Having a hard time spending quality time with your children? Maybe Chabad Jewish Children’s Library is for you. The library began in February and is becoming increasingly popular, meeting on the first Sunday of each month for children ages 3 through 10.
A special program from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4, commemorating the six-month anniversary is open to the entire Jewish community: parents, grandparents and children. The theme is “My Jewish Birthday.”
“We wanted to do something connected to Rosh Hashanah, which is coming up, so we’re focusing on the Jewish birthday and the birthday of the world,” explained Blumah Wineberg, who heads up the program. “We have different activities for the kids and we’ll have a little book sale for parents to purchase Jewish books. It’s a program open to the whole community to create more awareness of the library. It will give people a chance to take a look, see what it is and get the word out.”
During the Aug. 4 program, there will be all kinds of crafts, gifts, games and storytelling on the theme. Children will be able to receive a certificate on the spot for their Jewish birthday.
Wineberg said she is hoping to have local author Rita Roth Poisner as the storyteller. Poisner recently donated two sets of her books to the library. Her book “The Power of Song and Other Sephardic Tales” won the National Jewish Book Award from the Jewish Book Council.
Parents or grandparents can honor their child/children and help the library grow by donating $20 per child for the child’s name to be placed in “his or her book.” Proceeds go toward the purchase of new books.
“We did that initially [at the first program] and many parents signed up for it, which was great,” Wineberg said. “It’s really exciting for the children when they come into the library and see their book and say ‘That’s my book.’ ”
The Jewish Children’s Library has the complete set of Hachai, a publisher of quality Jewish children’s books, from which children can choose. Each child receives his or her own library card free of charge. Wineberg said she has been in touch with another publisher of Jewish books, CIS, and hopes to purchase books for older children.
“Hachai is primarily for the younger children. Our next goal is to purchase books that would be for children 10 to 12, so we’re going to expand it into the next age group.”
The library has just added another component to make it more parent friendly. If parents are unable to leave small children at home, the library will provide childcare so quality time can be spent reading books and doing crafts with the older children. Wineberg said as many as 20 to 30 children attend each program.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for parents and children to interact in a Jewish environment,” she said. “First, they work with the children on a project after we prepare them, and do a sample, but basically the children and the parents work together. It opens it up for an activity the parents can do with their kids.”
After the activity comes the storytelling. A storyteller reads to the children, and the children get to check out a book from the library. Then parents and children sit and read for a while.
“It’s so beautiful,” Wineberg said. “In this day and age when kids are on Nintendo or other games all day, you walk in and you’re watching a mom sitting there, or a dad or grandparent, maybe they just finished their project. They’ll go in the library, pick out a book and just sit and read.
“It’s really heartwarming. And you know they’re reading good quality Jewish literature.”
The Chabad Jewish Children’s Library is located at the Chabad House Center, 6201 Indian Creek Drive, Overland Park. For more information, send email to or call 913-940-1113.
