Aish HaTorah
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Aish HaTorah ("Fire of the Torah") is an Orthodox Jewish outreach organization and yeshiva, the goal of which is to persuade Jews to observe more closely the halakha. Its headquarters are in the Old City of Jerusalem. The government of Israel awarded it a coveted piece of land — forty percent of the frontage facing the Western Wall because of its proven ability to outreach to non-religious Jews. As with all matters of religion, the Israeli government is divided in its support for religious organisations. Aish HaTorah has branches in most cities around the world which contain large populations of Jews.
In Jerusalem, the Aish HaTorah yeshiva offers full-time, intensive study programs for college and university age young Jewish men of all backgrounds and levels of knowledge. Areas of study include Hebrew Bible, Talmud, Jewish history, Jewish philosophy and Hebrew language ulpan, as well as part-time, and 'drop-in' courses.
The rabbinical ordination program combines classical Talmudic training with intensive instruction in outreach and leadership skills. Over 200 men have graduated from its rabbinic program, assuming "leadership" and evangelical roles in many Jewish communities around the world.
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[edit] History
Aish HaTorah was established in Jerusalem by Rabbi Noah Weinberg in 1974, after he broke away from the Ohr Somayach yeshiva which he had also previously co-founded.
Aish HaTorah is run along modern organizational lines and raises millions of dollars annually to support its activities. Aish HaTorah follows the traditions of the Ashekenazi Lithuanian yeshivas, as compared to the efforts of the Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
[edit] Rabbi Noah Weinberg
[edit] Inspiration for its name
The name Aish HaTorah, literally "Fire [of] the Torah" was inspired by the Talmudic story of Rabbi Akiva, the once illiterate forty year-old shepherd who subsequently became the most famous sage of the Mishnah. One day, he came across a stone that had been carved out by a constant drip of water. He concluded: "If something as soft as water could carve a hole in solid rock, then how much more so can Torah — which is compared to fire — make an indelible impression on my heart."
Rabbi Akiva committed himself to study Torah, and went on to become the greatest sage of his generation, with 24,000 students learning under him at one time.
Elie Weisel has said: "Aish HaTorah means to me the passion of teaching, the passion of learning. The study of Torah, the source of Jewish values, is the way to Jewish survival."
[edit] Aish HaTorah's educational philosophy
- Judaism is not "all or nothing"; it is a journey where every step counts, to be pursued according to one's own pace and interest.
- Every Jew and human being is worthy of profound respect, no matter their level of observance, knowledge or affiliation. No-one knows who is a better Jew or human being.
- Mitzvos ("commandments") are not mere "rituals", but opportunities for one's personal growth, to be studied and understood.
- Torah is the "wisdom for living", teaching people how to maximize their potential and pleasure in life.
- The Jewish people's history and destiny is to serve as a light unto the nations.
- The Torah’s ideas have civilized the world and can continue to do so, if the Jewish people as a nation continues to accept the challenge.
[edit] Organizational goals
Aish HaTorah's self-declared objective is to revitalize the Jewish people by providing opportunities for Jews of all backgrounds to discover their Jewish heritage in an atmosphere of open inquiry and mutual respect. Aish HaTorah has innovated noted creative Jewish educational programs and leadership training.
Worldwide, Aish HaTorah operates about 35 full-time branches on five continents, providing seminars, singles events, executive learning groups, Shabbat and holiday programs, and community building. It claims that an estimated 100,000 people attend its programs annually.
In Jerusalem, it has built a high tech main campus and outreach center that features a rooftop vista overlooking the Temple Mount, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre which houses a dramatic film presentation of the Jewish contribution to humanity. Scheduled to open in 2007, the outreach center anticipates one million visitors annually. CNN's Larry King said: "What better location could there be for an institution single-mindedly dedicated to reaching and teaching Jews their heritage?"
[edit] Global activities
[edit] Internet presence
Aish HaTorah's website, Aish.com, is ranked as one of the largest Jewish learning sites, and claims 2.5 million visits each month, and 170,000 unique email subscribers. The site features articles and audio segments on spirituality, parenting, dating, weekly Torah portion, Holocaust studies, an "Ask the Rabbi" service, and articles of a political nature.
The site operates a 24-hour live webcam that faces the Western Wall, which has registered 20 million visits. There are also spin-off sites in Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Russian.
It also has an Aish Audio site with recordings of classes and lectures about Judaism.
[edit] Seminars
A key Aish HaTorah program has been the Discovery Seminar, which uses purportedly scientific methods, such as the Bible Code to explore the authenticity of Judaism and its relevance to modern times. The Aish Hatorah claim of scientific support for its conclusions is a source of controversy. In particular, the Discovery seminar alleges that the divinity of the Torah is proved by the Bible Code - a theory that is hotly contested by mathematicians.
A single peer reviewed article was published in favour of the codes by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS). The IMS since published an article refuting the codes and saying that the original article was simply published as an interesting puzzle to challenge the readership. A review by four leading statisticians provided a full rebuttal of these codes (http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/dilugim/StatSci/PressRelease.html) which the IMS says has now been solved.
The four-hour seminar presents an overview of the entire gamut of Jewish history, philosophy, and attempts to answers questions such as, "Why Be Jewish," "Does God Exist," and "Is Torah True?"
The seminar has been given in hundreds of cities throughout the world, at university campuses, Jewish Community Centers, and Reform, Conservative and Orthodox synagogues.
More than 100,000 people worldwide have attended the seminars — including guest hosts Ed Asner, Kirk Douglas, Elliot Gould, Joel Grey and Jason Alexander.
The seminar has been adapted for presentation to Jewish day schools, yeshivas, and Beth Jacob schools as "Project Chazon."
[edit] Films
In 2005 Aish HaTorah produced a documentary film called Inspired which chronicles the lives of selected baal teshuvas ("returnees to Jewish observance"). Aish HaTorah works with the realization that the high rate of intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews has diluted the Jewish people’s vitality, as very few children of intermarried couples eventually identify themselves as "Jewish." Inspired was produced to encourage more observant Jews to share their positive Jewish religious experiences of Jewish life with non-religiously observant Jews, as a way to strengthen the baal teshuva movement and revitalize Jewish life.
Aish HaTorah has created a spin-off organization known as Honest Reporting (see below). In 2002 it released a documentary film, Relentless: The Struggle for Peace in Israel which examines how the Middle East peace process unraveled in a surge of violence. In 2005, HonestReporting released another documentary, Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West which was named best feature at Hollywood’s Liberty Film Festival. Using rare footage from Arab TV, Obsession reveals what it describes as an "insider's view" of the Islamists’ incitement toward global Jihad and their goal of world domination.
[edit] Dating
SpeedDating ignited an international craze when Aish HaTorah invented the concept of round-robin 8-minute dates in the comfort of a trendy coffee shop. Designed to help Jewish singles meet other Jewish singles, Aish HaTorah's "SpeedDating" is popular in North America and has spawned an entire industry.
[edit] Audio Center
The Aish HaTorah Audio Center is one of the world’s largest collection of recorded Jewish lectures, with over 5,000 titles on every subject in Judaism. Hundreds of Torah tape lending libraries have been established in cities with large Jewish populations, with MP3 downloads available online at Aish Audio's website. [1] Many of Aish Audio's all-star mp3 Jewish classes are also available as mp3 downloads at the Classic Sinai website. [2]
[edit] Conferences
Aish HaTorah stresses volunteer leadership involvement, and thousands of active partners teach, organize, promote and fundraise. Its annual "Partners Conference" attracts hundreds of interested lay leaders who come together to exchange ideas and glean inspiration for expanding activities. The annual "Power of One Award" honors an Aish HaTorah partner who personifies the goal of realizing his or her personal potential in the service of the Jewish people.
[edit] Learning programs
Aish HaTorah's "Executive Learning Program" is geared towards successful Jewish men and women of all ages to participate in individually-designed personal study programs in the comfort of their homes and offices.
With limited free time, and often with limited background in Judaism, professionals like Morris Smith (former manager of Fidelity Magellan Fund), Michael Goldstein (CEO of Toys 'r' Us), actor Elliott Gould, Michael Minkes (Treasurer of Bear Stearns), and hundreds of busy executives make time to fit Torah or Talmud study into their schedules. Steven Spielberg is quoted as having said: "Thank you, Aish HaTorah for the good work you do and the message you put out. I could have used you in my life 25 years ago."
[edit] Philanthropic fund
The "Jerusalem Fund" of Aish HaTorah has brought important political, business and entertainment leaders on private missions to Israel to increase their support for the Jewish state. The Albert Einstein HiTech Mission produced $40 million of direct investment in Israel. The Theodor Herzl Mission, co-sponsored by the Mayor of Jerusalem, has brought international leaders to Israel such as Lady Margaret Thatcher, U.S. Senator John Kerry, Jeanne Kirkpatrick and Elie Weisel.
[edit] Israel programs
[edit] Essentials program
The "Essentials" introductory program, for Jewish men ages 18-29, offers a strong understanding of the core concepts of Jewish thought. The educational goals of "Essentials" are to: examine the relevance of being Jewish in today's world; define major tenets of Jewish thought from a rational perspective; explore major themes and practices in Jewish spirituality. Students can participate for one class, a day, a week, or a month. Students live and study in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City.
[edit] Women's programs
Aish HaTorah also operates two women’s programs in Jerusalem, "Jewel" and "EYAHT", which offer comprehensive, multi-level study programs for university and professional women from all backgrounds. EYAHT is headed by Rebbetzin Dena Weinberg, who has educated many Jewish women to inspire others across the globe, and due to increased demand from post-college Jewish women is set to complete and move into a new modern Seminary building of classrooms and dormitories by the Summer of 2006.
[edit] Jerusalem Fellowships
Aish HaTorah operates the "Jerusalem Fellowships" program, which brings "twenty-something" Jews to Israel for a three-week program that strengthens commitment to Judaism through an exploration of Jewish philosophy, history and Israeli politics.
It should be noted, however, that many participants of AISH's programs both in Israel and abroad have negatively described their experiences. They noted AISH rabbis can be disrespectful, closeminded, and even hipocritical with their customs.
Touring excursions are designed to build a bond to the Israel. Trips are heavily subsidized, and the fellowships have been called the precursor of the Birthright Israel program.
Thousands have participated in the fellowships since its founding in 1980, making it the largest short-term Jewish studies program in the world. The Fellowships also sponsors get-away trips to London, New York and Chile.
"Jerusalem Fellowships" groups have met with Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon, Yitzchak Rabin, Binyamin Netanyahu, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Shamir, and other prominent leaders from across the political spectrum.
[edit] Hasbara Fellowships
When the Israeli Foreign Ministry sought to combat anti-Israel propaganda on college campuses, it called on Aish HaTorah to develop the "Hasbara Fellowships". This program has flown hundreds of student leaders to Israel for intensive training in pro-Israel activism training. In North America, "Hasbara Fellowships" guides and funds pro-Israel activities on 80 college campuses.
[edit] Jerusalem Road Trips
Aish Hatorah partnered with the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity to run an official Israel trip for their undergraduate members.
This three week trip combines Jewish education and touring Israel along with adventurous activities.
[edit] Honest Reporting
"HonestReporting.com" was founded by Aish HaTorah, and now exists as an independent organization. It is the largest organization in the world fighting what it describes as anti-Israel media bias. "HonestReporting" scrutinizes news agencies worldwide, and then alerts its 150,000 subscribers to respond to the media directly. "HonestReporting" has been cited in The New York Times as playing a key role in influencing media coverage of the Mideast conflict.
[edit] Controversy
Aish HaTorah's methodology and impact on some people has led to comparisons between Aish and New Religious Movements (sometimes referred to as cults).[1] This is an accusation of which the organization is aware, and counters by claiming it bears no resemblance to cults, which is clear to anyone who studies definitions of the latter - which includes manipulation, deprivation and intellectual intolerance (as opposed to vigorous questioning and debate).
