Oorah Kiruv Rechokim, Inc ( he, עורה קירבו רחוקים; "awaken and bring in those who are far"), better known as Oorah is an incorporated

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

Jewish 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 ...

outreach (''

kiruv Orthodox Jewish outreach, often referred to as ''Kiruv'' or ''Qiruv'' ( he, קירוב "bringing close"), is the collective work or movement of Orthodox Judaism that reaches out to non-observant Jews to encourage belief in God and life accord ...

'') organization, founded in 1980 "with the goal of awakening Jewish children and their families to their heritage." It is a United States-based

501(C)3 A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. Joy For Our Youth, a subsidiary of Oorah, has been labeled a "

hareidi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...

missionary organization" that uses deceptive adveritising. Quoting an article by Bill Smith in the

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...

, RipoffReports.com criticized

Kars4Kids Kars4Kids is a Jews, Jewish nonprofit car donation organization based in Lakewood, New Jersey in the United States. Kars4Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that states that its mission is "to fund educational, developmental and recreati ...

, Joy For Our Youth and Oorah for their "questionable business practices."

History

Oorah, Inc. was founded by Rabbi Chaim Mintz and is based in Lakewood. Day-to-day operations are overseen by his son, Rabbi Eliyohu Mintz of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Programs

Oorah operates and/or funds 49 individual programs that target Jewish outreach (

Kiruv Orthodox Jewish outreach, often referred to as ''Kiruv'' or ''Qiruv'' ( he, קירוב "bringing close"), is the collective work or movement of Orthodox Judaism that reaches out to non-observant Jews to encourage belief in God and life accord ...

) and learning, family support, personal growth, and relationship counseling. It promotes family support and development. It runs summer camps for boys and girls,

Jewish holiday Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' ( he, ימים טובים, , Good Days, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed in Judaism and by JewsThis article focuses on practices of mainstre ...

enrichment, early, primary, and secondary educational support and enrichment, as examples. One of their main programs involves an anthropomorphic $5 bill, named Fiveish, who is characterised by positive Jewish behaviours.

Legal issues and hacks

In the summer of 2007, 31 undocumented workers doing work for a subcontractor at Oorah's summer camp were arrested in a raid by ICE and local law enforcement. Camp director Eliyohu Mintz stated that the organization was not aware that the workers lacked employment authorization. In September 2010, a website for some of Oorah's camps was hacked.'

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oorah (Organization) Orthodox Jewish outreach Orthodox Judaism in New Jersey Jewish organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in New Jersey 501(c)(3) organizations Jewish organizations established in 1980 1980 establishments in New Jersey Lakewood Township, New Jersey