Rick Recht, Rock Star of Jewish Music, to Kick Off Summer with PJ Library® Family Concert in Boca
Rick Recht
Photo: Jeffrey Tholl Photography
Boca Raton, FL – A late afternoon of family fun is in store when nationally acclaimed “Jewish rock star” Rick Recht headlines the interactive, action-packed PJ Library® Kick Off into Summer Concert in Boca Raton on Thursday, June 20, 2019. Jewish families from across the community will enjoy singing, dancing and a great time together with PJ Library on the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County campus in west Boca. The Federation is located at 9901 Donna Klein Boulevard, Boca Raton (enter South on 95th Ave from Glades Road).
The fun will start at 4:00 pm with a mix of outdoor activities, free ice pops, pizza for purchase and more, before the concert begins at 5:00 pm in Zinman Hall. In addition, a shorter Sensory-Friendly Concert at 4:30 pm will welcome families with children ages 3-13 who have special needs.
Discounted tickets are available in advance at $5 per child, at jewishboca.org/pjconcert for the 5:00 concert, and atjewishboca.org/pjsensory for the Sensory-Friendly concert at 4:30. Accompanying adults and children under one year of age are free of charge, but every child must be registered with an adult. Tickets will also be available at the door, at $8 per child.
Rick Recht is one of the most celebrated Jewish music artists and a top Jewish educator of our time, widely recognized as a pioneer of the Jewish rock music genre who has elevated the medium into a powerful and effective tool for developing Jewish pride and identity. Proud to be the national celebrity spokesperson for PJ Library, Recht’s two solo children’s CDs have been distributed to tens of thousands of Jewish preschoolers through PJ Library, and his compilation PJ Library albums have been given to hundreds of thousands. Recht is also founder and Executive Director of Songleader Boot Camp, in which PJ Library participates, and of Jewish Rock Radio, and Executive Producer of PJ Library Radio.
“We’re so excited to bring back Rick Recht’s energizing Jewish music to hundreds of local kids, parents and grandparents,” said local PJ Library Co-Chair Joanna Drowos. “His lively, positive, age-appropriate and interactive PJ concerts here and far beyond always keep young children and families rocking and dancing in their seats and on their feet.”
The international, community-based PJ Library® program came to South Palm Beach County six years ago, in response to the area’s rapidly growing young Jewish population. “The recent study of our Jewish community firmly indicated what we already knew from observation and programming – the number of Jewish children in our truly multigenerational community has increased by 57% since 2005!” said Elana Ostroff, PJ Library in South Palm Beach County Director. “PJ Library in South Palm Beach County began with the vision and generosity of local leaders and donors, in collaboration with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Based from the start at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, it is now a program of the Federation.
“Of course, if they haven’t yet registered, local families with Jewish children from 6 months to 8 years old will be able to sign up at the concert to receive free Jewish books and music every month through PJ Library – or they can sign up online at jewishboca.org/pjlibrary,” said Ostroff. “A wide array of more than 1,900 Jewish families in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Highland Beach already enjoy receiving these monthly gifts at home. And over 300 tweens ages 9-11 are enjoying and learning with our books and an age-appropriate online community in our next chapter, PJ Our WayTM, that came on board three years ago. It’s easy to register for it at pjourway.org.”
“With PJ, families also enjoy events large and small throughout the year, all over the community,” added Co-Chair Miriam Klein. “Our Summer Kickoff Concert is just one of the wonderful ways that PJ Library brings the young Jewish community together. Together they enjoy stories, crafts, concerts and fairs, and learn about holidays and mitzvot. They pack food for those in need, meet authors, make hamentashen, and visit a farm, bookstores, synagogues and so much more.
“And starting June 26, they’ll be getting together at ice cream shops all over town every Wednesday from 5:30-7:00 pm for sweet treats, fun crafts, storytime and casual time with local rabbis at our annual PJ Sweet Summer Series.”
“I believe PJ Library is one of the most extraordinary and effective Jewish family and community engagement opportunities of our time,” said Recht. “For years, my family has experienced the profound impact of reading and listening to the inspirational and incredibly high-quality PJ Library children’s books and music. On the road, many of the families we meet feel equally blessed to have PJ Library providing them with such fantastic resources and experiences.”
For more information about the concert, Sweet Summer Series, PJ Library or PJ Our Way, contact Ostroff at 561.852.6080 orpjlibrary@bocafed.org.
