28 families (almost 60 children) had a wonderful time “unplugging” and enjoying Shabbat at the PJ Library* Family Camp Weekend August 21-23 at the Shalom Institute in Malibu.The theme of the weekend was “Ella Goes to PJ Library Family Camp,” highlighting the character of Ella from the PJ Library book “Ella’s Trip to Israel” by Vivian Newman.
Below is a firsthand account from the Sitomer family who joined us for the weekend.
We are so fortunate to live in Los Angeles where The Jewish Federation has such amazing opportunities for our family. Receiving Jewish-themed books helps bridge the gap of our unique heritage in a way that makes it easy and fun for our kids to learn about our culture. PJ Library is a fantastic organization and participating in the Federation-subsidized weekend was such an incredible experience.
This was our second year in a row attending the PJ Library Family Camp. My husband, our 3 kids, and I had a blast! It was such a gift to spend the whole weekend with our kids. We were able to completely unplug and connect with one another.
What made the weekend so special was that everything was planned for us, which creates a stress-free weekend. Delicious meals were cooked for us and activities were organized — no need for us to coordinate anything! We had such a fun time during the family activities, but also enjoyed the adult break-out time as well. My husband and I were able to do the zip line and rope course together. We also went to a yoga class! It was such a great experience for us to do something fun as a couple while knowing our kids were nearby and also having fun. We really took advantage of all that camp had to offer.
This was also the first year our oldest daughter slept in a cabin! She was so excited to sleep in a bunk bed. She loved being with other kids, and the camp the counselors did an amazing job making her first sleep-away experience such a success.
We had an incredibly wonderful family camp experience, and our kids are already talking about attending next year for the third time! We are so grateful to PJ Library for allowing us to read such great books to our children and for sponsoring a perfect weekend.
For more information about PJ Library, please contact Risa Goldstein at RGoldstein@JewishLA.org or Jessica Jablon at JJablon@JewishLA.org.
*In partnership with The Harold Grinspoon Foundation, the PJ Library program in Los Angeles sends monthly mailings of quality Jewish literature and music to hundreds of local kids ages 6 months through 8 years.
