Our Place is an American not-for-profit organization (a "

501(c) organization A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the Law of the United States#Federal law, federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exe ...

") created to bring awareness of teen

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

, and to assist, rehabilitate and mentor troubled

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 ...

adolescents and children.

History

Our Place was established in 1998 in response to increased incidences of substance abuse, suicide and death among teenagers and young adults in Jewish communities in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

region. It was started as a safe haven or hang out for at-risk young people and now employs a multi-faceted approach to counseling, rehabilitating and guiding troubled youth. Members are sponsored for trips to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, around the New York City region, and 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 ...

. The organization targets young men and women, primarily between the ages of 15 - 25. It works primarily with youth from the greater New York City metropolitan area who have dropped out of high school. Additionally, its worldwide network assists youth in most major Jewish communities.

Fundraising & Events

In 2008

Jackie Mason Jackie Mason (born Yacov Moshe Maza; yi, יעקב משה מזא; June 9, 1928 – July 24, 2021) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. His 1986 one-man show ''The World According to Me!'' won a Special Tony Award, an Outer Critics Cir ...

did a comedy show benefiting Our Place, and to raise awareness of teen substance abuse. In 2011, Our Place began hosting its annual 5 kilometer run to raise awareness and funding for the organization. In 2013

Lipa Schmeltzer Lipa Schmeltzer ( yi, אלעזר ליפא שמעלצער ''Elazar Lipa Schmeltzer'', he, ליפא שמלצר; born March 17, 1978) is an American singer, entertainer, and composer. He is a headliner in Hasidic as well as modern Jewish communit ...

created Team Lipa, and ran the annual Our Place 5 km. In 2015 Our Place was a part of a weekend in The Hampton Synagogue which is run by

Marc Schneier Marc Schneier (born January 26, 1959) is an American rabbi and president of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. Schneier previously served as vice-president of the World Jewish Congress. Career According to '' Tablet'', Schneier "is a pola ...

where over 500 people attended a weekend.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Our Place Jewish charities based in the United States Jewish youth organizations Charities based in New York City Organizations established in 1998 Youth organizations based in the United States