PJ Library has launched programming and events geared towards Jewish grandparents in Kansas City.
In July 2024, PJ Library, led by Bridey Stangler, held a Grandparents Town Hall to understand what resources grandparents want and how PJ Library can support their needs.
“We are providing more opportunities and more resources to grandparents because just because you’re a grandparent and you want to help support your grandkids’ Jewish identity doesn’t mean you always feel well-equipped to do so,” Stangler said.
PJ Library launched monthly Grandparent Huddles with materials and resources that can aid grandparents in their roles. Each month, grandparents gathered at The Jewish Community Campus for coffee and conversation. Topics ranged from Passover and intergenerational Seders to connecting with grandchildren through play.
Attendees discuss grandparenting with Stacey Katz at PJ Library’s September 2025 Grandparent Huddle.
In recent months, partner organizations have guest hosted these huddles, including Jewish Family Services, the Jewish Community Foundation and The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.
“The way we talk about family is understood that there are a lot more people affecting my children than just my husband and I,” Stangler said. “Grandparents are so vital to the creation of my kids’ identities and Jewish identities, respectively.”
In addition to monthly Grandparent Huddles, PJ Library has hosted grandparent and grandchild events to help families bond and celebrate holidays. This year, over 100 individuals attended “Bubbe & Zeydie’s Bubble Shabbat” for grape juice, challah and candles with an appearance from Dan “The Bubble Man” Williams.
Grandparents and Grandkids gather around a table at Gezer Park for PJ Library’s Bubbe & Zeydie’s Bubble Shabbat in September 2025.
At the end of last year, PJ Library hosted a Grandparent Hanukkah Pajamakkah Party, a pajama party with snacks, dreidel and PJ Library stories.
This year, Hanukkah Pajamakkah will return on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 4 p.m. The event will include crafts, snacks, cookies to go and a show from Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove.
Registration for PJ Library’s upcoming Grandparents Hanukkah Pajammakah Party is available at jewishkansascity.org/pjlibrary.
