By Reporter staff
Shelley Hubal, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton, sees value in the PJ Library program. “Reading age-appropriate Jewish books is a great way for parents to get their children interested in their Jewish roots,” she said. “Through the PJ Library, parents and children can learn about the holidays and Jewish culture. Sharing these works also allows children to learn about Jewish values in fun and interesting ways.”
The Federation offers families with children from birth to 8 years old free subscriptions to the PJ Library. “We offer these subscriptions at no cost because we know helping our youngest generation be connected to Judaism is an important use of our funds,” Hubal added. “We also run programs for families. These programs are a great way to connect with other young Jewish families in our community. Families who are interested in subscribing through the Federation should visit this link for Binghamton’s enrollment page.” On the website, people can also make a donation to support the Binghamton Jewish Federation’s PJ Library program.
Hubal also noted that the PJ Library website is filled with information, recipes, games and other material to make holidays more meaningful: “Want to know more about Passover or just find a number of child friendly recipes? The PJ Library website is the perfect place to visit.”
Passover material from the PJ Library
This material is used courtesy of the PJ Library
This year, families will receive an illustrated “Matzah Mania” fold-out, which includes recipes for homemade matzah, matzah trail mix and matzah pizza lasagna, along with ideas for serving a seder grazing board. The keepsake fold-out also includes culturally inclusive information about seder traditions, and the “Four Questions” of the Passover seder, which are printed in English and Hebrew.
More than 45,000 of families who have received a PJ Library haggadah have indicated that this was their first haggadah. The PJ Library also offers a digital version, which can be downloaded in five languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and French. This haggadah is filled with songs, blessings, and explanations and is available as a free printable PDF here.
PJ Library has also updated its Passover hub with new book lists and dozens of new ideas and resources for families, including stories and songs, games, activities and recipes, and printables. The Passover hub can be found at here. A Passover game can be found at here.
PJ Library Passover recipes - Fluffy Passover Frittatas
Recipe used courtesy of the PJ Library
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- 1 leftover baked russet potato, thinly sliced*
- 10 large eggs
- ½ cup half and half or whole milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese
- 2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper, divided
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- Handful of Italian parsley, chopped
- *Don’t have an already-baked potato on hand? Grab a russet potato, use a fork to prick the skin all around the potato, then cover it tightly in plastic wrap and microwave for five minutes. Let the potato cool completely before handling it.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large oven-proof nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium/high heat. Add olive oil and swirl to coat the skillet.
- Cook the onions in the skillet until they are translucent, about 5-7 minutes, and add the potato slices. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cheese, and remaining salt and pepper. Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the onions and potatoes.
- Use a spatula to evenly distribute the cheese.
- Add the tomatoes on top.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the egg is set.
- Let your frittata sit for two minutes before taking it out of the pan.
- Serve hot or at room temperature.
Additional recipes from the PJ Library website