Jewish Federation of the Berkshires would like to welcome Nadine Chisom, our new PJ Library coordinator. Nadine comes to this role after recently graduating from Williams College with a degree in sociology and French. Yet college was not where she earned her familiarity with the Berkshire community. Although she spent the majority of her childhood in eastern Massachusetts, she moved to Lee in 2019 after a mother-daughter trip to the Berkshires that was so enjoyable it prompted her family to buy a vacation house in the area. In the end, they were so charmed by the area that they relocated to Berkshire County full-time.

Her path to Williams is equally whimsical. While on that initial summer vacation, Nadine visited Williamstown and even went to the Williams College Art Museum. In her own words, “I have a fuzzy photo of myself sitting on the eyes outside WCMA from when I was 13. I used to show it to my contemporaries at Williams events, like a party gag.”

A few years later, while she and her family were in the Berkshires searching for a house, she toured Williams for real, fell in love with it. While at Williams, she was a regular attendee of both French department events and Williams College Jewish Association events. When she was not at either of those, she was most likely studying with her friends, reading, writing, or going to the gym.

Despite her liberal arts background, Nadine is passionate about finance, especially personal and social finance. With her little free time, she runs a personal finance YouTube channel.

People often question how she chose her majors, given her financial interest, but she finds intersections between her interests. “I think that sociology is inextricably linked to finances because how people spend their money and even what they think money is for is based on how they were raised, how they were socialized, their backgrounds, and all sorts of fine details that only sociologists are trained to take into account and analyze.” For Nadine, these seemingly disparate interests all come back to the same question: how do people build lives, relationships, and communities together?

So how did Nadine's path lead her to PJ Library?

For those unfamiliar with the program, PJ Library is a globally recognized initiative that sends free, high-quality Jewish children's books and music to families each month. By bringing these stories directly into the home, the program serves as a vital bridge to Jewish life, culture, and values for our youngest generation. It is not just about reading; it is about sparking meaningful family conversations and creating a shared foundation. Within our local Federation, PJ Library is a cornerstone of community growth, helping young families connect, build lasting friendships, and deepen their connection to Jewish communal life.

Nadine says the answer, in part, goes back to when Nadine first moved to the Berkshires as a teenager.  She then still went exclusively by her first name, Alexis — Nadine is her middle name — and her mother, in typical hyper-involved mother fashion, slogged through the internet to find any age-appropriate spaces and experiences for youth in the area, and stumbled upon Railroad Street Youth Project.

Nadine recalls when she first walked in there, new to the area, saying, “From the moment I walked in there, they welcomed me with excitement and urged me to sign up for a plethora of programs. I’ve done so many things with them over so many years, and whenever I needed a community to look to for resources or unwavering support, I knew they would have that to offer me. I’ve always cared about society and community service. However, my Railroad Street experience made me understand how important a strong community is and continues to shape how I view what it takes to keep a community productive and together.”

After Nadine graduated, she knew that no matter what, she had to find at least one job that would help support the community to the best of her ability. She sees community as increasingly important in an increasingly atomized world. “As society gets more and more atomized, people are forgetting what it takes to be in a cohesive ecosystem. I feel like every generation is increasingly individualized, but I have this innate drive in me to be a good community member, even if I don’t always know how.”

Therefore, the community involvement of being the PJ Library coordinator was an obvious draw. But what about the Jewish component?

Nadine was not born Jewish, but Williams College was far from her first encounter with Judaism and Jewish culture. From a very young age, she felt an affinity toward Judaism and Jewish people. In middle school, her Jewish friends would commonly refer to her as “Jew-ish.”

Her mother also noticed this pull. When their family spent a brief period in Pittsburgh during Nadine’s high school years and considered settling in Squirrel Hill South, her mother suggested that they explore local synagogues for Nadine to attend. She saw something in her daughter that Nadine herself was still discovering. To this day, her mother sometimes surprises her with Jewish books and other literature she has collected for her.

“I know the concept of a Jewish soul housed in a non-Jewish body, like nitzotz Yehudi and Nefesh HaGer,” Nadine says. “Some of my other friends think that I must have Jewish ancestry that got forgotten through time. I have some Jewish friends who I have never discussed any of this with, who have looked at me out of the blue and said, ‘I think you’re gonna convert to Judaism.’”

Regardless of her ability to explain her undeniable connection to Judaism, Nadine has continued to pursue it with curiosity and seriousness. “I am always trying to further and deepen my knowledge of Judaism. I made a promise to myself that I would get more serious about pursuing Judaism after I graduated, and here I am!”

For Nadine, becoming PJ Library Coordinator feels like a natural continuation of the community relationships that have shaped her life in the Berkshires. She is excited to bring her own experiences, curiosity, and enthusiasm to the role, while helping local families discover the same sense of connection and belonging that has meant so much to her. She hopes to grow PJ Library’s presence throughout the region, introduce families to one another, and create joyful opportunities for children and parents to build Jewish community together. “I feel incredibly lucky to have grown up in a community that has given me so much,” Nadine says. “Now I get to help give some of that back!”