To the Board of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, the Leadership of PJ Library:

We are Jewish families, educators, and other professionals who work with Jewish children who are disappointed and frustrated by PJ Library’s conflation of Judaism with support for the state of Israel.

As Jewish parents and educators of young children, many of whom are growing up in multifaith, and/or interracial families, many of whom have disabilities, speak more than one language, identify as LGBTQ+, and do not often see themselves represented in Jewish children’s literature, we were originally drawn to PJ Library because of your statements about inclusivity. We love that your website states, “Because there are so many ways to be Jewish, people may think their family isn’t the right ‘kind’ or ‘amount’ of Jewish to enjoy PJ Library.”  Yet we see that PJ Library content does not live up to this standard.

In particular, we find your material on Israel to be the antithesis of welcoming and inclusive to Jewish families who are critical of the government of Israel. In April 2024, PJ Library sent out a pamphlet titled, "For Parents: ideas for talking about and celebrating Israel this year." Not only did this assume each family is called to celebrate Israel, it went on to celebrate greenwashing, normalize the occupation, erroneously claim Arab food and culture is “Israeli,” and otherwise paint a picture of Israel as an idyllic Jewish safe-haven without mention of the human cost of that “safety.” This pamphlet claimed to answer questions our children ask, but did not address real questions our children have  posed. Questions like, "Why does Israel bomb Gaza?" and "Can we ask Israel to stop hurting people?".  

Especially within the current political moment, there are many Jewish families who disagree with the United States’ funding and collaboration with the Israeli military. We reject the idea that all Jewish parents or families support Israel and we are concerned that our Jewish children, who question Zionism and think deeply about their Jewish identity and the meaning of ahavat orchim, do not have a place in the PJ Library community.

Justice is a cornerstone value to Judaism, and this principle must extend to all people, including Palestinians and their allies. Time and again, we have seen how multiracial and interfaith solidarity has kept Jews safe. We are parents who have been told, because of our commitment to Palestinian solidarity, that we are not “Jewish enough.” We demand better for our children, and refuse to support the conflation of criticism of Israel or Zionism with antisemitism. 

We ask for the following from PJ Library:

• Broaden the perspective of your materials for parents, so that articles and resources such as “How to Talk to Kids about the Israel-Hamas War,” do not start from the underlying assumption that as Jews we inherently support this war or believe the Zionist myth that “everyone hates us.” We are confident that our children are capable of thoughtful, meaningful contemplation that invites them into conversation with their families about the real life big questions they have; it is a show of deep respect for the growing generation to engage in good faith discussions about morality and non-violence.
• Require families to opt-in to pro-Israel content from your authors. Using this system means that families will not receive books about Israel by default, and it keeps Jewish identity and ritual separate from Israel and Zionism. Families who want Israel content will select to receive these books.
• Incorporate feedback that you receive from parents and educators who write to you with concerns about the content of specific books about Israel. We are not an insignificant number of Jewish parents or the broader community. We are part of the PJ Library community, and we deserve the same consideration as any other community member expressing a concern.
• Meet with a group of PJ Library parents to discuss these and other ideas for moving forward together.

PJ Library recently sent out a request for donations, which will not be met until these demands are discussed and thoughtfully considered. We are prepared to publicly cancel our PJ Library memberships if meaningful outreach and action is not taken in response to these demands.