Posts from the ‘General’ Category

Introduction

From Conversations: Readers Respond to A Review of Kiruv

When Klal Perspectives was launched in Fall 2011, our primary objective was to present a range of thoughtful perspectives on one important topic in each issue. Our broader goal, however, was to stimulate higher-level conversations about these topics that would lead toward implementation of well-developed solutions for the pressing challenges facing our communities. And, as mentioned in our Mission Statement, we intended to seek and publish “input from the broader community… in order to broaden the discussion and enlist as many talents as possible in developing strategies for the future.”

More than any of our previous four issues, the Fall 2012 Review of Kiruv inspired many to follow up on this invitation, offering to submit full-length essays as well as more pointed Letters to the Editor to further this important conversation about the relative effectiveness of current or potential kiruv initiatives. We are pleased to present here a dedicated follow-up issue of Klal Perspectives entitled Conversations: Readers Respond to a Review of Kiruv.

This is not a regular issue of Klal Perspectives, but a collection of reader responses. The difference is significant, in that our approach to a regular issue is far more rigorous in seeking out the most important ideas and contributors, providing extensive feedback to first drafts and offering ongoing support in the development of the final article. For this special issue, we welcomed unsolicited contributions, made no specific demands on the writers, and present their offerings here essentially in the form in which they were submitted.

It is our hope that this process of developing and sharing ideas leads to significant enhancement of kiruv efforts within our community’s ongoing commitment to promote Torah values, l’hagdil Torah ul’haadirah.

Rabbi Ari Koretzky

From Conversations: Readers Respond to A Review of Kiruv

A City of Hope in the State of Kiruv

 

The latest issue of Klal Perspectives elicited from me a broad range of emotions. Most notable was the instinctive defensiveness I felt, an impulsive need to defend my chosen profession and life’s mission. Was my emotional reaction unfounded, or was it rooted in a reflexive understanding that much of the articles’ analyses did not line up with what I observe unfolding in the kiruv world I occupy daily?

The issue also called to mind the variety of objections toward kiruv that, while not enumerated there, commonly are expressed in other contexts.

Misgivings towards the kiruv movement – at least as it currently stands – come in many flavors: financial (questioning the fiscal prudence of the endeavor, in light of other needs); intellectual (questioning the approaches often employed); pragmatic (questioning whether it is actually working); and sometimes even philosophical (questioning the validity of the endeavor as a whole).

I find it especially interesting that certain types of objections tend to emerge, almost exclusively, from different segments of the Orthodox community. In this article, I will evaluate the various protestations along these lines, recognizing of course that crossover does exist, and, as with any process of categorization, oversimplification is an invariable byproduct.

Broadly speaking, I have identified three sub-populations: the “Modern Orthodox” community, the “Yeshivish” community, and then, in a different vein, those in or related to the kiruv establishment who have expressed reservations about its current trajectory.

Is There a City of Hope in the State of Kiruv?

This third sub-group – established kiruv veterans and “insiders” – is most familiar to me, and their objections – many of which were outlined in Klal Perspectives Fall 2012 – are most germane to the field’s development. I will begin with their critiques, which focus largely on the methodology and effectiveness of the current kiruv movement.

While I appreciate the great impact these more critical contributors have made on the Jewish world, it is telling to me that few of those submissions came from people actually engaged in the daily kiruv enterprise, at least on a “front lines” level. As they noted, the landscape has changed dramatically from the days of backpackers wandering into a class near the Kotel. While the essential kiruv ingredients of personal warmth and Torah wisdom have not changed, the demographics and methods necessarily have, and the kiruv world is still learning to respond to these seismic shifts.[2]

As such, without an intimate understanding of how people “on the ground” in fact currently are thinking about and responding to these challenges, the objections amount to straw-man arguments that underestimate the perceptivity and creativity of those engaged in the process.

Since my familiarity lies in the realm of college outreach, I will restrict my analysis to the ways in which this field is developing. First, categorically, while we have a long, long way to go, I would argue that college kiruv is beginning to prove very fruitful. Readers should appreciate that, prior to six or seven years ago, there were almost no non-Chabad kiruv professionals on campus, beyond Rabbi Avrohom Jacobowitz in Michigan, the JAM (Zarrett) outfit in California and a lonely handful of others. We should not underestimate the game-changing power of the Maimonides program,[3] which has provided an entrée to nearly every campus mekarev in America, plus had ripple effects on Chabad and Hillel.[4] The casual observer also might be unaware of the impact Rabbi Menachem Deutsch has had over the past three years in standardizing and crystalizing goals, and in directing funding towards projects that most effectively promote them.

Under the Wolfson/Horn mandate, mekarvim – at least I can speak for myself and my own staff – have a very clear sense of mission, methods of measurement and means of evaluation. We track data meticulously, record pre-determined metrics and evaluate success in a professional manner. We maintain a stratified and balanced sense of purpose, recognizing that our primary goal is to develop students towards concrete mitzvah observance, but also embracing the myriad steps along the way; residual impact is not lionized, but is appreciated still. A handful of students each year will make their way to yeshiva/seminary, a handful more will begin observing Shabbos and other miztvos, and hundreds beyond that will experience meaningful Jewish connections and gain valuable knowledge. These numbers grow each year, and as the cadre of professionals humbly self-reflect and share insights, we sharpen our sense of how best to touch the students we so deeply love.

Momentum is building constantly. We are beginning to attend frequent frum weddings of students who participated in programs seven or eight years ago. “Maimonides” is not quite a household name yet, but it’s moving in that direction, as the network of program graduates grows into the thousands. Many other programs feed off of and into this flagship, and recent growth has necessitated moving to large, new facilities at ours and other campuses.

Still, as Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky (Getting Back to Basics, Klal Perspectives Fall 2012) notes, the baal teshuva yeshivas are not yet full. He should appreciate, though, that the de-emphasis on outreach in many community kollels, coupled with changing financial realities that discourage baalei teshuva from spending time in yeshiva, have deprived many beginner’s yeshivas of their traditional student base. This indicates not that the pool is shrinking, but that it is shifting, and such changes occur slowly over time.

We are finding locally that, as better building blocks are set in place, the number of students seriously contemplating yeshiva attendance is in fact growing steadily. This does not signify that every receiving institution will grow in the future, as some have adapted less effectively to changing student needs while others have emerged as more viable outlets. Of course other metrics of success exist as well – specifically Shabbos observance among those unable to attend a yeshiva or seminary at any given time.

I invite any of the more skeptical authors to join us for an evening on campus, to observe programming, speak with students, even peruse our “records.” And most of all, I invite them to engage in an actual dialogue with those of us standing outside college dining halls, teaching classes, schlepping pizzas, leaving our families to jet across the world on trips, and holding students’ hands through very personal and challenging transformations.

I believe such a dialogue would demonstrate that the real questions are not whether or not kiruv is still viable in the 21^st century – it is – or whether our approaches are beginning to hit the mark – they are. Those are the “straw man” concerns that in my view are already well understood, often discussed and, from my very limited vantage point, are being amply addressed.

Instead, the real questions involve the essence of our work: How do we better retain college alumni and better transition students between organizations? How can we leverage our burgeoning national network to capture new students, or utilize existing mechanisms like Taglit-Birthright to do the same? How can we more effectively “package” Yiddishkeit in a philosophical/political climate so antithetical to concepts of absolute truth, traditional morality and suppression of the self in service of a greater good? How should we handle increasingly complicated yichus (personal status) questions that cross our desks? How can we better collaborate, where possible, with other campus groups, and, in particular, involve as allies Modern Orthodox student-peers on secular campuses? And finally, how do we move towards greater financial self-sufficiency and develop the skills that will allow today’s front line mekarvim to become tomorrow’s organizational architects and leaders?

These are the real challenges, and they are challenges worth discussing. Wise, experienced thinkers like Rabbi Buchwald and Dr. Schick could contribute greatly, if they would participate first briefly in day-to-day, nitty-gritty campus operations. I believe that they and others would indeed find a city of hope in the state of kiruv.

Ye Modern Orthodox: Where Art Thou?

Moving to the second group of frequent detractors, it appears to me that many Modern Orthodox Jews are simply uncomfortable with the enterprise of kiruv. I often find it ironic when I encounter more whispered suspicion about my kiruv efforts from Orthodox students than from their secular brethren.

Anyone familiar with the current periodicals and blogs of the Modern Orthodox landscape recognizes that, broadly speaking, the Modern Orthodox approach embraces complexity as a hallmark of sophistication, focusing more on nuance than on the general ideas it informs. An emphasis on rationalism and its attendant skeptical posture generates an almost reflexive disdain of certitude. Yet certitude generates conviction, a natural precondition for sharing one’s world view.

Likewise, an intellectual approach that defies reduction to succinct talking points will prove much more difficult to impart than a clear-cut philosophy firmly asserting basic truths.

Consider the following demonstration: Ask two individuals whether or not G-d is involved in the world, and whether we as human beings can engage in an ongoing relationship with Him. A traditional “right-wing” yeshiva product likely would answer: “Yes, He is interested in our affairs and governs all aspects of our lives. One absolutely can have a relationship with Him.” His Modern Orthodox counterpart more likely would respond: “It depends what you mean by ‘involved.’ There are various degrees of possible hashgacha (providence), and these may or may not depend on one’s spiritual standing. Currently a maximalist, perhaps Chassidic-influenced perspective is in vogue, but this is not necessarily the traditional view. In short, it’s complicated…”

“It’s complicated” might be true, but it rarely inspires.[5] It also can obscure larger truths – in this case, for example, that according to all traditional Jewish approaches, a person can and must develop a relationship with the Almighty through the mitzvos He has ordained, which is what the questioner likely wanted to know anyhow. In the name of nuance, the forest can fall casualty to the trees.

Ironically, those among the Modern Orthodox who dismiss kiruv as a bastardization of Jewish wisdom are in fact ignoring the vast nuance in the process itself. I have heard myself quietly portrayed in precisely such a dismissive and simplified manner – eager to present a neat, sanitized Jewish product, glossing over complexities or inconsistencies to achieve an end-result. Yet as a “kiruv professional,” when I avoid nuance, I do so consciously, intending to communicate a larger truth to a student who is unprepared for a fuller treatment so early in his or her development.

Certainly, we teach the story of Yehuda and Tamar one way to 3^rd graders, and (hopefully) very differently to a student in bais medrash. And while nuance has its place, so does its concealment. Truth, as such, operates not in a vacuum but in the context of the individual receiving the message. While intelligent, non-observant adults can obviously handle more sophisticated presentations than can children, the “art” of kiruv does mandate making routine judgment calls on just how and how much to present at any given moment.

That Modern Orthodoxy institutionally supports one major kiruv cause – NCSY – demonstrates this inherent acknowledgement. Most people can appreciate that children and teenagers require a more emotionally-based and intellectually straightforward approach – and even then there are detractors. Torah education must be tailored to the needs of its students, and this applies equally across all demographics.

As perhaps an even more fundamental objection, however, aside from doubting the intellectual integrity of kiruv efforts, many within the Modern Orthodox community in fact feel morally unjustified imparting their beliefs to others. Yet accusations that those in kiruv “brainwash” and “push their agenda” on students so dramatically misrepresents the facts on the ground; every experienced mekarev that I know – and I know many – respects the deep humanity of his students, encourages balanced, measured and emotionally healthy growth, and promotes honest dialogue about any topic that emerges. In my view, accusations to the contrary amount to a cover for some peoples’ discomfort with any form of Jewish directional encouragement.

Sadly, due at least in part to these hesitations, many in the Modern Orthodox community, who in the finest Hirschian tradition could most credibly wage intellectual battle on behalf of Torah ideology, refrain from doing so. Instead, they critique kiruv in a manner that belies either their own insecurities of belief, or their unfounded concern that imparting these beliefs to others would compromise their intellectual integrity or inappropriately influence others.

Is the “Right” Right?

The challenges from the “Yeshivish” community tend to be more pragmatic than the philosophical considerations of the Modern Orthodox.

The most commonly raised objection from this sub-community is a financial one. As a group suffering from an overwhelming cost of living, coupled with an even more overwhelming list of tzedaka concerns – yeshivas, kollelim, chessed organizations, “off the derech” (OTD) programs, and so much more – they will concede that kiruv is important, but question whether it is more important than these causes. Can we justify the exorbitant cost of “creating” just a single baal teshuva?

In my view, this objection fails on three counts. Conservatively speaking, I will estimate the cost of “producing” (as crass as that sounds) a baal teshuva to be $100,000.[6] The average day school education – that which is intended to solidify a young person’s fidelity to Judaism – certainly costs at least this much, and often much more.[7]^,[8] Most observers addressing the “tuition crisis” argue that Jewish education must be perceived as a communal responsibility no different than feeding the poor, and that parents alone should not shoulder the burden.[9] Should our community feel less obliged to provide a basic Torah education to non-observant Jewish students, who certainly have not received such training at home?

Next, those portraying kiruv as a mammoth “$100 million enterprise” neglect the fact that a large majority of this money comes from two or three exceptional donors.[10] At the highest levels of charitable giving, there is actually very little broad-based support in the frum community for kiruv, much to the frustration of its fundraisers. I know of many observant donors who contribute more generously to AIPAC and a host of other secular Jewish causes than they do to all of the kiruv organizations in their area, combined. Also, at risk of impugning my own yeshivish credentials, I will ask: Do we really need another “Turnpike yeshiva,” catering to a subset of a subset of a subset of students? And yet kiruv receives too much money?!?

The final rejoinder is the most fundamental, albeit more emotional in nature. Today, we are rightly concerned with the “OTD” phenomenon. Read any Orthodox publication and you will discover first-hand accounts of mothers spending tear-drenched, sleepless nights engaged in prayer, pleading for their young shaifeleh to return to the ways of his mesorah. Yet how often do we think of Hashem’s “pain” (k’viyochol – so to speak), when in fact 80-90% of His children are “off the derech”?

Does the mother suffering through this terrible pain think once about the cost of funding her son’s return? When a building is burning, you don’t sit down for a budget meeting. At the risk of invoking hyperbole, Klal Yisrael globally is in fact burning.[11] We may be blessed with a well-appointed, fire-safe chamber – though we all understand that it isn’t quite as fire-proof as we once would have hoped – but does this negate our responsibility towards those outside its confines?

I am not delusional enough to believe we can “save” all people; in fact, anyone involved in “front lines” kiruv recognizes the inevitability of failure far more than those reading the colorized “transformation stories” that are passed around magazines and Shabbos tables. There certainly are those working in kiruv, whom I respect, with more sweeping and “Messianic” aspirations than I personally hold; I believe we must focus on creating generationally-lasting transformation within individuals, while hoping for meaningful, residual impact in the process. Still, summoning the image of that tortured mother: for those that we can reach, is the price tag really even relevant?[12]

In this respect, I am astounded when people describe kiruv as a “luxury.” Such a claim strikes me as both offensive and misguided.

Offensive, because secular Jews are not an “other”; they are no less “us” than any card-carrying member of our local shul, yeshiva or social group! Every Jew is a “ben or bas l’Makom” (“child of G-d”) as much as our own children and those of our neighbors.

And misguided, because an infusion of passionate, talented ba’alei teshuva can enhance – and dramatically has enhanced – our own communities. Think of the great teachers, speakers, community activists, and baalei tzedaka who are baalei teshuva. These scores of newcomers breathe enthusiasm and creativity – and yes, like all subgroups, a unique set of challenges – into today’s Jewish world.

This recognition also undercuts a related contention from many on the right: that with so many problems of our own – parnassa, shidduchim, at-risk youth, abuse – we should “get our own house in order” before looking to help those still outside. After all, if we have talented young men and women in our ranks capable of “reaching out,” might they not also be capable of “reaching in,” where we need them more?

I would never dismiss the significance of the internal ills plaguing our community, but such a mentality promotes a false dichotomy. All of these causes are important, and all can and should be addressed. In fact, focusing outward may even generate the unintended consequence of rehabilitating our inward problems. I volunteer weekly teaching at a local girls’ high school that accepts many “struggling” girls, because I have observed how much they can gain from a “kiruv mindset” – intellectually open, personally warm and accessible. It is precisely my experience outside the community that affords me the fresh perspective and approach that these young women appreciate. Meanwhile, from the community members’ perspective, as my colleague Rabbi Meir Goldberg pointed out in a recent Mishpacha Magazine column,[13] involvement in reaching out can force one to deepen one’s own understanding and reinvigorate one’s own sense of purpose.

Still others are afraid to expose our “dirty laundry” to those beyond the tight, communal walls. Yet while our community admittedly is flawed, this need not preclude us from highlighting its myriad virtues. In time, a developing baal teshuva can and should be introduced to our shortcomings. When you invite guests into your home, however, you first bring them to the clean and orderly rooms. If they move in, they will soon enough observe – and come to accept – that not every room is always so tidy.

A final objection originating from “yeshivish” corners is that kiruv exposes its participants to negative influences – both impropriety and heresy. “The broom that sweeps gets dirty,” so they say. (To which one mentor of mine once replied, “then Avrohom Avinu must have been quite the dirty broom.”) Quips notwithstanding, involvement in kiruv undoubtedly carries certain occupational hazards. Yet, I would argue, so does every profession. The difference, of course, is that those working in kiruv are governed by strictures to which few other professionals are subject.

Unlike the average office worker, those on campus (at least in Meor, the organization by which I am employed) enter a contractual obligation to study Torah daily, and to implement male-female boundaries well beyond the basic halachos (laws) of yichud (seclusion). And while they may interface more routinely with unorthodox ideas, they are also less vulnerable to the destabilizing consequences of intellectual challenges that greet many today on the Internet or in contemporary public discourse.

But most uniquely, these rabbis and rebbetzins function as publicly declared ambassadors for Jewish ideals, which generates a strong degree of self-consciousness and inhibition not present in standard professional circumstances.[14] No system is fool-proof, of course, and mekarvim can stumble as can any others, but on balance the “exposure” objection can be laid to rest.

Bringing the Ideas – and Us – Together

Kiruv is both a concept and a cause. Its concept remains a pristine ideal whose implementation is constrained only by the limitations of those promulgating the cause. These individuals – among whose ranks I am proud to count myself – naturally suffer from all the insecurities and imperfections normal to the human condition. Still, in the final analysis, our work reflects a deeply sincere, and deeply competent, effort at bringing home our brothers and sisters. I pray that all segments of the observant community will learn to support, if not fully embrace, these efforts. At the very least, I hope we can engage in a more informed dialogue that considers the gravity of the problem, but also respects the existing attempts at its resolution. Meaningful support, coupled with enlightened conversation, can spawn continuously greater achievement. A city of hope, indeed, in the state of kiruv.

Rabbi Eric Coopersmith

From Conversations: Readers Respond to A Review of Kiruv

Knowing We Can Win

 

In the Fall 2012 edition of Klal Perspectives, I sensed a certain defeatist attitude in the questions contributors were asked to address: “Has kiruv in America run its course…?”

Lately, I’ve been encountering a growing sentiment directed against those in kiruv: “Let’s face it. You had a nice idealistic dream of ending assimilation and changing the world. But the demographics prove that it’s now over.”

In my view, this premise is fundamentally flawed. It displays a misreading of the reality taking place in the kiruv world specifically and of global sociological trends in general.

True, we have great challenges ahead. But the fact is that campus kiruv is thriving, trips to Israel are at an all-time high, the Internet is saturated with Torah study opportunities, kiruv outlets continue to sprout up in a variety of new locations and thousands of frum people are reaching out to friends and colleagues.

And yet the naysayers not only claim that the kiruv movement cannot get the job done, they lead people to wonder if perhaps kiruv is harming the frum community by “draining away vital resources.”

Adaraba! Kiruv represents the best opportunity for infusing financial and human resources into the frum community. Tens of thousands of baalei teshuva have joined shuls, send their kids to local schools and are devoting their resources and energy to improving the frum infrastructure.

Consider one example: Mr. M. is the founder and president of a large mutual fund. He and his wife got involved in Yiddishkeit through an Aish rabbi and became Torah observant. Today, he is president of the local yeshiva high school, leading their efforts to professionalize and upgrade their operation, while she is a founder and leading force in a preeminent organization empowering Jewish women to strengthen Yiddishkeit in their homes.

Yet the premise persists: The kiruv movement is a disappointment, and it no longer makes sense for the frum community to allocate funding and manpower to kiruv.

Even more troubling, this attitude has seeped into the ranks of those devoted to the cause of kiruv.

It is time to dispel this misperception. Here are four levels of “how we know we can win.”

Level 1: It’s All a Miracle.

Rav E.E. Dessler (Michtav M’Eliyahu) presents a formula for striking the balance between hishtaldus and bitachon: The greater one’s bitachon – i.e. the more one lives with the reality of Hashem as the sole source of success – the less hishtadlus is correspondingly required. (Of course, living with this reality is a challenge.)

Rav Dessler demonstrates this idea from the Gemara (Taanis 25a), where Rebbe Chanina Ben Dosa’s daughter mistakenly lit the Shabbos candles with vinegar instead of oil. Due to her total trust in Hashem – the belief that He alone controls events – the vinegar burned as “naturally” as does oil.

This is the first level of “Why We Can Win.” If we realize that everything Hashem does is b’derech neis (a miracle), there is no reason we can’t conquer the monumental task of bringing back millions of Hashem’s children. Because not only does Hashem have all the power at His disposal, but given His tremendous love for us, He totally wants us to succeed.

Consider: Is there anything you wouldn’t do for your own children? As Rav Noach, zt”l, used to say: If G-d forbid your son was drowning, and someone came along and said, “I’ll save him – just give me your rope,” would anyone hesitate to help to save their own child?!

When it comes to winning the kiruv battle, what is holding back the belief that it’s possible? Do we suspect, chas v’shalom, that Hashem doesn’t have enough money and tools at His disposal? If we are living with the reality of Hashem’s unfathomable power, and his limitless love for the Jewish people, then we can surely succeed – even if “facts on the ground” may make it appear impossible.

The Jewish people have never been constrained by sociological norms. The very idea of a kiruv movement is itself a sociological anomaly. Forty years ago, people mocked Rav Noach, zt”l, as a meshuganeh for thinking it’s possible to attract secular Jews to a life of Torah and mitzvos. Fortunately, Rav Noach had the bitachon to know that Hashem has all the ropes we need.

Level 2: We Have All the Raw Materials.

We are moving through the levels, from “least practical” to “most practical.”

Even without relying on miracles, the facts on the ground indicate that winning this battle is at least a long shot, within the realm of practical reality. That’s because we already have the basic raw materials to get the job done. Just as concrete, steel and heavy equipment are needed to build a skyscraper, the kiruv movement has three primary assets to rely on.

Our first asset is our product – the Torah itself, a spectacular kli chemda that explains all of life’s most complex and rewarding challenges in the greatest depth and accuracy. As Toras Chaim, it contains the instructions for making a marriage work, raising well-adjusted children, actualizing one’s potential, being a moral person and building a healthy society. Torah is the ultimate repository of wisdom, to which no other “wisdom” can possibly compare.

Our second asset is our human resources – the Jewish people. Every single Jew is the ultimate idealist, yearning to do the will of Hashem (tzmay’im la’asos ratzon konam). In the great social movements throughout history, Jews have consistently stepped forward as the innovators and activists, striving to fulfill the Jewish mission of a perfected world (tikkun olam).

Finally, of course, we have Hashem on our side. Banim atem lashem Elokaichem – we are children of the Almighty. He is our loving Father, Who wants nothing more than to bestow His blessings and to bring every Jew home.

So while this battle may be a long shot, we have all the materials needed to get the job done. We just need the right architects and engineers to devise a blueprint for putting it all together.

Level 3: There is Precedent for a Successful Mass Movement.

According to our mesorah, the purpose of all human history is to create an opportunity for the Jewish people to achieve their purpose: returning to the Land of Israel, bringing Moshiach, and becoming an ohr lagoyim – leading the entire world to an awareness of Hashem.

This means that every historical trend and transformation – whether the invention of the printing press, the industrial revolution, or the Internet – is Hashem’s way of providing us with the tools, the wherewithal, and even the likelihood of creating a social movement that will transform the world into a place where Hashem is known.

A movement is a critical mass of people who undertake to use whatever resources they have to achieve a common goal (as opposed to an organization, which is a group of “professionals” that provide top-down “services”). A movement is a grass-roots groundswell that feeds on itself and attracts the masses in a wave of popularity.

Creating a mass movement is the only way that victory is possible. Rav Noach zt”l, understood that if you are serious about changing 12 million Jews dispersed around the planet, the only strategy that has a chance of success is a movement, simply because it is completely unfeasible to train and fund the tens of thousands of rabbis and rebbetzins needed to reach that many people.

Today, creating a mass kiruv movement is quite plausible. Over the past few centuries, the world has changed in five fundamental ways, which makes it more likely than ever in human history for a social movement to succeed.¹

1. Urbanization. People used to be primarily farmers, living far apart from one another, completely preoccupied with milking their cows and tilling their land. With the popularity of cities, large numbers of people began coming into daily contact. A successful movement needs large numbers; urbanization creates such a potential.

2. Universal education. When people are ignorant, they are unaware of the options for improving their lot in life. When people are educated, awareness of options increases their expectations for a better life, and gives the masses more self-confidence to exert their desires and aspirations – despite the challenging “facts on the ground.”

3. Economic and political liberalism. In the feudal system, people were essentially slaves of a feudal lord, with neither the time nor freedom to improve the world. Worse were the oppressive monarchies and dictatorships. Today, this hierarchy has given way to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, where people can get together and strategize how to change the world. These changes dramatically leveled the playing field, and gave the common man the rights and abilities to advocate for social change without fear of reprisal from those in power that would make it too costly or dangerous to undertake.

4. Financial resources. Movements need money. People today are no longer overwhelmed with eking out an existence. Along with having more money to invest, they also have more time on their hands, to conceive and implement a transformational movement.

5. Social media. In the past few years, we’ve witnessed the advent of social media – the ultimate game changer that has turned the world into a global village, where you can speak to all of humanity at one time. Yet surely G-d did not create social media for the Arab spring or to popularize Justin Beiber. Rather it is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s historic prophecy: At the end of days, the Jewish people will be an ohr lagoyim, with all the nations coming to Yerushalayim to learn the word of Hashem.

For the vast majority of the Jewish people’s 3,300-year history, it was impossible to conceive of the tiny nation Israel teaching the entire world, and doing so simultaneously. We were scorned, mocked and persecuted – with the nations of the world trying to influence us, often by force, to change our values.

For millennia, the belief in our destiny to change the world was rooted in our belief that since the Torah promised it, we knew it would be true, despite the fact that practically speaking, it seemed impossible.

Today, however, through the Internet and social media, the Almighty is providing all the resources we need, and has put all the social elements in place for a mass movement – making it plausible to win this ultimate battle.

Furthermore, today we have the theories for how to implement such a plan. Social scientists have accurately defined, quantified and analyzed the key elements that create an effective social movement.

Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling book, The Tipping Point, identified the key elements underlying social change. It starts with a core of influential people involved – what he calls a combination of “connectors, mavens and salesmen.” Then there’s the “stickiness factor” – how memorable, unique, practical and personal the idea is, and whether it can easily be packaged. Finally, there is the “power of context” – the environment must be properly suitable and sustainable to enable the message to be heard more clearly than in previous generations.

The formula for creating a movement is no longer a guessing game. If we replicate the formula, we can succeed.

Level 4: We are Already Succeeding.

In February 2013, the Project Inspire Convention drew a sold-out crowd of 1,100 participants. It was an unprecedented display of achdus (unity), learning, growth, and focus on ahavas Hashem and ahavas Yisrael. Whether yeshivahleit from Lakewood and Baltimore, or rabbanim from Flatbush and the Five Towns, or Chassidishe ladies from Williamsburg and Monsey – everywhere, people were eagerly discussing strategies for kiruv.

There has been a tremendous response to the “call to action” – over 7,000 people have attended a Project Inspire Kiruv Training Seminar, learning common kiruv techniques. Many hundreds have signed up for one-on-one learning with a non-frum partner. Other volunteers are running programs and implementing their own creative ideas.

Within the Aish orbit alone, other mass initiatives are reaching myriads of secular Jews: JWRP (Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project) is bringing women to Israel for chizuk missions, Hasbara Fellowships is training thousands of college students to fight against anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias, Aish’s new center across from the Western Wall is attracting thousands of secular Israelis, and Aish.com – with 400,000 unique email subscribers – is bringing Torah to the masses.

In terms of creating a movement, we can now see a light at the end of the tunnel.

This by no means diminishes the fine work of kiruv professionals who are reaching a segment of Jews in their city. Certainly every Jew we touch, every mitzvah performed, has its eternal reward. And we must take pleasure in our accomplishments.

But in terms of really winning this war, a top-down organizational model is doomed to failure. Gedolim including HaRav Aryeh Leib Shteinman, HaRav Matisyahu Solomon, and the Novominsker Rebbe have termed assimilation “a devastating spiritual holocaust” (shoah ruchanit norah).² If we don’t think in those terms, we’re not even going to have the goal of saving every Jew. We won’t be davening for it, or strategizing for it, or living as if our lives – and the lives of our assimilated brethren – so desperately depend on it.

Every human being is created b’tzelem Elokim (in G-d’s image), and has infinite potential to change the world. And yet, if we don’t believe we can succeed, then we’re telling the Almighty: “Don’t bring the blessing through me.” Only if we desire to be the kli (tool), to accept the responsibility of bishvili nivra ha’olam (“the world was created for me” – See Sanhedrin 4:5), will the Almighty assist us with His infinite power.

Getting the Job Done

There is no doubt this is an eis ratzon (propitious time) and that Hashem is moving the world for us, activating social structures and the frum community in a l’maaleh min hateva (supernatural) way.

Yes, there are grave demographic challenges. And it is important to assess things from a purely demographic perspective – in terms of pointing where we need to direct our efforts. But we must not predict the outcome based on sociology alone.

Many years ago, Rav Shach, zt”l, came to Aish HaTorah to be the sandek at the bris of Rav Noach’s youngest son, Yehudah (now the COO of Aish Jerusalem). Rav Shach was very moved by the atmosphere at Aish, and gave a devar Torah with the message that: If one man can kill 6 million Jews, then one man can save 6 million Jews.

That is our rallying cry moving forward. The key to victory – a mass movement – has already been defined and distilled. We have all the raw materials. We have the precedents to guide and inspire us. We just have to learn these lessons, apply them to Torah, and get the job done.

The entire purpose of existence is to be mekarev the Jewish people and humanity to Hashem. Of course, it is no guarantee that we will personally merit to succeed, because that depends upon the exercise of our free will. But even if we fail completely, just making the effort alone is worth everything.

The Jewish people will come back. It is our destiny. The only question is: What role will we each play in bringing that to fruition?

Rabbi Yitzchok Lowenbraun

From Conversations: Readers Respond to A Review of Kiruv

Are We Ready for the Challenge?

 

Kiruv professionals today are more sophisticated, better-trained and more polished than ever before. They need to be because they face more challenges than ever before. In the old days, back in my time, one could literally catch people “off the wall.” In the early ‘70s, thousands of Jewish seekers would journey to the Kotel, and people like Meir Tzvi Schuster and Jeff Seidel would round them up and deliver them to homes for Shabbos meals or to one of the various baai teshuvah yeshivos.

Kiruv has followed a similar path to the Texas Oil Boom and the Gusher Age. Back then, one just had to dig below the surface and oil came seeping to the top. Today, they need electronic noses called sniffers, or they use seismology to create shock waves that are reflected back to the surface in order to locate the oil. Then, it is necessary to dig an average of a mile below ground or five miles or more off the Gulf Coast in order to get the same amount of oil. By comparison, today’s young Jews do not live in our neighborhoods, do not belong to synagogues or Jewish organizations, do not read Jewish books or publications and do not identify as part of the Jewish community.

In addition, whereas in the old days, one could assume some basic knowledge on the part of most Jews, today, there is no such luck. Many in the past knew basic Hebrew, some prayers and were familiar with Shabbos and Yom Tov observances and customs. Recently, I had a Shabbos guest – a twenty-seven year old who had just returned from a three-week trip to Israel followed by a four-week summer learning program in the United States. I asked him if he ever heard of a shofar. One could see the puzzled look on his face. Shofar? What is a shofar? Then I asked him if he knew who Abraham was. He could not recall. Finally, I asked him if he knew the song, “Am Yisroel Chai.” To my surprise, he had not heard of that either. This, of course, is merely anecdotal, but it is indicative of the lack of familiarity with basics that were common knowledge in the past.

In this age of Liberal Arts Education, students are being taught that no one book is greater than any other, no one person is nobler than any other and “American Exceptionalism” is arrogant, if not racist. With that, try to explain that we are the Chosen People.

Accordingly, we need to readjust the starting point of what we teach. Although conceptually, we have a sophisticated audience who can deal with big ideas, they may know nothing of the essentials and fundamentals of our Jewish heritage and practices.

Finally, whereas in the past, we could have assumed that those identifying themselves as Jewish had a very good chance of being halachically Jewish, that no longer is a safe assumption.

So, we have to dig deeper and start really from the very beginning. We have to begin with “Why Be Jewish,” how Jews are different and what being Jewish means.  New programs and training are needed to meet this new reality.

Yet, with all these obstacles, we, in the Kiruv Movement, are enjoying much success. With heroic efforts, many succeed in changing lives and building communities. However, I would like to propose how we can improve on our past successes.

I would compare our current efforts to guerilla warfare. We are winning many battles, but not necessarily the war. In order to win a war, we must have trained soldiers and the tools of war – munitions, intelligence gathering, a propaganda machine, communication, leadership, and a clear strategic goal. Throughout today’s kiruv world, we have all the necessary components. What we lack is the coordination of all our efforts that is necessary to win the war for the future of the Jewish people in North America.

The Kiruv Movement has some of the most creative, courageous, and dedicated people in the entire frum community. We have only tapped the surface of what we can do. We need to harness our energies, coordinate our activities, and take full advantage of the tools of technology and communication to maximize our efforts.

Masters of Change

The only thing I know for certain about tomorrow is that it will be different from today. Growing up in the turbulent ‘60s, the kind of change we looked forward to as kids was what the new model cars would look like, since they changed every year. But, our world basically was a stable place.

We are now caught up in a “tsunami” of change. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, a list of cataclysmic natural disasters, “Sandy” being the most recent, the “Arab Spring,” the collapse of “Too Big to Fail” financial institutions and the moral decay of our society have undermined the assumptions and beliefs that were the common denominators in our society. It is not enough to be flexible, we need to be the masters of change.

In order to position ourselves to embrace change, we must understand our “target audience” better. Who are the people most likely to be responsive to our efforts? Up to this point, we have defined our target audiences primarily by age – high school, college, young singles, professionals, etc, or by other generic factors. But every one of these groups is behaving differently today than they did even five or ten years ago. And who knows what they will be like ten years in the future.

I believe our movement must develop a clear identity across all ages that is designed to attract those people who are seeking or will respond to spirituality and a meaningful life style. Today, we are simply presenting ourselves as fellow Jews (who are obviously Orthodox and) who want to share the wonders of traditional Judaism. This has been authentic and powerful and it continues to be so, but its power is dwindling rapidly, as so many have observed.

In this age of E-everything, people crave personal, genuine experiences. Audiences are looking for interaction and useful information, not merely a clever headline or promotional gimmick. My friend, Marco Greenberg, President of Thunder 11 — a boutique marketing and communications firm — tells me that in the non-Jewish corporate world there is a saying that “Everyone needs a rabbi.” We are perceived as having wisdom and authenticity.

The rage in the marketing world right now is “Stick Marketing.” Stick Marketing helps you tell your story in way that captures the imagination and helps create long-term relationships. We need to create an identity that sticks, an identity of wisdom and authenticity.

Ideally, we should pick specific areas by which we can become identified or with which we can be effectively branded. For example, we can seek to become identified as relationship experts. In this age of loneliness, where we have hundreds if not thousands of social media friends but not one true relationship, where the divorce rate is well over 60%, we can be The Rabbi that people are looking for.

Reaching Today’s Jews

Secular Jews are no longer found in any of the traditional places, certainly not in my neighborhood or in other frum enclaves. We cannot find them, so we need them to find us. People live on the Internet. They shop there, their social life is there, they check the news and the weather, get directions, and seek all their needs on the Internet.

We need to be sought out on the Internet. It is there that we need to have a presence and an identity.

It is imperative that our teaching tools are engaging, entertaining, and sophisticated. The technology has to be cutting-edge in order to win the attention and make an impact. A few examples of exciting new educational tools are: Rabbi Dan Roth of Torah Live, Rabbi Aryeh Lightstone of Aleph-Beta Academy, and Project Sinai.

Some Additional Points about Kiruv

Research and Measures of Success

Over the past thirty years, the world of kiruv has grown from a disjointed constellation of grass-roots operations to an international enterprise spanning five continents. However, our approach to outreach remains antiquated in that it is largely based on hunches and intuition. Methods of social science research can be utilized to (1) inform operational definitions of kiruv outcomes, (2) examine predictors of outreach success, (3) systematically test hypotheses, and (4) perhaps most importantly – design and evaluate new methods of education.

šSecond Stage

Jewish literacy is the key to successful integration into the Torah community. We have a responsibility to give the tools necessary for a lifetime of independent textual learning. Many of our students may spend a few years, at best, in a yeshiva, but most are not so privileged. Can we stand by and watch as our student’s children easily surpass them by the time they reach fifth grade? The hallmark of a Torah Jew is continuity in learning as well as observance. We have to empower the newly observant to achieve these goals.

Programs such as Professional’s Beis Medrash created by Rabbis Dani and Gabi Brett of London and Johannesburg and Fundamentals of Talmud created by Rabbi Ayson Englander are remarkable programs that teach the fundamentals of how to learn a blatt gemara. These programs have achieved extraordinary success in allowing neophytes to learn how to make a laining on a blatt gemara in a relatively short amount of time.

Our attachment to and achriyus for the people that we introduce to Yiddishkeit is a life-long commitment on our part. Yet, we have to allow our students to grow beyond what we have to offer them and encourage them to seek opportunities of further growth. Our work is not finished until we successfully hand them off to someone else who is able and willing to serve as their mentor and aid them in their further search for spiritual growth.

Redefining “Baal Teshuva”

In an ideal world, we would cease and desist from using labels that relegate the “baal teshuva” to a secondary status. It never ceases to amaze me that no one ever graduates from the status of a baal teshuva. At the funeral of my neighbor who was frum for seventy-five years, they still mentioned that she was baalas teshuva. Someone could be learning in kollel for ten or fifteen years, and their children are rejected from schools in Eretz Yisroel because they are children of baalei teshuva.

We, in the frum community, enjoy living in our comfort zone. We daven, learn every day, keep Shabbos, are mehadrin in our kashrus. We fall into a pattern and routine. Then, along comes a “baal teshuva” who makes us feel uncomfortable. Their enthusiasm, their striving for spirituality and extraordinary growth in learning and keeping mitzvos challenges our complacency and the status quo.

HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt”l, changed my way of thinking forever in a few short words. He once asked me what I do, and I answered that I work with baalei teshuva. His rejoinder, I felt, shot me between the eyes. His response was uncharacteristically stern. He said, “Mir zennen alla baalei t’shuva, oib nisht, darf men zein! – We are all baalei teshuva, and if not, we should be!”

There is a difference between “doing” teshuva and “being” a baal teshuva. We need to do teshuva every day. On Yom Kippur, we go through a long list of “al chaits.” Being a baal teshuva, as the Rambam says in Hilchos Teshuva, is a life changing event. As the Rambam says, “You change your name, meaning, I am another person and not the one who did these actions.”

I believe that what Rav Shlomo Zalman was saying was that being a baal teshuva means being a person on a path of spiritual growth. Does the quest of spiritual growth end when one because part of the “frum” community? Unfortunately, the answer to this is “yes” more often than “no.” We should all be baal teshuva, in the sense that we need to be on a lifelong path of spiritual growth. Shouldn’t those who have always been frum also be on a lifelong path of spiritual growth?

I would like to encourage us to start changing the nomenclature, shifting away from BT’s and FFB’s as primary distinctions. The connotation of “FFB” is someone who is superior and who has arrived already or whose life work is finished. We are all “works in progress.”

I would believe that it is not the number of times that Rav Elyashiv, zt”l, and Reb Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, learned Shas that made them gedolei hador. It was the life-long quest and dedication to spiritual growth through Torah that set them apart. It was these qualities, I believe, to which Rav Shlomo Zalman was alluding.

šServing the Frum Community

This leads me to my final point. It is well recognized that there is a crisis of spirit in the frum community. Since the Second World War, we have witnessed the rebirth of Torah Judaism, which was nothing short of miraculous. There are, perhaps, more Jews learning Torah today than we have seen since the churban habayis (destruction of the Temple). The estimates are well over 500,000 Orthodox Jews in North America and growing, bli ayin harah.

There is a phenomenon, however, that is called “being culturally frum,” i.e., maintaining a frum lifestyle but with a profound lack of inspiration or understanding of why they are doing mitzvos. There is now a large segment of adults as well as teen-agers within our community who fall squarely into this category (aside from those we think of as “at risk”).

We in the kiruv movement are uniquely suited to provide what is needed today within the frum community. We have cultivated and perfected the vernacular of how to make a connection to Torah that inspires and edifies. If we can connect those who do not believe in HaKodesh Boruch Hu, who do not believe in the divinity of Torah, and who have no tradition, then surely, we can connect those who have all the above.

Thus, we in the kiruv movement are positioned to rise to the challenge of this mission of our generation—to provide what is needed for our frum community, namely, inspiration and connection to HaKodesh Boruch Hu. We have the know-how.

Klal Yisroel needs us. Are we ready for the challenge?

Ari Werth

From Conversations: Readers Respond to A Review of Kiruv

Kiruv Revolution: A 21^st Century Approach to Outreach

 

Are 21^st century trends outpacing kiruv strategies?

The Kiruv Movement that began over forty years ago has enabled tens of thousands of Jews to become observant, and has helped hundreds of thousands get closer to Judaism in other ways.  A consensus exists, however, that kiruv’s full potential has yet to be realized. The debate is about how. It’s an urgent question because US Jews are increasingly becoming unaffiliated spiritually and even communally. This Crisis of Connection needs creative solutions.

How can kiruv break through the glass ceiling?  Given the scale of the mission and limited resources, it will take more than incremental program improvements.

We need a kiruv revolution, with bold, national initiatives for reaching out, teaching and working together.

Jewish Idea Lab is generating strategies and taking action to make this happen.  Three national program models are presented in this article.  They are designed to benefit all kiruv organizations, and many of the principles can be adapted to local efforts.    Several key questions will be addressed:

• What level of resources should be devoted to kiruv?
• How do the changing values of the current generation impact the current kiruv model?  How can we make initial learning more relevant to them?
• How can we use limited resources to conduct outreach on a mass level?
• How can we reverse a rising tide of negative perceptions about Torah life?

Challenge of Relevancy

Problem:  Shifting Attitudes

The common pedagogical approach in kiruv begins with providing proofs of G-d and Torah. This approach is less and less effective, according to many reports from the frontline.  Attitudes have shifted.  Students are not intrigued by a search for “truth.”  This is why core shiurim that were once very effective are having less and less success motivating participants into action.

Behavior Change Model. What drives an unaffiliated Jew to take an action towards Torah, and ultimately to become observant?  The “old model” of behavior theory held that information-based attitudinal change was the primary precursor to behavior change.  That assumption is reflected in the prevailing kiruv educational methodology which focuses on proofs of Torah and G-d as the critical first step to further action.  However, according to the Behavioural Dynamics Institute in London, many studies have shown that attitudinal change is not the most effective way to change behavior.[2]  We see this in the field. Logic and facts are less and less persuasive to students at the initial stage of Torah learning.

In place of attitudinal change, experts devised new models that focus on the circumstances for directing behavior, i.e. identifying the strongest motivations driving a person or demographic group.[3] Actual product attributes, therefore, are less determinative of outcome than previously assumed.  We see this assumption clearly applied in automobile ads that often evoke emotion and aspirational values instead of details about the engine, etc.

Universal Need.  That brings us to the question:  What’s the most universal motivation today among people of all backgrounds?  Personal growth. Each person has a motivated need that falls into this category.  How can I deal with all of life’s problems?  How will I marry the right person? How can I control my anger?  How can I be happy?  How can I excel at work?

The nature of secular living today is causing more emotional distress than ever before.  Americans are more stressed today than three decades ago, the first-ever historical analysis of stress over time has found.  Self-reported stress levels have increased 10-30% in the last three decades.

Demand.  Various data[4]  show the strong demand for self-help products and services:

• Self-improvement was a $10 billion industry in the US in 2012, expected to grow 6% per year.
• Self improvement books accounted for an estimated $549 million and self-improvement audiobooks were 17% of all audiobook sales ($445 million).
• The top ten motivational speakers, plus the operations of Franklin Covey Co., had estimated sales of $350 million.
• Approximately 14,000 life coaches provided an estimated $707 million in services.
• The nation’s leading self-development seminar attracted 1.2 million participants since it started.  Frum Jews continue to sign-up.
• The Secret, a personal growth book and DVD, was a national sensation and generated a $300 million in sales by its peak in 2009.
• The Purpose Driven Life, a personal growth book based on Christian biblical verses, was a NY Times bestseller garnering $32 million in sales.

Millennials

Changing Values.  Kiruv’s primary demographic is the Millennial generation, those born between 1982-2000.   They are also known as Generation Y, but some experts say the most fitting label is the Me Generation.  Their values make them less likely to connect to proofs of Torah and traditional learning[5]:

• Millennials are more focused on “money, fame, and image” goals and less concerned about  “self-acceptance, affiliation, and community” goals than Generation X (born 1962-1981) and Baby Boomers (born 1946-1961) were at the same ages.
• Freshman students who said being wealthy was very important to them increased from 45% for Baby Boomers to 70% for Gen X and 75% for Millennials.
• The importance of “developing a meaningful philosophy of life” plummeted from 73% for Boomers to 45% for Millennials.

Stress.  Research also confirms that Millennials are in need of personal growth solutions.  They are more stressed than any other current living generation, according to a new survey conducted by the American Psychological Association and Harris Interactive.

• A healthy stress level is 3.6 out of 10.  Millennials reported a stress level of 5.4. (in comparison, the national stress level declined to 4.9.)
• Millennials reported that work (76 percent), money (73 percent) and relationships (59 percent) stressed them out most.

Solution:  Personal Growth System

Invert the Model.  Given various societal trends, it is clear that the kiruv pedagogical model needs fresh innovation for early-stage learning.  The most common current approach focuses on proofs, and then offers some middos development learning at the intermediate level.  Instead, Torah-based personal growth should be taught first to establish personal relevancy for learning  (in addition, teaching thematically will be more effective for more people today than reading inside the text).

Torah is designed to be personal growth-oriented. Rav Noach Weinberg, zt”l, was a pioneer in the Toras Chaim (instructions for living) approach.  The Five Levels of Pleasure and 48 Ways were successful classes, but much more is needed to reach today’s generation.  A complete personal growth system is needed that can facilitate measurable transformation.

Frontline Seminar.  The game-changer that appears to be called for is creating a Jewish personal development seminar for frontline kiruv.  Nothing like that currently exists.  An online personal growth documentary and eBook would supplement the seminar, and also help market the seminar across media platforms.

The seminar experience would be most effective as an interactive, intensive, transformative experience during a three-day shabbaton.  A team of highly trained, dynamic seminar leaders would travel to Jewish communities around the nation to lead the seminar. Cutting edge teaching techniques will be integrated with meta-analysis of Torah-based personal growth sources, from the ancient to contemporary.  The curriculum would be thematically organized and not text-based.

Judaism would be reframed as relevant, empowering, and meaningful. Participants will connect to Jewish Core Values, such as Respect, Gratitude, Forgiveness, Generosity, Kindness, Interpersonal Peace, Responsibility, Service, Modesty, Family Life, Learning, Joy, Love.  The ultimate goal is to help the participant achieve transformational personal growth based on core Jewish values.   Another goal is to help the participant connect to his or her neshama and make better choices using that spiritual understanding.

Once the participant recognizes the personal growth benefits of Judaism, more traditional learning would be offered, perhaps through referral to existing kiruv organizations.  Advanced seminars on specific topics can also be offered.

According to the indicators, personal growth-oriented Torah is the most promising path for success.  A huge demand and need for this also exists within the frum world, and this frontline kiruv seminar model can be adapted for frum participants.  Indeed, the future trend may be the transformation of kiruv centers into personal growth centers offering various seminars for Jews of all backgrounds.

Challenge of Scale

Problem:  Limited Resources

Did you ever wonder how much would it really cost to be mekarev every American Jew?  Using traditional kiruv, my rough guestimate would be  that about $4.5 billion would be needed annually for staff and programs (and that does not even include the cholent budget).  This illustrates the real point:  traditional kiruv has inherent limits to its reach.

The kiruv army needs reinforcements but can’t afford human ones.

We need what is known in the military as a force multiplier, Defined as “a capability that… significantly increases the combat potential of that force and thus enhances the probability of successful mission accomplishment.”[6]

Hashem has given us a way to reach many more Jews than ever before: digital technology.  Its full power for Torah is waiting to be harnessed.

Many options exist for learning online, yet there is something missing.  Two things, actually.

The kiruv digital relationship can be enhanced. Aish.com, Chabad’s websites, and several other websites attract sizable audiences.  However, not one kiruv organization is integrating all platforms in the optimal way: smartphone and tablet apps, website, iTunes, YouTube, ebooks, social media, and online keyword ads.

Solution:  Virtual Torah World

A virtual Torah world website and app are needed to maximize the digital relationship with the kiruv audience.  The supersite would be able to meet a full range of observant needs.   The purpose would be to:

• Supplement in-person learning by providing 24/6 access to online learning by the person’s rebbe and others.  Digital learning is not meant to substitute for in-person learning unless the person has no in-person access.
• Attract new participants who were unlikely to visit the kiruv center.
• Maintain relationship with existing participants through weekly parsha videos/audios, etc.
• Provide an online alternative to compete with secular entertainment.
• Generate new revenue by providing new opportunities for sponsorships and ads, and provide Torah learning to as many people as possible (and at no extra cost)

The website hub would feature: Channels, Cross-Platforming, Classes, Community, and Commerce.

Channels.  An online multimedia Torah network would be a key component of the digital relationship. The network would feature original and aggregated content on multiple channels.  The channels would be based on topic (such as Jewish History or Israel), lifestyle interest (such as Kosher Cooking or Jewish Music) or affinity group (such as Kids or Women).   The entire digital experience would be customizable according to interest area and/or age group.

In Israel, the Hidabroot TV Channel is a very popular and effective tool for kiruv.  The similar type of channel could be created in English and put online and possibly on satellite TV in the US.

Production Fund.  Jewish Americans are still waiting for their imagination to be captured by amazing and inspiring online content.  The online video and audio programs from observant sources are good, but not great.  In comparison, other religions are producing multimedia content wither higher production values and even more creativity.  I understand they have a bigger audience and more funding sources, but I believe we can do much more even with current resources.  A non-profit production fund is needed to spark a wave of quality online video programs and documentaries for Jewish audiences.

Cross-Platforming.  An OmniMedia Strategy involves stretching video/audio channel content across as many digital and broadcast platforms as possible.  YouTube and iTunes are the most important online content distribution platforms. Two pilot projects confirmed their ability to reach learning audiences.

YouTube Channel.  YouTube is the number one online video platform for the world, yet most kiruv organizations are not utilizing it as a teaching or community-building platform.  A keyword search for Torah-related videos will yield many inappropriate results from sources to be avoided.  In August 2010, I created the YouTube Torah Channel (www.youtube.com/TorahChannel) to solve this problem for less than observant Jewish viewers who were online anyway.  I chose the best Torah videos from other content creators –with over 1,000 videos currently on the site – and placed them into 65 topical playlists. In addition, we produced 70 videos of rabbis presenting brief ideas.

The impact was beyond expectations.  An estimated 1.5 million minutes of original and third party content were accessed since launch. The original videos, including one that went viral, attracted over 350,000 views.  By the typical YouTube metrics – a cute cat video easily gets 1 million views – it doesn’t sound like a lot.  But use kiruv metrics.  Imagine filling eight Yankee stadiums several times with audiences for shiurim. That’s what was accomplished – and at almost no cost.  In fact, more people viewed TorahChannel than visited any kiruv center in the world. Obviously, in-person kiruv is preferable, but many Jews cannot or will not come in person. This is a new starting point.

iTunes Podcasting.  iTunes is the number one way people get audio content in the world.  Despite its popularity, iTunes Podcasting remains a vastly underutilized learning platform in the kiruv world.  Only a handful of kiruv rabbis have podcast channels.

I experimented with integrating iTunes with a real kiruv center.  As chairman of the Aish Center advisory board in Manhattan, I offered to make it the first kiruv branch to have an iTunes podcast channel.

After the podcast was launched, something happened that caused the mekarvim to embrace digital kiruv as a tool.  Rather quickly, the shiurim podcasts attracted many more listeners than anyone expected.  By way of comparison, approximately 120 people per month attended shiurim.  Last month, those very same shiurim were downloaded 3,000 times on iTunes – a 25 fold increase in audience reach. Since the launch 18 months ago, shiurim were downloaded 25,000 times, a significant metric for a local kiruv podcast without any marketing.  A huge iTunes audience was waiting to be engaged.

Classes.  A sizable audience exists for online video learning.  For example, Rabbi Avraham Goldhar’s Crash Course videos about Judaism have attracted 185,000 views over two years.  Current Torah learning websites generally don’t offer a customized system of progressive customizable learning, like a Torah version of the highly popular KahnAcademy.org.  Rabbi David Forhman (Aleph Beta Academy) and others are developing this type of learning system.  An excellent way to motivate unaffiliated Jewish students is to get certified to issue college credits through online courses about Judaism and other subjects, as is done by NaalehCollege.com.

Community. In addition to the site’s own social media platforms, social connection could be achieved by facilitating real world group activity and learning.  A growing Jewish social network already exists –Shabbat.com – and would be an ideal partner.  Over 35,000 members have been invited to 285,000 meals on the site.  Now the site is expanding into filtered shidduchim and professional networking.

Challenge of Perception

Problem:  Image Erosion

Torah Judaism is increasingly viewed unfairly in negative ways. In marketing, this is called a branding problem. There is a major disconnect that exists between reality and perception, likely due to several factors:

• Continued Growth of Political Correctness
• News Coverage of Jews Accused of Crime
• Growth of the Anti-Torah Movement
• Increased Cultural Divergence Regarding Values & Conduct
• Over-Focus on Victimization  (Holocaust, anti-Semitism)
• Misconceptions

Solution: National Marketing Initiative

The image problem can be corrected considerably with an unprecedented response: a national Joy of Judaism branding campaign and marketing fund.

Rebranding Judaism may sound odd, but it is a necessary strategy for reaching more Jews.    Other religions and atheist groups are increasingly using creative, high profile ad campaigns to enhance their image and recruit.  We are not seeking converts, as they do, but we are seeking to attract lost Jewish souls.  Some notable examples:

• The Mormon Church hired two major national ad agencies to evaluate public perception. Focus groups and surveys showed the public had a largely negative view of Mormons.  A multimillion-dollar television, billboard, and Internet “branding” campaign was deployed in 21 media markets during 2010-11. The I’m a Mormon campaign profiled Mormons who defy stereotyping, including a surfing champion, a fashion designer, and a Haitian-American female mayor.
• Atheist groups are placing attention-getting ads on billboards (including in Times Square), buses, subways and national TV. [7] A new website and multimedia ad campaign was just launched targeting children called Kids without God. The tagline is “I’m Getting a Little Old for Imaginary Friends.”
• The leading messianic Jewish group spent $1.4 million for ads in NYC subways, buses, newspapers, magazines, and radio.
• This month, a Muslim group released a TV commercial portraying a Muslim man as an everyday American.  Another Muslim group just launched a US campaign to rebrand the word “jihad” to mean “personal struggle.”  Ads are already on buses and trains in Chicago and other cities.  Social media is being used to promote the website.
• The Church of Scientology spent millions this month to air a 60-second slick ad during the Super Bowl.  The video also aired 16 times an hour on a Times Square digital billboard visible to 500,000 people a day.

The Joy of Judaism campaign would use sophisticated, intriguing conceptual themes across the spectrum of platforms: print advertising, social media, online keyword ads, outdoor ads and press coverage. To reach more unaffiliated Jews than ever before, ads will be placed in places, publications and websites that they frequent.  Many secular Jews are still not being reached at all, as outreach typically stays within Jewish cultural boundaries, such as Hillel and AEPi on campus.  Many secular Jews operate outside such marketing boundaries.

Possible Themes.  The many “Jewels of Judaism” must be revealed in a new way to inspire less than observant Jews – as well as to reinvigorate our own communities.  The video and print ads would reflect Core Jewish Values in a compelling way:  Family life. Spiritual connection. Love. Shabbos. Learning. Personal growth. Ethics. Life Purpose. Mysticism.  The Holidays. Jewish Diversity.

The ads would show the most moving, inspiring, and even funny scenes of observant Jewish life. Some ideas:  different types of Jews davening next to each other at the Kotel.  A family around the Shabbos table.  Hatzolah volunteer saving a life. Men dancing in a circle at a chasuna.  A father and son lighting menorahs. A Purim party.

Judaism would be reframed as a personal “hero” instead of a global “victim.”  Torah saves spiritual lives.  It transforms a life of chaos and searching into a life of meaning and fulfillment.  We would show how soulful connection and an understanding of the spiritual reality instill true confidence, as well as freedom from worry, fear and isolation.

Perhaps we need a Jewish Communications Agency. A national media director would oversee national marketing, advertising and public relations.  Experts from those fields would be asked to serve on creative task forces.  A rapid response team would quickly deal with biased news coverage of the observant world.  A social media specialist would handle unfair attacks online, including unfairly negative search engine results. Misconceptions about observant Judaism would be debunked on a special website.

 

Kiruv Revolution

The Kiruv Revolution is not just theory. It has already begun.  At the recent Association of Jewish Outreach Programs (AJOP) annual conference, I issued a call to action during my presentation.  AJOP and a number of leading mekarvim are helping with the first step for kiruv revolution – building consensus for concepts and creating inter-organizational cooperation.  By working together, a world of opportunity becomes possible.

Rabbi Ilan Haber

From Conversations: Readers Respond to A Review of Kiruv

Why We Should Stop Measuring Success: A Contrarian’s Perspective

 

It is no surprise that one of the key questions regarding the state of kiruv, and thus addressed in the past issue of Klal Perspectives (Fall 2012), revolves around its measures of success.  The notion of measuring success is quite in vogue, not only within the kiruv movement, but also within the entire sphere of non-profit endeavor. The term is taken from the annals of corporate experience, from which many of the key donors and supporters of kiruv hail. In a for-profit environment, corporations are expected to have key measures of their own growth or success as a means of focusing their efforts creating better efficiencies and achieving profitability. This is true whether the measures are net profit, in the classic sense, or units sold, profit margin, stores per square mile, etc. However, the use of measures of success within a non-profit environment, though emerging from the best of intentions as evidenced in the kiruv enterprise, is often distracting, irrelevant, and at times, counter-productive.

Although the care with which a kiruv organization measures success is often taken as evidence of its strategic clarity, in my experience it is anything but. Recently, I interviewed an individual who was applying for an outreach position, and was asked, “What were my three measures of success?” Though I do not quite know where the number three came from, my response was that I arrive at the question from a completely different standpoint. The issue, as I see it in my own organization, and as I recommend that other organizations view it, is not “what are my measures of success?” but “how do we better accomplish our mission?”

For me, evaluation must be a learning process that helps me plan and prepare better for the future. It should enable me to understand, with complexity, what it is that I am actually doing, what I am willing to be accountable for, how we ensure that we continue to do what we do well, and how we improve upon our work.  It is the starting point of a conversation, not the end of one.  It is part of a process that is rooted in a fundamental, unsentimental, and brutal commitment towards excellence. Its philosophical underpinnings is “cheshbon hanefesh” (self-evaluation), but as applied to an organizational context. In cheshbon hanefesh, we examine who we are, what are we engaged in, if our endeavors are worthwhile or fruitful, what challenges are endangering our progress, etc.  We may keep track of our mitzvot and aveirot, not as a quantitative accounting and scorecard to see for ourselves or to prove to others whether or not we are a tzaddik, but as symptoms of more pervasive and fundamental progress.

Measuring success gives us an answer, but I would much rather have a series of questions. To understand better, I suggest we look at the following example. In team sports, let’s say football, there is inevitably a winner and loser, as well as a quantitative measure of success, otherwise known as the score. However, knowing that one team defeated the other by a score of 38 to 35, while giving us a quantitative measure of success, reveals nothing about how the team should prepare for the next game. It does not tell us why one team scored 38 points and the other 35. Did the special teams play well? How were the teams coached? Did home field advantage or the weather play a role? What is the morale in the locker room? Was the game plan prepared and then executed effectively? These are the questions that, when asked, measured, and in turn addressed, enable a team to more effectively meet future challenges.  In the end, the final score is actually irrelevant except to fans and statisticians. When focused on broadly and effectively measuring and noting “process” as opposed to “product,” one is able to put one’s evaluation into action in order to perform better.

Of course, this assumes that one is actually capable of arriving at a clear, quantitative measure that is directly caused by or at least correlated with or one’s efforts. Outside of laboratory conditions – in other words, in any social and open environment – it is almost impossible reliably to assess how a particular outcome was affected by a particular set of actions. There are simply too many variables to be accounted for.

For example, let’s say that a specific person did in fact become Shomer Shabbat, and that person was indeed proactively approached and engaged by a mekarev (kiruv professional). Who is to say that the actions of the mekarev made the difference? What was the role of the baal teshuva’s upbringing? What is his or her mental state? Were there other people that interacted with the baal teshuva, influencing and encouraging his or her actions? What was the role of community? Did the spouse of the mekarev play a role? And on and on… If this is true for each individual person counted on a spreadsheet as a measure of success, the reliability of such measures becomes extremely suspect when multiplied by many such individuals. As an aggregate, such numbers, if not rooted in careful process evaluation that addresses or at least accounts for each of the mitigating factors, are extremely suspect, tend to be misleading and are ultimately unusable as a planning tool for the future. Investors know this phenomenon as “past results do not guarantee future performance.” Pushing mekarvim to focus on and produce results, which are then utilized to measure their success, can have at the very least unintended negative consequences that accompany the positive, and at worst, can compromise the entire endeavor of the mekarev.

In the past issue of Klal Perspectives, Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky astutely pointed out that single-mindedly focusing on the ends in kiruv, as opposed to, or sometimes at the expense of, the means, can often have tragic or catastrophic consequences. He articulates that the entire crisis enterprise and emphasis on quantitative results encourages the mekarev to focus on bringing in new “customers” at the expense of “customer service.”  I do not know of any kiruv organization that measures how many students are turned off, or taught to have disdain for Torah and frumkeit, due to overly aggressive tactics.

Moreover, instilling fear and urgency in the activities of the mekarev through correlating their job security with their quantitative success, as if their own commitment to mesirut nefesh (self sacrifice) is not sufficient, encourages them to be dishonest in their reporting.  If one is worried that they are not working hard enough, then hire better. Or at the very least, utilize supervision, personnel evaluation, and professional development as tools for motivation and performance that are more effective than simply measuring their success.

The focus on quantitative measures of success is actually symptomatic of a much deeper malaise in Jewish communal service. We are so starved for any information that helps us understand our environment and context that we are prone to seize upon any data and utilize it ineffectively. Any study that comes out is immediately digested, without any critical review or context, and utilized to affirm what we do, or to make changes in our approach. Social Science research, no matter how worthwhile, is going to have a specific context, its own share of methodological flaws (there are no foolproof evaluation techniques), and is typically going to provide us with but a momentary glimpse – a snapshot in time – of complex and dynamic sociological phenomena.

Rabbi Zale Newman

While an inordinate amount of resources, in terms of money and manpower, have been spent on college outreach, this is after the ideal time to reach out and it is very far from being the most cost effective means of providing return on investment for the kiruv dollar. It is, however, more “sexy” to work on campus, with its intellectual environment and with the trappings of a mature adult centre of activity. Thus, it is far easier to raise funds for college programming and to recruit outreach workers for this age group, even though it is not the mosteffective time or place to do kiruv. It is for the most part, too late for many young people.

Lesson # 3: The Only Kiruv Tools that REALLY Work are the Shabbos Experience, Relevant Torah Study and Acts of Kindness

After trying many approaches over the years and witnessing others try their various approaches, I believe that BY FAR, the most effective tools to touch and bring in unaffiliated Jews are the Shabbos experience (whether it be with a family or in a group environment at a shabbaton), relevant, meaningful Torah study and acts of kindness. These three experiences can be designed and marketed in a myriad of ways, but I believe these to be the only ways to successfully touch a Jew’s neshama.

Lesson # 4: Women are the Key “Drivers” to Kiruv Success

At every age and in every environment, I have found that women are the key “drivers” of kiruv. Chazal teach that “mishum nashim tzidkonios nig’alu Bnei Yisroel miMitzrayim” (it was because of righteous women that the People of Israel were redeemed from Egypt), and since the final redemption is meant to mirror the experience of the first,[1] it should come as no surprise that it is easier to reach women and use them as a catalyst for further change within our people, than it is to reach men.

Aside from their additional openness to spirituality, there are some technical reasons why this is so. According to marketing guru Faith Popcorn in her bestselling book on marketing to women entitled “Eve-olution,” women gravitate to group activities. Her rule states that “if you connect women to each other they will be connected to your brand.” So if we can create group programs wherein women can connect to each other (as Lori Palatnik does in the JWRP, for example), they will be naturally more receptive to the Torah we teach.

I have found this to be true for NCSY, Aish HaTorah, Chabad and at the Village Shul in Toronto. Women’s attendance at the shul learning programs tends to exceed men’s attendance by almost 10 to 1. One reason for this is the “yuppie” demographic we encounter. Yuppie men work long hours and play for long hours ( e.g. a typical golf game takes 7 hours, from the time he leaves home until he arrives at the course, plays 18 holes, shmoozes with his buddies at the “19th hole” and then returns home). They simply have little time and headspace to consider religious matters.

Women on the other hand, tend to have more discretionary time, and additionally, bear the primary responsibility to raise the children. The family is in their hands. As a result, they are more driven to deal with issues of transmission of values, and they have the time to investigate what Judaism has to offer them and their families. Reach them and you will reach their husbands and children.

Lesson # 5: We Need Many More Women Outreach Kiruv Professionals

It is my contention, having taught primarily women students for the past 30 years at Aish HaTorah and the Village Shul, that women can teach and reach other women better than men. And while this is in line with most people’s intuition, it is worth noting how few Jewish women’s schools are actually headed by women.

Women are rarely trained to do kiruv. As they marry and raise families, they have less time available to work in the kiruv movement, especially when kiruv often involves many evenings of teaching.

And since far more than 50% of the unaffiliated population likely to attend a kiruv program are women, it is critical that we train women to teach and reach other women. At the Village Shul we employ four women teachers aside from the five teaching rabbis. This is a profession waiting to happen. We just need to train more women kiruv professionals, do more daytime programming, offer babysitting services when necessary and provide lots of part time employment opportunities for women kiruv professionals[2].

Lesson # 6: Enact “3-C” Programming

Attracting students, increasing their level of attendance and enabling them to grow Jewishly requires a sophisticated, strategic approach to kiruv. To this end, we identified three types of programming for use in NCSY. We referred to these as “the 3 C’s.” These refer to the objectives of various kiruv programs. The three C’s are the “Circle, the Core and the Crown.”

The goal of “Circle” programming is to bring members of the target audience into the circle by encouraging them to TRY a program for the first time. In high school programming, this might be a basketball league or a “Battle of the Bands.” In college, it might be a Purim party. In adult programming, it could be a Jewish film festival. Marketing professionals call this “trial” programming.

The goal of “Core” programming is to bring them into the center of the circle by having them attend events at least six or more times. The best example of this in high school programming is Torah High – a program that a student registers to attend 30 times in order to get high school or college credit. In adult programming, this would require attending a series of classes. In marketing, this is referred to as “repeat” programming.

Lastly, the goal of “Crown” programming is to move the student forward in terms of Torah study and mitzvah observance. The results of all of these programs should be measured for success and should be compared to other programs in order to indicate which were the most successful.

Overall, kiruv professionals need to move out of the mode of teaching small classes and hosting small Shabbos meal events to sophisticated marketing and strategic planning approaches. in a certain manner of speaking, we are “selling” Torah and a time-tested and authentic Torah lifestyle. There is much we can learn from successful marketers about how to utilize tools such as social marketing and referral selling and to adapt them for kiruv purposes.

Lesson # 7: The Biggest Opportunity: Turn EVERY frum shul into an Outreach Center

There are more than 1,000 frum shuls in North America. This represents billions of dollars of real estate, almost a million Torah-schooled individuals, tens of thousands of families, thousands of staff members and millions upon millions of dollars that could be contributed by those who belong to the shuls.

It is indeed a painful sight to see that most of these buildings are empty during most of the six days of the week. Most of shul membership is concerned primarily about the welfare of their own families and they lack a broader “Klal Yisroel” outlook.

In the meantime, the streets surrounding these shuls are filled with unaffiliated, not-yet-observant, largely uneducated Jews, many of whom are genuinely interested in Judaism. And thus far, in most cases, “never the twain shall meet.” So how do we bridge the gap between the frum shul members and those unaffiliated Jews who live nearby?

The answer appears to be relatively simple and absolutely plausible. We need a handful of shuls to serve as test sites to determine how best to replicate the success of outreach shuls like the Village Shul in Toronto, Ahavas Yisroel in Denver and the MJE at the Jewish Centre in Manhattan by establishing an outreach unit within their existing Orthodox shuls. If shuls can allocate some comparatively modest resources to hire a dynamic, young, energetic kiruv rabbi and rebbitzin and to provide them with some funding for programming, space in which to operate and a small group of supportive shul members to work as kiruv volunteers, their shul would be filled with a new dynamism, providing MANY additional benefits, both measurable and immeasurable. Aside from attracting additional attendees, many of whom will become new members of the shul, meaningful, explanatory programs such as beginners services can benefit many existing members as well as the new recruits. By learning how to reach out to new recruits by becoming host families, Partners in Torah, mentors and chesed ambassadors, the existing shul membership will increase its own level of spirituality and dedication. The lives of their members will be filled with considerably more meaning and purpose. The shul will move from being largely a self-centered “club” toward becoming an inspired, outreach oriented, Klal Yisroel focused “lightbulb” for its community. And this is truly a “win, win, win” situation for the givers, the receivers and Avinu shebashomayim (our Father in Heaven).

This requires outreach, visionary rabbis and a few understanding, supportive balabatim. Help is available from The National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP), AJOP and the existing outreach shuls. Outreach and inspirational programming is available from YU, Aish HaTorah, Gateways, Chabad HQ, NCSY and other skilled and experienced outreach programs in North America and Israel.

Of course, a shul which was indeed very successful in this outreach endeavor could eventually bring a small kiruv kollel within the shul, which would provide “inreach” programming to existing members as well as “outreach” programming to the unaffiliated. The House of Jacob Mikveh Israel shul in Calgary is one such example of how an in-house kollel impacts the existing shul membership.

Additionally, part time outreach rabbis, rebbitzins and teachers can enhance the programs being delivered by the existing shul Rabbi and Rebbitzin. For example, the Village Shul has approximately 250 family members, yet it has five male teachers and four female teachers, of which only two are full-time employees. In most communities, paid, part-time teachers and volunteer teachers and chevrusas are readily available, and the part time, paid positions are very affordable.

Lesson # 8. Heart to Heart Works Best

After four decades in the field, some as a kiruv professional and consultant and most as a volunteer rabbi, teacher, board member, program creator and speaker, Rav Moshe Ibn Ezra’s words ring loudly and clearly: “Dvorim ha-yotzim min ha-leiv, nichnosim el ha-leiv.” It’s all about heart – the heart to listen, to care, to extend a helping hand, to say a kind word, to offer a timely piece of advice, the heart to be a rodef sholom, a shochain tov, or a chevrusa or mentor (pursuer of peace, good neighbor or learning partner), the heart to be cognizant of making a kiddush Hashem and the heart to view other Jews as part of one’s own family.

I believe in the Jewish People and I believe in the “ner Hashem” (“candle of G-d,” referring to the soul) that G-d put inside every Jew to illuminate their existence. It is only a matter of stepping outside of our own “daled amos” (personal space) and recognizing the need to reach out with confidence in our potential., We can then join the ranks of those who fulfill the crucial mitzvah of “lelameid” alongside the mitzvah “lilmod” (to teach as well as to learn).

May Hashem bless all of your endeavors in this arena with success beyond that which you ever imagined possible.

Rabbi Dr. Dovid Fox

From Conversations: Readers Respond to A Review of Kiruv

The Outer Limits – A Risk-Management Model for Outreach Programs

 

My thinking about competency among kiruv professionals has followed a different trajectory than that of many in the outreach field. A great deal of my clinical consultation involves forensic and diagnostic work when a large range of individuals, in many fields and professions, get into trouble. Professionals who “get into trouble” may have been implicated in financial crimes, in other criminal behavior, in interpersonal violations of other’s rights and privacy, or in malpractice. They are referred for evaluation so that the courts, or a professional association, or a licensing board, or a law enforcement agency, can make some determination as to their need for rehabilitation, for censure, or the pointlessness of attempting to rehabilitate such individuals.

Sadly, none of the helping professions, whether in the secular fields or in klal work, including professional outreach, is entirely immune to these difficulties. Some of the clinical concerns are not exclusive to kiruv workers, for they can often apply to rabbonim, teachers, camp counselors, and administrators. In some cases, however, independent kiruv workers wield more control and influence over people who look up to them – with fewer checks and balances – than other community professionals. Accordingly, I have consulted and performed consultative evaluations on many who may have engaged in or even excelled in their work in kiruv yet whose practices cast question as to their integrity and to the safety of those with whom they plied their outreach techniques. I preface that I have also provided enrichment workshops and consultation for a wide range of professional outreach organizations, and have trained and supervised a large majority who are wholesome, healthy in motivation and in preparedness for this avodas ha’kodesh. I view them and their efforts as very professional in promoting mental hygiene along with spiritual ascendancy. It is not about this admirable majority that I write. It is not even to this group that I offer my thoughts. If anything, a great deal of my thinking is the product of a very positive psychological appraisal of how much good work can be done for our people through the many talented individuals who devote spirit and energy to this sacred form of helping. Because of my professional scope, however, I have contrasted this remarkable potential with that which lurks in the underside, or that pathological dimension with whom I also work. This article is decidedly not a criticism of the exceptional programs and their gifted professionals. Rather, I present this considered and respectful view to those who select and oversee those who commit to a career of kiruv. In our era when liability and morality issues are at the forefront of our awareness – and rightfully so – in the human services, it seems valuable to consider the extremes and the fringes of human folly so that each of us maintain sight of the goals of our work with those who turn to us. Whether as doctors, as therapists, as clergy, as employers, as teachers or as outreach professionals, each of us aims to abide by a standard of care and a standard of competence for the welfare of others and for the reputation of our respective fields. It is my hope that the thoughts which follow will support the quality and uphold the integrity of Torah outreach.

Consider the demands facing a person who seeks to market Judaism or Torah to the masses, or to select individuals:

• An Orthodox outreach professional must speak the lingua franca of his or her target audience, yet must also speak a more lofty language which represents knowledge of Torah and of its ways. Behavior is language, and an Orthodox outreach professional must also conform to a halachic standard of personal and interpersonal behaviors, so as to communicate an inspiring example of the integrity which is inseparable from a Torah framework of living.
• Kiruv professionals are in a position of authority. Authority corrupts or at least goes to the head, infusing the ego with vague feelings of omnipotence. That is, being in charge or being an exemplar means that people look up to their leader and attribute to him/her an almost majestic sense that this rabbi or rebbetzin or youth leader knows what he or she is doing and must be obeyed.
• Kiruv involves relationships. A relationship can only be as healthy and stable as the people who engage in an interaction. That means that one who seeks to engage in a power-differentiated relationship such as outreach needs to be comfortable as the holder of personal confidences, must be at ease with those who may be of different age, gender and/or level of maturity, and must be able to have his/her personal needs met without exploiting those who depend on him/her for guidance. Much like those of us who are mental health professionals, an outreach professional is acquainted with the reality of transference (other people’s projections about the professional’s grandeur, conflicts and personal life) and is also in tune with their own potential for countertransference (placing their own needs and conflicts above the needs and rights of those who are dependent on them).

K’shem sh’ain partzufosaihem shavin zeh la’zeh kach ain daa’tan shaveh. Our sages remind us that people have, or take on, different styles in the ways in which they orient to their tasks. There are some highly successful outreach professionals who emanate a sense of personal piety which is magnetic for those who turn to them. There are others equally competent yet who meet others on their own turf, bringing Torah down to, say, the college campus or to the public school or to a place of business where others might be inspired by the “down-to-earth” manner of the lunch-and-learn program and the like. There are others who win over souls through encouraging their students to make fairly rapid changes, such as a trip to Israel, time in a seminary or yeshiva, or other reshuffling of lifestyle in order to adopt a Torah persona or at least to try it on for size. The kiruv process is in all cases a matter of facilitating change, whether the kiruv professional models a modus vivendi to raise the bar and aspiration of their student, whether he/she models an approach which demands less overt reconfiguration of their student, or whether the professional is actually a catalyst to get the student up and running with a new set of overt behaviors in the hope that this will lead to more meaningful internal changes as well.

It is not possible to determine whether one style is more or less effective, or whether those effects endure over time. It is probably accurate to posit that some styles are effective in attracting some people and others draw another type of person. I reflect on my own youth when I was privileged to study under the great Gaon Rav Simcha Wasserman zt’l. My rosh yeshiva – according to the epitaph on his matzeiva on Har HaMenuchos and according to many in the Torah world – was perhaps the founder and instigating force among the gedolim of the last generation of what became the Teshuva Movement.

In my day, on the West Coast, there were people whose introduction to Torah took place in San Francisco at the House of Love and Prayer. Of those who tasted the Torah and hungered for more, we observed three groups. There were those who found their way down the coast to Los Angeles and entered our yeshiva. Rav Wasserman had us work slowly with these people, infusing them with learning Torah li’shma rather than emphasizing practical halacha or overt changes right away. They slowly shed their bohemian garb and ways and today, there are many who live Torah lives, some being quite accomplished in doing so. There was a second group who made their way to Chabad or to other Chassidic movements – many with the encouragement of Rav Wasserman – rapidly donning a different garb and overt appearance as they reached for a vision of living a very different lifestyle. There were still others who stayed put, content to live by their sense of what they deemed spiritual and good, perhaps seeking a philosophy rather than a religion. Nahara nahara u’pashtae. If it works, do it. Do it by working at it.

What seems clear to me is that when an outreach professional considers a style or approach, he/she needs to be honest. Is the approach based on a careful appraisal of what is needed in that particular position and with that particular population? What is the true motivation to spend time in a different environment with people who live different lifestyles? Is the challenge one which I am capable of, or is it an indirect way of being able to compromise the values which I struggle with under the guise of needing to be on the same wave length as my students? Lot left the outreach camp of Avraham because the standards were too high. He brought some of those standards to Sdom, where he was enough of a moral authority to be appointed an elder judge by the locals. Nonetheless, the cracks in his own morality ultimately brought him down, forcing the question of whether he really was in a place ripe for kiruv and whether he was the man for the job. Rav Chaim Volozhin came running in to the Gaon of Vilna, breathless with enthusiasm, about moving to Volozhin in order to establish a place of Torah for its unlearned residents. The Gaon summarily dismissed him. Some while later, he approached his rebbe again and asked if he could discuss the original project, and the Gaon approved it on the spot. He explained that his earlier refusal to support the project was because Rav Chaim had seemed rushed and too inspired. That does not always bode well when sincerity and level-headedness is required for bringing about durable change. Rav Yisroel Salanter, who by some accounts may have been the Gaon haDor in learning capacity in his time, brought musar to the masses, including time in the wilds of Paris. He did not lower his personal standards during that sojourn, and inspired some others. In my opinion, an aspiring outreach professional needs to start with a self-appraisal of motivations, of personal conflicts or struggles, of current stability and life satisfaction, and then determine whether he/she is ready to embark on this challenging process, whether he/she understands the demands of the target population and whether he/she is a good fit for the particular locale and its program.

In consulting with, or in consulting about, or in having to provide consultation for, outreach professionals in crisis, a number of clinical concerns tend to surface. These concerns are by no means ubiquitous. Those who dedicate their professional life to bringing others closer to Torah generally operate within a framework of halacha, and are role models for their community. They are receptive to professional guidance, they exercise responsible (and caring) judgment with their students, and blaze trails across frontiers where Orthodox Judaism was once unknown. In providing forensic and clinical consultation to organizations, synagogue and programs which have employed that minority of individuals whose judgment has gone wrong, the patterns of concern cover a small spectrum.

The most common categories of personal and interpersonal conflict are:

• Immaturity
• Poor impulse control
• Sexual acting out
• Dishonesty
• Drug or substance use/abuse
• Hypocritical religious standards
• Anger mismanagement
• Aging and burnout
• Identity crisis

I will now devote a paragraph, embellishing my observations, to each of these areas.

Immaturity issues often involve functioning at a lower level of psychosocial sophistication than one’s kiruv population. An outreach worker who has left the framework of a yeshiva or seminary without preparation for the realities of a secular environment may be unequipped to relate to the needs and interests of his/her prospective students. This poor psychosocial fit can engender low confidence, compensatory reckless decision making and faulty judgment, and being more influenced by one’s surroundings than being able to offer positive influence. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in one of his lesser known novels (The White Company) tells the tale of a young priest who leaves the monastery to fight a war and becomes infatuated both with the women he meets and with the mercenary soldiers around him. These are new enticements, tugging on parts of his provincial mind which he barely understood. He struggles valiantly with two battles – one against an actual enemy force, and one against an inner enemy of naiveté and heretofore suppressed emotions which emerge as he is challenged by a new social reality. The kiruv worker who is unprepared for a world where baser interests are in vogue may be overwhelmed and may not be initially equipped to establish his or her footing.

Outreach brings its stresses: fund raising, event planning, difficult people… Maintaining composure amidst such demands is a challenge. Poor tolerance for stress often means the urge to seek impulse- outlets. Outreach professionals who lack self-awareness, the capacity for insight, the ability to seek counsel and guidance, and other resources for self-care, are at risk for acting out, whether with addictive practices or with sudden changes of disposition and mood.

Recent times have brought great dismay to the Torah world when rabbis or those in positions of religious authority fail in the area of sexual misconduct. Whether with teens, with prospective converts, with those who seek counseling or those who are rather innocent bystanders, the crossing of personal boundaries and violation of others is often a display of the grandiosity and omnipotence which at times excite the person with the power. While more cases of male acting out (with female or with male victims) get reported or hit the press, there also is a significant degree of sexual exploitation among women who are in positions of authority in the Torah community. Those who are inadequately prepared and educated about their sexuality, and about ethical standards expected of authority figures, can be lured by the wiles of their own perceived glamour and can misread the adulation given to them by students under their care.

There is a joke that a “crooked lawyer” once declared that “honesty is the second best policy.” There are times when an outreach professional may be entrusted with responsibilities which presuppose his or her integrity and honesty. Organization expense accounts, credit cards, access to charitable donations and untraceable cash, and other situations, which have led the Shulchan Aruch to proscribe absolute unilateral control of communal or sacred funds without accountability, may challenge one’s judgment. Additionally, an outreach professional may be entrusted with secrets, with highly sensitive personal or community information, and with delicate disclosures. We can use the analogy of a doctor, a therapist or a clergy person and note that issues such as privileged information, breach of confidentiality, duty to warn, and duty to report are all realities which must be considered at ethical and at legal levels when holding someone else’s secrets. One who works in outreach also encounters situations where there can be a temptation to reveal a secret, or a temptation not to reveal a problem which must be dealt with. It is important to be familiar with the appropriate path to follow when in such a situation, and to seek supervision therein.

There was a sad “joke” among Russian Jews a century ago: when the Cossacks are sad, they get drunk and go kill Jews. When the Cossacks are happy, they get drunk then go kill Jews. Among some segments of our communities, when we are in a celebratory mood, we make a “l’chaiim.” When we are stressed, we make a “l’chaiim” too. Whether dealing with high school students or with college or adult groups, the use of alcohol to create an atmosphere, to break past inhibitions so that people can share and open up, or to celebrate one or another oneg or simcha event can seem like a natural and even a traditional means of bonding. It is a facilitator of “kiruv.” There is a reliable anecdote about a famous country-western singer who was at a party with one of our recent presidents. He offered the president a Cuban cigar but the commander in chief reprimanded him, saying that it is illegal to trade with Cuba and smoking contraband is a means of abetting an enemy nation. The singer quipped, “Mr. President – we ain’t supportin’ the Cubans. We’re burning our enemy’s fields!” Call it what you want, but using an outreach opportunity as an excuse to get high or drunk may send a message which confuses those persons we are seeking to inspire. Showing students that you can be a frum person and still smoke pot is not cool. It may also involve legal misconduct. Many err in assuming that when Chazal proclaim “nichnas yayin yatza sod”, they are saying the same thing as “in vino veritas” – that truths emerge through drinking wine. Rather than this being a rabbinic aphorism, however, it is actually a halachic indictment. The “sod” in the saying is not “secrets” or “truths” but rather the right and the ability of a judge or judges to have the presence of mind to think clearly and to participate in a tribunal. “Sod” is contraindicated by intoxication. With an esteemed outreach professional, there is a negative correlation between frequency of inebriation and perceived respectability.

Hypocrisy is ubiquitous. I often tell people that we are all, in our own way, members of the “612 Club.” Each of us has our personal peccadillo which we justify somehow. There is that area of observance that we are just not so careful about, or feel is somehow not relevant or applicable. As a clinical psychologist and as a forensic expert, I am no stranger to hearing of people’s hypocrisies. In my field, we learn to expect them and anticipate hearing about what lurks beneath the life of a person in trouble. When an individual harbors a personal secret, it is going to leak out. We cannot get around that. There is an axiom in the field called “criminal parapraxis” – when a person is guilty of something and covers it up, he will slip up and someone will catch on to what he is up to. To paraphrase another adage – “the bigger they are, the harder it is for others when they fall.” When those who turn to you for support and guidance discover that you are struggling with your own demons, or with the same ones you are supposed to be helping them with, and the harder you fail, the harder you will fall in their eyes. Know thyself, heal thyself, but don’t think you can conceal yourself.

People can be frustrating. Work can be stressful. Life can be disappointing. Where we channel our distress makes the difference between being a composed individual and being a terror. Early on in my career, I participated in a training program for aspiring kiruv professionals and I remember a rule set by one of the senior trainers: “the moment you tell a kid to shut up, you are disqualified from doing this work.” Students and adults lose respect for a leader who intimidates. They are not impressed with a leader who utilizes profanities or who speaks sarcastically to or about others. We all like our ethnocentric jokes (even ones where we kid about stereotypical Jewish hang ups) but racist jokes do not garner respect when coming from a person in charge of the spiritual education of others. Our anger needs to be managed and not directed or displayed in the presence of those whom we seek to inspire.

There comes a time when we have to trade in that old car or aging appliance. It is hard to be that car or appliance. No one is happy to acknowledge their own approaching obsolescence or imminent irrelevance. Nonetheless, when an outreach professional no longer connects with the issues facing youth, or when youth can no longer relate to the professional who once led the kumzitz or sat up all night teaching Torah to them, a crossroads needs to be traversed. There must be a system wherein one can begin preparing for his or her next career move despite the cherished and valuable years that they may have invested in bringing others closer to Torah. A component of making that decision is considering that the next career move which one makes does not absolve the erstwhile outreach professional of needing to maintain the respect of those who may always consider her or him their religious model and mentor. You would not want to follow the footsteps of one exiting rabbi whom I had to assess who in short order removed his frock, shaved off his beard, took on a secular first name, and became a spokesperson for another religion. His former Jewish students were not sure whether or not they should or could still call him “rebbie.”

Even before the age of burnout, there are those who have entered the field of outreach only to begin questioning whether their life fulfillment can be found in this form of helping others. As we mature, we begin to consider existential matters, examining the interface between our identity and our universe. Before we reach that stage, we have already begun testing out our own sense of identity, which is done through adopting and rejecting varying interests, lifestyles, preferences and values. It is common for people to stop and reflect, concerned that they have made choices prematurely. Some who work in kiruv question whether they have come to prioritize their students over their own children, or spouse. Despite the havtacha of the Chasam Sofer that those who venture forth for the sake of the Klal will not have to worry about their own families remaining faithful, we live now in a bigger world with more demands and less family time. This is an identity issue. Some who work on helping others grow see the beautiful fruits of their efforts, yet in contrasting perceived stagnation in the spiritual life of their spouse (or self), they may begin to question to what and to whom they have made their commitments. Still others develop a form of kiruv fatigue, similar to the empathy fatigue reported by mental health professionals. They may struggle with the same dispirit which I discussed in my last article in this journal, and question the meaning and value of the work to which they were once devoted. Others are troubled by the perception that others may have of them that they are in an amorphous field, not as revered as are clergy, not as prestigious as are educators, not as formally educated as are those who are in a conventional profession. They may question “what I am I going to do when I grow up?” These are identity concerns.

In working with kiruv professionals both in a forensic and in a supportive therapeutic role, I have proposed a number of recommendations to the organizations which hire them, to the synagogues which sponsor them, and to the youth commissions which attempt to guide and monitor them. I will offer these heartfelt and caring recommendations herein. They are based on more than three decades of professional study of those many, many dear and gifted professionals who do HaShem’s work in the trenches with those who seek spirituality and inspiration, and based also on diagnostic evaluations of those individual persons who are in conflict. They are my opinions. I propose that those involved in hiring kiruv leaders, who will be in positions to monitor and assess their programs, and who keep the pulse of those to whom they offer outreach, consider these recommendations. Selecting some of them as guidelines may serve to assure the quality of the kiruv program and to prevent disappointment and liability. These are recommendations which I often propose as considerations for enhancing the foundations of outreach programs:

1. I recommend that those who seek to mentor and guide others about Orthodox religious life, first attain, if men, a formal earned rabbinic ordination (smicha) and/or a minimum of five years post-high school full time beis medrash and/or kollel level Torah study. If women, I recommend that they have a number of years of formal post-high school Torah education, and that both men and women undertake coursework and systematic training in the “art and science” of Torah outreach. To be in a position of authority and mentoring, and to address both concrete and spiritual aspects of Torah Judaism demands that one have the ability to respond to students in an informed manner.
2. Those who seek to pursue kiruv work have an established relationship with a rabbinic mentor, or mentors, with whom to discuss halachic and hashkafic matters. The mentor should take responsibility and accountability in a documented manner to assure that his student maintains contact, and regularly checks in.
3. Those who seek positions first undergo a mental status evaluation by a licensed mental health professional who is familiar with the Torah community and its needs. This is to identify the presence of possible pathologies or conflicts which might interfere with the effectiveness and the readiness of the aspirant to engage in helping others. This evaluation can also help identify individual strengths and assets in each aspiring outreach professional.
4. Outreach professionals have an annual check-up face-to-face with his or her rabbinic guide to discuss their own spiritual process and any religious struggles. It is important to reflect on one’s original vision and interest in beginning a career doing outreach, and to contrast this with their current feelings and investment in continuing that work, exploring whether they are in it for the same or for different reasons.
5. Outreach professionals have a face-to-face check in with a mental health professional to identify any personal, marital, familial or professional conflicts or stresses that he or she might be dealing with. At the discretion of the mental health professional, areas which require therapeutic attention or resolution will be treated in more ongoing counseling, or a referral to an appropriate expert will be made.
6.  Outreach professionals authorize the mental health professional to confer with the rabbinic mentor, or with the organization head (such as the NCSY director or the local Chabad House director) so that there can be a transparency and collaborative discussion as to whether the kiruv professional is facing undue conflict or stress which might affect competence, or pose risks to other persons or to the community.
7.  Outreach professionals seek consultation at the end of five years in determining whether they remain motivated and appropriate for the work setting in which they have been involved. A collaborative decision making process should be undertaken in helping relocate or retrain those who are ready to pursue other endeavors.
8. Establish an ongoing forum of local outreach professionals, with mandatory participation, so that those who work in the field can offer peer counseling and support in dealing with the stresses and challenges that each one faces.
9. Offer trainings and seminars as part of the required continuing education of those who work in outreach. Topics germane to their work, including relevant psychological information, information about addictions and concerns facing youth, conflict resolution, dealing with financial issues, interfacing with synagogue rabbis and other pastoral material should be part of the ongoing education.
10. I also recommend that outreach professionals take on personal Torah learning and spirituality growth projects, including but not limited to formal regular Torah study with a partner.

It has been said that when you are holding a hammer, everyone looks like a nail. I am not looking for nails, and I will reiterate the message that I began with. My thoughts and recommendations here are not intended as criticism of the worthy professionals and superb programs which reach out to our Jewish brothers and sisters. I relish the opportunities to provide them with positive and mentally hygienic consultation in support of their vital work. Some of my thoughts, as I have qualified, are founded on an understanding of the underside or pathological dimension with whom I also, at times, consult. A great deal of my thinking, however, is decidedly coming from a positive psychological appraisal of how much good work is being done for our people, and how many talented persons devote their energies and souls to this form of helping. May HaShem guide all of us.

Rabbi Asher Resnick

From Conversations: Readers Respond to A Review of Kiruv

Kiruv is an Urgent Priority

 

I would like to address two points as a follow-up to the articles on kiruv.

1. How much money and resources should we continue to invest in kiruv?

There is a beautiful insight that I learned from Rav Yaakov Weinberg, zt”l, many years ago that is very relevant to this question.

The Gemara (Baba Basra 21a) says about Rebbe Yehoshua ben Gamla, that if not for him, Torah would have been forgotten from Israel. What was his extraordinary contribution that warranted such great praise? Up until his time, there was no formal system of schools, as the fathers were the ones who were the teachers of Torah to their sons. While it was wonderful that the fathers played this role, it led to a problem in the generation of Rebbe Yehoshua ben Gamla. He saw that there were many orphans who were not being taught Torah. In order to address this problem, he developed an extensive system of schools in Jewish communities throughout the world. And to avoid stigmatizing the orphans, it was required that all boys attend these schools, even those with fathers of their own.

Rav Yaakov Weinberg, zt”l pointed out that there is an obvious question that could be asked on this Gemara. As terrible as it was that the orphans were being denied the opportunity to learn Torah, how could the Gemara say that this would have caused the Torah to have been forgotten from Israel? After all, how many orphans could there have been?

He therefore explained that the meaning of the Gemara must be that a Jewish community that doesn’t care enough to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn Torah, will fail to teach the Torah successfully even to their own children.

This message has frightening implications for us today. Who amongst us is not concerned about the terrible phenomenon of children in all sectors of the frum community losing their connection to Torah, or worse, going “off the derech”? This teaching of the Gemara suggests that the very premise that we must make a decision to either direct our resources toward kiruv rechokim or towards kiruv k’rovim is fundamentally flawed. Perhaps the reason that we see so many frum kids going “off the derech” is actually related to the fact that we haven’t made enough of an effort to reach out to secular Jews – i.e., those who grew up with no one in their family to teach them Torah. In other words, if the frum community really cares about the continuity of Torah, they will necessarily invest in kiruv, and this will also help to keep their own kids “on the derech,” as well.

2. Is it appropriate to speak about assimilation as a crisis, and even to use the metaphor of the Holocaust to describe it?

Long before my Rosh HaYeshiva and Rebbe, Rav Noach Weinberg, zt”l, spoke this way, the Chafetz Chaim (in Chizuk haDas and Chomas HaDas) declared that the situation of the Jewish people in 1905 was an Eis La’asos – a time when every single Jew was obligated to serve G-d and address the crisis of assimilation the entire day, each one according to his abilities.

“In general, then, everyone is obligated to honor G-d with whatever is in his power at all times and in all situations, leaving but a little time to earn for himself and his family a modest living, just like the banker who must be content with meager rations while fighting in the army.”

In a second example of using physical terminology to speak about spiritual dangers he wrote -

“In former times, when fires were infrequent, it was enough for the government to appoint one company of fireman. Today, however, because fires are common everywhere, each community has a group of volunteers. The same applies to the yetzer [hara]. Once, it was sufficient for the Holy One to select a few chosen individuals in each generation who, with the power of their inspired words, could quench the flames of passion. But today, when, because of our many transgressions, fires are common everywhere, volunteers must be found in every community.”

And in a final example of physical terminology, he said that assimilation was “similar to the case of a man who sees his friend drowning in a river, or in some other imminent danger, and is commanded to save him. He is forbidden to stand idly by, as it says – “Do not stand idly by your brother’s blood.” If he cannot personally save him, he is obligated to hire others to save him… Just as we are obligated to find men who can swim well and pay them, if necessary, to save someone we see drowning in a river, so too are we obligated to find excellent orators who are G-d-fearing men, and who know how to attract the hearts of Israel to their Father in Heaven.”

This sense of crisis was also expressed by the Alter of Nevaradok (M’zakeh HaRabim in Madregas Ha’Adam, first published in 1918):

“When one becomes aware of a failing within society as grievous as its present educational structure, which has taken such a tremendous toll on our youth, one must summon up all of his powers to guard the breach, remove the impediments, and raise up the standard of truth. This is especially true in our days, when the nets of the doctrine of transgression are cast even over the very young, when all the paths of Torah are desolate, and when there remains but a chosen few who stand steadfast and unflinching upon their watch… If the present state of affairs is permitted to persist, there is a danger (G-d forbid) that in the course of time, Torah will vanish from Israel. This being so, there is no alternative but to rouse ourselves from our slumber, take cognizance of the dangers which confront us and do battle with them, with all of our talents and sensitivities, with all of the means at our disposal.”

Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, in a call to action that was directed to yeshiva students and published in the Jewish Observer in June, 1973, similarly stressed the urgency of the situation:

“Today, however, a crisis situation exists, and it is most acute. While there were times when we could keep ourselves distant from forces of darkness, they are now closing in, even threatening the most sheltered communities of those loyal to Torah… These are exceptional times. We must, therefore, examine our accepted priorities to determine who is to be charged with the responsibility of battling to better our situation and under what conditions…

As Moshe responded to the voice of authority when he was told that he must [act] because there was no one else, so too must our yeshiva students… When there is no one else to accomplish this, then one must even take time from his Torah studies to do so…

The current situation makes urgent demands upon us, for “It is a time to work for G-d. It is an Eis La’asos.”

And finally, a declaration signed on the eve of Rosh HaShanah 5765 by Rav Shmuel Birnbaum, Rav Matisiyahu Chaim Solomon, Rav Yaakov Perlow and Rav Aaron Moshe Shechter, as well as by Rav Yosef Shalom Eliyashiv and Rav Aryeh Leib Shteinman:

“The situation of our brethren in eretz Yisrael and chutz l’Aretz is rapidly deteriorating. Inciters from both within and without are doing everything possible to uproot the Torah haKedosha and pure faith from our fellow Jews, leading them astray through seductive and false ideas. The situation today is truly an awful, spiritual holocaust [literally, Matzav zeh k'yom hu Mamash Shoah Ruchnis Nora'ah] that is claiming the souls of millions of Jews who are assimilating among the nations, may Hashem protect us… As the Chafetz Chaim wrote, ‘When one sees people drowning and doesn’t know how to save them, he must hire people who do know how – or learn himself!’”

The fact that there is even a need to prove to mechanchim (educators) that a situation of close to 90% of the Jewish people assimilating is properly understood as a crisis, and comparable in its destruction and devastation to the Holocaust, is perhaps the greatest sign of that very crisis existing even in the frum world today.

Aliza Bulow

From Conversations: Readers Respond to A Review of Kiruv

Broadening the Pool of Qualified Mekarvim

 

I write from both a shared and very different perspective than many of the authors in the Klal Perspectives symposium on Kiruv (Fall 2012). My life has been devoted to learning and growing in Torah, and helping others do the same, for the past 32 years. After studying for 2 years at Michlelet Bruria inJerusalem, and serving for 2 years in the Nachal division of the IDF setting up settlements in the early 80s, I moved toNew York City where I graduatedHunterCollege with a degree in Hebrew and Jewish Social Studies. While on campus, I was active in the Hillel, Jewish Student Union and the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, creating shabbatons, leading trips toWashington and eventually visiting refusnicks in theSoviet Union with my new husband in 1985.

We moved to Long Beach, NYas newlyweds. Through a combination of connection to Tehilla Jaeger, spending six summers in the Shor Yoshuv Bungalow colony, and sending my kids to chareidi schools, I continued my path of evolution from Camp Solomon Schechter to Mizrachi to Friefeld-influenced Chareidi. As a young family we were active, lay mekarvim, and as a growing mother I began to teach one-on-one and then to give community shiurim. I began my professional kiruv career through Partners in Torah, eventually becoming the telephone mentor’s mentor. My husband, an attorney, has been my steady support all the way through.

When we moved toDenver,Colorado, just over a decade ago, I became the Program Director for The Jewish Experience. My husband jokes that while I continue to work in “retail,” teaching Torah to adults through The Jewish Experience and other Jewish organizations and by hosting guests in our home, my main job for the past six years has been in “wholesale,” as I travel internationally for Ner LeElef, supporting women in kiruv through personal visits, networking and over-the-phone coaching.

It is from the breath of multiple countries, three decades, and contact with hundreds of people in the field that I share the thoughts below.

I often consult with heads of kiruv organizations seeking qualified candidates to hire. It seems there are jobs out there for people with a strong work ethic, passion for the work to be done, the skills and intelligence to do the job and enough exposure and ahavas Yisroel (love of one’s fellow Jew) not to be thrown off track when difficult people and situations arise. But finding all that in one person when you are ready to hire is frequently a problem.

The challenge of finding highly motivated and competent kiruv workers can be solved in short order if we stop looking far and wide for the best and the brightest and simply turn our heads to the left and right. There is a valuable pool in our midst, untapped and overlooked. The pool is full of highly educated (often with 14 years of Jewish education as well as a master’s degree), hardworking, conscientious people who have great social skills, can skillfully multi-task and who care deeply about the future of Klal Yisroel (the Jewish people). These are people who would love to work for the Jewish future in their professional lives but since they must prioritize the financial support of their families, they train for careers in other fields. These people are role models of living a Torah life with both intensity and integrity, and yet they are rarely contemplated when looking for someone to fill a kiruv role. These people, of course, are women.

These days, most women work either full or part time while raising their children. Gone are the days of communities full of stay-at-home mothers and, along with their disappearance, gone are the days of women maintaining the shuls, cooking for and running the kiddushes as well as other shul activities, improving the schools, volunteering on field trips and in the classroom. Our communal infrastructure and our families have paid a heavy price as it has become necessary for women to work not only outside of the home but outside the community. As rolling the clock back does not seem to be an option, the smart girls of today begin to prepare in high school, getting college credits and job experience that will help them in their eventual career.

Because day school teachers are paid so little, and other commonly female jobs in the Torah observant world are limited and low paying, we have created a tremendous brain drain in our community. By neither fully respecting nor fairly compensating the contributions that women can make, we have created a situation in which our highly intelligent, motivated, capable women seek work in areas in which they are respected and get paid at a level commensurate with their capabilities. Many become speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, nurses, social workers and graphic designers. Some become doctors, lawyers, accountants or software engineers, among other professions. Almost none of these women even consider a career in klal work (servicing the Jewish community) as there is no framework for training, hiring and advancing women in these areas.

Sadly, this situation exists even in the world of kiruv. In most kiruv couples, the woman is seen as the support mechanism for her husband’s work. She is expected to create the environment for her husband to host a large and lovely Shabbos (20 hours a week of shopping, prep, cooking, serving, hosting, and clean up), attend the events he creates (sometimes providing food for those as well), allow her husband to work long hours including nights and weekends, and, of course, to be charming at all times. In some cases the woman may give a class or two a week and learn one-on-one with some students. In other cases, a woman may do all the PR and social media communications for herself and her husband as well as other support work.

In most cases, the woman does not receive a separate salary and does not have her own contract. Many times, women actually end up having to pay to work: she must hire babysitting help so she can teach or attend events, and the amount of hosting the couple does means she often must hire help to be able to manage Shabbos and the rest of the week’s work along with her other responsibilities. If the wife has made a connection with girls on a campus and would like to participate on anIsrael trip with them, she is often discouraged, and must sometimes pay for her airfare herself and/or make childcare arrangements at her own expense. There are even many JWRP (Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project) trip leaders who are expected to do much of the planning, fundraising, traveling and follow up at their own expense.

When women do have their own kiruv job and contract, they are generally paid at about 40-60% of what men get for similar work. Additionally, Shabbos and husband support is often taken for granted and not factored in to the hours she is expected to work, even if it is more than she would be doing if her husband worked in another profession.

In short, most women in kiruv are “kiruv wives.” I’d like to see more become “kiruv women” or mekarvot in their own right. Too few think of women when they think of the current or potential community of mekarvim.

Several years ago, before I worked for Ner LeElef, a community kollel advertised a “da mah shetashiv” (know what to answer) evening for mekarvim, featuring a prominent out-of-town speaker, in the local shul newsletter. As the newsletter did not specify that the evening was for men only, I attended with a friend. It turns out it was for men only, just no one thought to specify that since they never thought that a woman might be included in the definition of “mekarvim.”

While women do have a little more access to professional kiruv today than in the past, they are still not viewed as serious practitioners. Just look at the roster of authors on the Klal Perspectives issue on kiruv: only one of 17 is female. The TorahKiruv listserv is closed to women. At AJOP, women can only address “women only” audiences, which means that a) men do not get to hear and learn from women in the field, and b) since the majority of those attending the conference are men, the pool of those available to attend a woman’s talk is so limited that there really is little point in planning such sessions.

When I began my work at Ner LeElef, I wanted to create a network that would transcend organizations and politics and help women grow in their roles as facilitators of Klal Yisroel. I named my network “WICK” for “Women in Chinuch and Kiruv,” wrote a mission statement and an inaugural newsletter, and set my sites on a quarterly publication, a website, a network of mentors, and a conference.

After a few years visiting and supporting women in the field, I realized that women in chinuch (educating Jewish children) didn’t need my time nearly as much as Women in Kiruv, so I dropped the “C” and narrowed my focus. The candle logo got lost in the effort, but the mission statement remained unchanged:

WIK is a network for women whose lives are dedicated to sharing Torah. It affirms the significance of the contribution of women to the education, ingathering and guidance of Jews as they take their place in the framework of a Torah life. It recognizes that when one educates and inspires a woman to live a life permeated by Torah values, one educates her family and its future generations as well. To that end, WIK seeks to encourage and support women engaged in Torah education by offering them connections, information and inspiration that nurture the Torah teacher and support her growth, both personally and as a guide for others.

With my primary professional focus being direct support of women in the field, growing WIK as an organization is a daunting task. The initial newsletter languishes alone and the website is still under construction. But, by partnering with some other organizations, including Sarah’s Place in Cincinnati, Partners in Torah in Detroit and AJOP, there have now been three WIK conferences. No one has yet taken ownership of the conferences, so each year is a new search to find a primary partner, but nevertheless, the seeds planted are already bearing fruit: there is an active WIK listserv, a WIK mentors network, and budding WIK telephone classes. WIK now has some name recognition, and is being seen as an address for support for women. There is a lot more that can and should be done, but until strengthening the network becomes a priority, more broadly appreciated (expressed though funding and an assistant), it will have to continue to grow very slowly in between trips, classes and phone calls.

Unless more of us realize that women can make a significant and valuable contribution to kiruv beyond providing catering and secretarial support, we will continue to squander the resources in our midst.

Both community and campus kiruv organizations must realize that half the people they wish to influence and teach are female. Women often become interested more quickly than men and wish to learn and grow more intensely than many men are prepared to facilitate. Just listen in at the shailah and teshuva (Q and A) session with Rov Dovid Cohen at the end of the AJOP conference, and you will hear many men asking about the parameters of learning with women. It’s only a shailah (question of Jewish law) because there are not enough women to learn with women.

Why not, then, hire more women? “Our donors won’t cover the salaries.” Why don’t we see more women at AJOP? “We can’t afford to send them.” Why is their pay so low? “If they’re really idealistic, they’ll do it anyway, and we can’t afford to give them more.” “Why not at least pay for cleaning help and child care to free up the women we already have in place?” There really is no good answer to that.

Donors too have to realize that women are valuable assets to a kiruv organization and to the global kiruv effort in general. If they will desire to include more high quality women in the field, and back up that desire with a check, organizations will be able to hire and empower the women they are beginning to realize they need.

There is another hurdle, however, and that is the women themselves. Since many are focused on contributing to the family income, in addition to raising a family, they don’t consider kiruv as a job option. And, since kiruv, as it is now, does not require, or reward, any specialized training, many do not respect as “real” a job that one can get without a degree and without specific skills. And since there is no clear advancement track for women (and not too much clarity for men, either), they don’t see it as something they can grow into (and thereby increase their income) as they gain more skill and experience. Additionally, since the observant community at large undervalues women, their Torah and their capabilities (see Rav Hirsch on the word nashe Gen. 32:33), even many women don’t realize how valuable their own contribution can be. Finally, since few women are in the field, there is little support for what they do or professional development for how they can do it better.

To that end, I suggest a sea change. I suggest we begin to value, train and hire women for kiruv jobs. At first, women will have to train on the job. We need to begin hiring, and paying fairly, now. But, over time, I’d like to see a clear and extensive educational program created. I’d like to see an Associate’s level certificate, a bachelor’s level major, and a special master’s degree developed that could be attained by either men or women interested in furthering their education and competence.

Additionally, I’d like to see more support and professional development for women in the field. I’d like to help WIK grow. I have lots of ideas, and others do, too. All we need now is time, money and trust.

Through the work of several strong women in the field, and through the budding community of WIK, I hope that women are beginning to see the possibilities. I hope that the broader observant community, kiruv organizations, and donors will soon see them as well.