Commission for Jewish Education Honors Philanthropist
by Joyce Moed
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
March 02, 2010
Entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist Harold Grinspoon is being honored on March 7 by the Lorraine & Jack N. Friedman Commission for Jewish Education of the Palm Beaches to celebrate his 80th birthday and the first year of his philanthropic endeavor.
This endeavor — The PJ Library-in the Greater Palm Beach area, is a program with that began modestly in 2005 by sending out 200 free books each month. Recently, the program celebrated the purchase of its one-millionth book from Scholastic Publishing.
The event will begin at 6:15 pm. at Café Boulud-Brazilian Court, 301 Australian Ave. Palm Beach. Also at the event, co-chairs, Dr. Elizabeth S. and Alan L. Shulman will formally announce their designation of an endowment gift to the CJE to benefit the organization's Department of Jewish Family Life.
"I believe in helping to create a Jewish home environment where parents and children celebrate together Jewish values and the joys of Jewish traditions and holidays," Alan Shulman said. "This is a most important contribution to the vitality of Judaism."
In the 1930s, when Grinspoon was a young Jewish boy being raised in a Boston suburb, anti-Semitism was on the rise. He was dyslexic, and struggled in school. Despite the challenges Grinspoon faced as a child, he went on to become a successful real estate entrepreneur in the residential real estate market throughout the country. Now Grinspoon is giving back to organizations that foster a love for Jewish education, history, and literacy.
In 1993, after a successful cancer surgery left him deeply appreciative of life and his good fortunes, he established the Harold Grinspoon Foundation to share his wealth and promote learning for and about the Jewish people.
"While never seeking recognition for himself, Harold is most worthy of our gratitude, admiration and love," Elizabeth Shulman said. "His intentions to help people and the Jewish people in particular are pure and enlightened. Those personal qualities, combined with his boundless energy, bring joy to so many and we are delighted to have an opportunity to celebrate with him."
The pride and joy of Grinspoon's giving is the PJ Library, which now sends more than 60,000 free Jewish books each month to children in 125 communities in the United States, Canada and Israel. The purpose of the program is to inspire a love for Judaism in families with children and educate them about Jewish values and traditions. The program is successful in Greater Palm Beach and Miami, with hopes of eventually expanding into Broward County and South Palm Beach County.
One unique aspect of the PJ Library is donors of all levels, from the multi-million dollar foundation grant to the modest contribution from a parent receiving the books, all help to bring the program to fruition.
The name "PJ" stands for "pajamas" and invokes that time at the end of the day when parents and children strengthen their bond through love and learning by cuddling up with a book.
"What is unique about the PJ Library is that it reaches families at a critical time — often upon the birth or adoption of a child — a time of deep emption and wonder," said Marcie Greenfield Simons, director of the PJ Library. "Spiritual feelings, which may have been dormant for years, are often aroused as parents of young children think about their past and their future, wondering what legacy they will pass on to this precious being they have brought into the world. The books, which focus on Jewish values, practice and heritage, spark meaningful conversations at home. The PJ Library helps lay the foundation for a family's Jewish journey."
Grinspoon created the PJ Library after learning about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which sends books to children in underprivileged areas of the U.S. He also hosts a hiking trip in Aspen for Jewish entrepreneurs and philanthropists. He considers his mentors to be his wife, Diane Troderman, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg — who will be special guests at the March 7 celebration — and philanthropist Michael Steinhardt.
The PJ Library seeks partnerships with smaller and large philanthropists and Jewish Federations, JCCs, and other Jewish nonprofit organizations to bring the PJ Library books and music to children. The PJ Library pays 60 percent of the cost of sending one package each month to participating PJ Library families, while the partnering organizations pay 40 percent, just $40 a year. For the children and families who receive PJ Library materials each month, there is no cost at all. The PJ Library team in the national office provides resources and ongoing support for implementation, recruitment, program development, and marketing for each community. The books and music are presented as gifts from the partnering organizations, sending a message to the families that they are part of an "extended family." The PJ Library has programs in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and more than 100 other cities with plans to expand to dozens more throughout 2010.