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Aish HatorahAish HaTorah is a Jewish outreach organization started in Jerusalem, Israel by Rabbi Noah Weinberg in 1974. Program Aish HaTorah has become one of the world's largest organizations in its field, utilizing slogans like "Why be Jewish?" to arouse the curiosity of new recruits. Another is: "Come explore with us the rich ideas which have changed the world", through which they hope to re-ignite Jewish pride. In doing so, Aish hopes to stem Jewish assimilation by reaching out and building bridges between Jews of all persuasions. According to Aish, the response to its programs has been overwhelming: - Aish HaTorah operates 26 full-time branches and offers programs in 80 cities, representing 17 countries on 5 continents.
- 100,000 people attend Aish programs annually.
- Its website at Aish.com receives over 1 million visits each month.
- 50,000 hours of taped lectures are listened to each year.
- 4,500 students learn at Aish Jerusalem every year.
- 175 people have graduated from its rabbinic program, raising the number of full-time outreach professionals in North America alone by nearly 60 percent.
The Aish HaTorah World Center-Dan Family Building, directly facing the Western Wall serves as headquarters for this international effort. Aish HaTorah's success has been recognized by many of the world's political and business leaders, particularly the Israeli political establishment that recognizes Aish's ability to motivate Jews to move to Israel (making aliyah). History Rabbi Noah Weinberg, a graduate of the American yeshivas Rabbi Chaim Berlin (Brooklyn, New York) and of Ner Yisrael (Baltimore, Maryland) started a yeshiva for assimilated young men in Jerusalem in 1966. The Six-Day War greatly increased the numbers of young people estranged from but fascinated with their (grand)parents' heritage, and in 1974, Weinberg opened Aish HaTorah with a much broader vision of what kiruv (Jewish outreach) should entail. For this, he obtained the support of Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Mir yeshiva in Jerusalem. External link
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