Jewish outreach is a term sometimes used to translate the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

word ''kiruv'' or ''keruv'' (literally, "to draw close" or "in-reach"). Normative

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

forbids seeking

converts to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( he, גיור, ''giyur'') is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. " ...

from other religions, although all denominations do accept those who follow through their conversion with a sincere commitment. Outreach efforts are instead directed at

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

who have "gone astray", or who have been born Jewish in a non-observant family.

Background and contemporary views

The idea of "Jewish outreach" has mixed support among

; some are against the concept, while others share a vision of a more accessible and inclusive Jewish community. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, a country with a mostly non-Orthodox or unaffiliated Jewish population and a 50% intermarriage rate, some Jewish federations and educational organizations provide an extensive range of offerings to the intermarried, to those who are marginally engaged with Jewish life, and to those who haven’t had any involvement in Judaism since attending Hebrew school or right after their bar mitzvah. "

Chabad Lubavitch Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups ...

" was the first

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

organization in the United States to promote outreach means of recruiting unobservant Jews who commit to living an observant lifestyle.

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

Dr.

Shmuly Yanklowitz Shmuly Yanklowitz (born 1981) is an Orthodox rabbi, activist, and author. In March 2012 and March 2013, Newsweek and ''The Daily Beast'' listed Yanklowitz as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America. Recognition In 2022, Yanklowitz w ...

wrote that "outreach should enrich lives and society by making the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

’s wisdom more broadly available. Further, outreach is not only about “one’s own” and we must bring people of different religions together in mutual understanding and respect by engaging in deep interfaith dialogue. Rabbi Levi Brackman said, "with the high rate of assimilation and intermarriage in the West, I cannot imagine that there could be too many outreach workers in the field. The day that happens will be a blessed one. The battle against assimilation is far too important for its warriors to get embroiled in politics of this sort. Undoubtedly, all the outreach organizations, Chabad included, should put their differences aside and pool together all their resources and ideas to create an even brighter Jewish tomorrow."

References

External links

*{{cite web , title=Jewish Outreach Books - Browse Jewish Books , website=Menucha Publishers , url=http://www.menuchapublishers.com/browse-jewish-books/jewish-outreach-books.html , access-date=January 11, 2018
Article about Jewish outreach
at

The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.

Outreach Judaism , Judaism's response to Christian missionariesBig Tent Judaism
- Embracing choices. Expanding communities. (Archived website)
The New Face of Jewish Outreach - Jewish Action
*InterfaithFamily'
official website
Giving

Background and contemporary views

See also

Further reading

References

External links