Building a Community, One Play Date at a Time

In Northern Virginia, volunteers delivered 108 "Welcome to Our World" gift bags last year, up from 70 the previous year.

Shalom Baby bags welcome a baby born or adopted into a home with at least one Jewish parent. The Jewish Information and Referral Service receives an average of 10 requests a week for the bags via phone calls or over its Web site ( http://www.jirs.org).

Included in the Shalom Baby bags are guides to Jewish resources for families with children, including a list of synagogues and religious preschools, as well as toys, including a board book for Jewish babies and a place mat with the Hebrew alphabet.

The bags and visits from Shalom Baby volunteers have become a gateway into the Jewish community for families with young children, said Francie Kranzberg, special projects coordinator for the Jewish Information and Referral Service, a federation-funded organization.

Families are invited to the community center's Shalom Baby get-togethers and to sign up for the e-mail list, through which parents share information on babysitters, advertise houses for sale and trade recommendations for mohels, who perform the ritual circumcision on Jewish baby boys.

Amy Josephson of Fairfax, who has two sons, is a regular at the center's Shalom Baby parties.

"It gives me a chance to be with other mothers," she said.

Amy Friedman, co-chair with Schuler of Shalom Baby in Northern Virginia, said the goal is to reach out to Jewish families, especially those who may not be involved yet in Jewish life here.

"Our hope is to build community among people who are Jewish . . . and keep them involved," she said. "If we can get people when they're first starting a family and let them know the resources that are available to them, then they will stay involved."