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Thanks to the efforts of a local rabbi, thousands of Jewish-related books that were gathering dust in shelves, boxes, and cartons are now available for research purposes or for discounted purchase at a new library in Highland Park.

On Oct. 12, Rabbi Yossi Sirote opened “People of the Book” at 311 Raritan Ave. after previously housing the project in his garage. Starting in January, Sirote reached out to individuals and organizations in New York and New Jersey for used books, and hit the ground running with hundreds from the Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest.

The library now has between 3,000 and 5,000 books in categories including Jewish texts, holidays, biographies, Jewish women, relationships, young adult, Israel, self-help, arts and culture, Holocaust, prayer, Jewish history, non-fiction, Jewish philosophy, and fiction. While most books are Jewish related (and written in English), there is a considerable selection of secular readings in a category called “good reads” and other sections, so “anybody could walk off the street and feel comfortable,” Sirote said.

Sirote heads Abraham’s Tent, a Highland Park non-profit dedicated to promoting Jewish literacy and awareness. All of the library’s books are for sale, with average prices ranging from $4-$6, but individuals can also use them for research on-site.

“The beauty of Jewish people is that they hold books to be sacred, so even though they have so many books in their house that they are not reading anymore, they can never throw them out,” Sirote said.

Sirote formed Abraham’s Tent to provide a comfortable setting for Central Jersey Jews of all backgrounds to learn about Jewish topics at their own pace and according to their own levels of ability, he said. The organization holds Jewish holiday events, Shabbat dinners, Lunch ’n Learn at local offices, and other one-on-one Jewish learning opportunities in Highland Park.

The group’s Kaddish tutorials, as well as a “mommy and me” program at the library with a puppet theater and children’s books, both show Abraham’s Tent aims to be a center for Jewish life for those who aren’t affiliated with local congregations or Hebrew schools.

“There are a lot of Jews who don’t feel comfortable going into a synagogue,” Sirote said.

“We try to give [people] an opportunity to learn, and to grow, and to gain,” he added.

Some Abraham’s Tent events can now be held at the library, Sirote said, while new programs like Jewish movie nights and book clubs are a future possibility. That will make the library a place to learn, read, or just hang out, he said. Someone even donated a coffee machine.

“It’s like kind of a Jewish Barnes & Noble,” Sirote said.

Buying books from the library or donating them to it is meaningful not only because the books are going to a good cause, but also because it ensures that Jewish books are being re-circulated and read in homes, rather than sitting unused in someone’s basement, Sirote said.

Back in January at the Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest (JHSMW) in Whippany, a volunteer put Sirote in touch with Linda Forgosh, the executive director and curator. As the Waldor Memorial Library at JHSMW had cut back on its hours and it staff, Sirote’s project proved to be the perfect destination for about 700 of the society’s unprocessed books, Forgosh said.

“It was a marriage of books made in heaven,” she said.

People of the Book is open at 311 Raritan Ave., Highland Park, during the following hours: Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Monday, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Tuesday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Wednesday 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. It is closed on Thursday.

To donate books to the library, or for any other information about the project, call (732) 745-7080 or email info@abrahamstentnj.org.