good information about Counting the Omer.

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This week’s submission comes from the 2012 PJ Library North American Conference.

Each spring, PJ Library holds an invitational North American Conference for PJ Program Professionals, Partners, Lay Leaders, and Donors. The goal of the conference is to increase the effectiveness of the PJ Library program in reaching and engaging Jewish families in Jewish life by developing the outreach, programming, community organizing, and fundraising skills of local PJ Library communities.

SAMMY SPIDER’S FIRST CONFERENCE
Attending the annual event for the first time this year was Sylvia Rouss‘s Sammy the Spider character. He was the honored guest of the PJ Library community of the Greater Palm Beaches area.

The Sammy Spider Traveling Curriculum Project was developed by Lorraine & Jack N. Friedman Commission for Jewish Education of the Palm Beaches‘ Jewish Family Life Department Director Amy Bergman and Associate Erika Simon, who showcased the effort as model of best practices at the convention.

You may know Sammy Spider from such PJ Library selections as:

• Sammy Spider’s First Day of School
• Sammy Spider’s First Rosh Hashanah
• Sammy Spider’s First Shavuot
• Sammy Spider’s First Simchat Torah
• Sammy Spider’s First Trip to Israel
• Sammy Spider’s First Purim

The PJ Library was honored to have Sammy at the conference and is blessed to have photos of Sammy from the event. Below is a slideshow of Sammy moments caught with this friends at the Conference:

Do you have photos of PJ Library children in your local community? Send them to us by e-mail at outreach@hgf.org.

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To help facilitate that activity, we’ve collected a page of PJ Library selections relating to Israel. In addition, we have pulled together a fun list of holiday activities and resources.

SHALOM SESAME’S HOLIDAY CHANNEL
While reading PJ books aloud as a family would be our first suggested Yom Ha’atzmaut activity for families, there is another fun idea worth sharing. PJ partner Shalom Sesame has compiled a YouTube channel made up of Israel-related videos. Check it out!

The Shalom Sesame channel, titled “Celebrate 64 Years of Israel!” includes 18 videos for a total watching time of 27 minutes.

Embedded below are several of our favorite Grover videos from the channel. Enjoy!

GROVER IN JERUSALEM
Listen to the different sounds, take in the sights, and explore places in Israel. As Grover says, “There is just so much to try!”

POSTCARD FROM GROVER: TEL AVIV
Grover shares his travels of Tel Aviv in Israel

POSTCARD FROM GROVER: EILAT
Our furry friend Grover explores the land of Israel. Come along for the tour of Eilat, a city in Israel where you can swim in the Red Sea and see beautiful fish.

POSTCARD FROM GROVER: JAFFA
Grover travels to the Israeli city of Jaffa.

POSTCARD FROM GROVER: HAIFA
Join Grover as he explores the exciting city of Haifa! Take a tour of the famous Bahai Gardens or watch the boats arrive at the harbor.

POSTCARD FROM GROVER: TZEFAT
Grover discovers the sights and sounds of the city of Tzefat.

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So what is your family doing this April 22 for Earth Day?

WHAT IS EARTH DAY?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Earth Day was created by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson in the spring of 1970. By the winter of that same year, the holiday’s popularity had sparked the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, a branch of government designed to protect the environment through regulation.

For families and communities around North America, Earth Day has since developed into a traditional rallying day for beautification, clean-up, and eco-awareness projects.

WHAT’S HAPPENING?
There are many events and projects scheduled this year for the 42nd Earth Day. The links below should give you some good ideas. For local events, check with your PJ Library program professional or with your local Jewish community.

ACROSS THE CONTINENT — Want to find a short- or long-term Earth service project? The Jewish website J-Serve provides teens with the opportunity to fulfill the Jewish values of gemilut chasidim, acts of loving kindness, tzedakah, just and charitable giving, and tikkum olam. Find a J-Serve Project »

THROUGHOUT THE U.S. — The Environmental Protection Agency and Smith Magazine have joined efforts to host an “expressay” contest, called “Six Words for the Planet.” Your family members can choose just six words that express their feelings about the Earth. Enter Your Six-Word Essays »

BOSTON — Northeasterners may want to participate in the Boston Jewish Food Conference. Hosted at Hebrew College, the event will present ideas and discussions relating to the intersection of dietary laws, agriculture, and religion. Register for the Event »

BALTIMORE — The Jewish Museum of Maryland and the Downtown Baltimore JCC are hosting a “Post-Passover Party” that will celebrate the end of Passover, teach about the counting of the Omer, and put Jewish traditions in the context of Earth Day. Learn Party Details »

OTTAWA — JET, aka Jewish Education through Torah, is hosting an Earth Day-themed event for its popular Girls Club. Mothers and daughters are invited to attend for discussions and craft activities relating to Judaism and the environment. See a Full Schedule of Events »

PALM BEACH, FL — The Jewish Community Centre of Greater Palm Beaches is hosting an Earth Day “Family Picnic in the Park.” Get All the Event Details »

TIDEWATER, VA — The Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is encouraging area families to participate in a community-wide recycling program. Families bring certain electronics, plastic bags, eye glasses, hearing aids, pharmaceuticals, and other materials to be recycled in a safe and environmentally-conscious way. Visit the Event’s Facebook Page »

INDIANAPOLIS — The JCC of Indianapolis is holding its inaugural Earth Day Celebration. Open for free to all, the event provides opportunities to Jewish families to build a solar-powered mini-car, create art with recycled materials, and go on a scavenger hunt in the woods. See Event Highlights »

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This week’s submission comes from PJ Library in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties. We received the photo directly from a PJ Library family.

TWO NIECES & A NEPHEW
The photos below depict the children of two separate Western Massachusetts enjoying their PJ Library books. What makes these two photos especially fun is the fact that all the children shown are relatives!

Both of these photos come from a proud a uncle, showing off his PJ-loving neices and nephew.

The first photo depicts Ella, a three-year-old girl enjoying her new copy of Noah’s Bark, a PJ Library selection in the Challah Toast (3 to 4 Years) age group.

The second photo shows Ella’s first cousins, a 4-year old Ryker and an 8-year-old Shalyn, as they enjoy their new copy of Chicken Man, a PJ Library selection in the Dates and Almonds (4 to 5 Years) age group.

Do you have photos of PJ Library children in your local community? Send them to us by e-mail at outreach@hgf.org.

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Last month, during its 10th Anniversary Gala, the Council of Jewish Emigre Community Organizations (COJECO) acknowledged Harold Grinspoon for the success that his ealry vision would ultimately yield in reaching the Russian Jewish community in New York. (See acknowledgement video below.)

CONSIDERING THE RUSSIAN POPULATION
Inside the Former Soviet Union (FSU), any expression of Jewishness was not only ridiculed and looked down upon, but it was also forbidden and punished.

In a Journal of Jewish Communal Service (Winter 2010) article entitled, “UJA-Federation of New York and the Russian Jewish Community: A Dialogue Shift from Paternalism to Opportunity,” writers Anna and Gene Rachmansky say this has had a significant effect on Jewish identity. While many Russian Jews living outside the FSU identify strongly and positively as Jews, the Rachmanskys write that only a “relatively small portion of Russian-speaking Jews (RSJ) living in Jewish communities throughout the world affiliate with the organized Jewish world.”

This is particularly noteworthy in New York, where Russian-speaking Jews comprise approximately 20 to 25 percent of the city’s total Jewish population, according to UJA-Federation 2002 New York Jewish Population study estimates.

SEEING A PJ LIBRARY OPPORTUNITY
Despite the identity challenges, Harold Grinspoon and Harold Grinspoon Foundation leaders saw the PJ Library program as presenting a number of key opportunities in reaching and engaging Russian-speaking Jewish families. For example, the program does not assume affiliation, giving it appeal among families looking for new ways to introduce Jewish themes, values, and traditions. Secondly, the program centers on literature and music, highly valued commodities in Russian culture.

With these advantages in mind, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Genesis Philanthropy Group launched a targeted effort to reach and engage Russian-speaking families.

REACHING 3,000 RUSSIAN FAMILIES
In partnership with leading UJA Federation of New York agencies and affiliated organizations — Council of Jewish Emigre Community Organizations (COJECO), Edith and Carl Marks JCH of Bensonhurst, Kingsbay YM-YWHA, and the Shorefront YM-YWHA — the PJ Library program has taken root among New York City’s Russian-speaking Jewish population and is growing rapidly.

As a Jewish Week writer Helen Chernikoff put it in her story, “A Russian Storybook Romance,” PJ Library’s books have “turned out to be a great fit for Russian Jews.”
Indeed, less than one year since the launch of PJ Library’s Russian engagement effort, more than 3,000 families of Russian-speaking background are signed-up and enjoying a new PJ Library title each month.

COJECO’S PJ LIBRARY VIDEO
Last month, Harold Grinspoon was honored at COJECO’s 10th Anniversary Gala. Attendees enjoyed the video below, which highlights the power of PJ Library in the Russian-speaking community. Fellow honorees included Feliks Frankel, COJECO chairman and founding lay leader, and Alec Brook Krasny, New York State Assemblyman and COJECO founding Executive Director.

UJA Federation of New York CEO John Ruskay recognized the three leaders for their contributions and spoke to the incredible growth of PJ Library within the region’s Russian-speaking Jewish community.

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