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Elana Rivel. (Courtesy of Jewish Learning Venture)<\/p>\nOver 18 years, PJ Library has distributed close to 1 million Jewish children\u2019s books to young families in Philadelphia. The nonprofit recently celebrated its \u201cchai\u201d year in the region, and with it, many accomplishments.<\/p>\n
The PJ Library in Philadelphia is a program of Jewish Learning Venture, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and private donors.<\/p>\n
The History<\/p>\n
Elana Rivel. (Courtesy of Jewish Learning Venture)<\/p>\n
JLV is a \u201cmerge of two legacy institutions,\u201d said Elana Rivel, JLV\u2019s CEO.<\/p>\n
JLV was originally the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that provided support for congregational education in the area. The community fixture worked with summer camps and youth educators and supported youth groups.<\/p>\n
In the 1830s, educator and philanthropist Rebecca Gratz launched what is now known as Jewish Outreach Partnership, as a place to provide Jewish youth education.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was before synagogue religious schools started; it was community-based,\u201d Rivel said. \u201cThere were thousands of kids in the greater Philadelphia area that participated in these Hebrew school programs, and over the years, as synagogues in the 1940s, \u201950s, \u201960s began to take on that role, fewer kids enrolled, but [JOP was] still a mainstay of the community and a model across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization began working primarily with Jewish families who weren\u2019t affiliated with an institution, continuing their education within JOP\u2019s programs, according to Rivel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat JOP started to understand is that if we\u2019re going to find these families, we want to support the parents and the caregivers in their own education, whether that\u2019s helping them connect to institutions or provide stronger education at home beyond what was happening in the classrooms,\u201d Rivel said.<\/p>\n
JOP also helped strengthen these institutions to better meet families who might not \u201cautomatically\u201d join synagogues, engaging in educational and systemic change.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time, ACAJE was looking at how do we strengthen our educational systems in those congregations, and understood that they had to move beyond just the education bubble in the synagogue and engage other members of the community at the same time,\u201d Rivel said.<\/p>\n
In 2008, ACAJE began the work of PJ Library, distributing Jewish storybooks to families with young children. \u201cWe had 2,500 kids in that first year that participated,\u201d Rivel said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, JOP engaged in \u201cpublic-space Judaism\u201d to bring the Jewish faith into nontraditional organizations. ACAJE and JOP merged after the executive director of the former retired in 2009. In 2011, the organization was renamed to Jewish Learning Venture.<\/p>\n
PJ Library As an Access Point<\/p>\n
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An illustrated chapter book highlights Jewish Learning Venture\u2019s history. (Courtesy of Jewish Learning Venture)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Elana-Rivel-and-First-Lady-Lori-Shapiro.jpg\")
Elana Rivel, left, and First Lady of Pennsylvania Lori Shapiro at a May 27 celebration. (Courtesy of Jewish Learning Venture)<\/p>\n