Aleph Institute is a Jewish humanitarian organization for both prisoners and military personnel. Aleph Institute also has sister branches, the European Aleph Institute, and the North Eastern US Aleph Institute.

Services

Aleph provides critical social services to families in crisis; addresses the pressing religious, educational, humanitarian and advocacy needs of individuals in the military and institutional environments; and implements solutions to significant issues relating to US criminal justice system, with an emphasis on families, faith-based rehabilitation and preventive ethics education.

Military programs

Aleph assists with the spiritual needs of Jews serving in the U.S. Armed Forces by providing Jewish books as well as moral and spiritual support. Aleph also distributes special holiday packages to soldiers for Jewish holidays to Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine bases.

Jewish prison programs

Aleph's prison programs focus on Jewish inmates during their prison stay as well as helping them reintegrate into society once released. Aleph helps them observe the Jewish holidays and assist them with their daily Jewish practices, books, food items and materials holidays and daily Jewish practices. Aleph also has a summer visitation program which sends Rabbinical students around the US visiting over 3,000 Jewish inmates.

Advocacy

The Aleph Institute advocates on behalf of many of the Jewish prisoners in the US as well as in some instances, prisoners abroad. Jacob Ostreicher credited the institute with helping to gain his freedom through contacting actor

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

, who made a direct appeal to Bolivian President

Evo Morales Juan Evo Morales Ayma (; born 26 October 1959) is a Bolivian politician, trade union organizer, and former cocalero activist who served as the 65th president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. Widely regarded as the country's first president to c ...

. In 2010, Aleph Institute joined 200 Jewish organizations petitioning then Governor

Charlie Christ Charles Joseph Crist Jr. (; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the U.S. representative for from 2017 to 2022. Crist has been a member of the Democrat ...

for a stay of execution on behalf of

Martin Grossman Martin Edward Grossman (January 19, 1965 – February 16, 2010) was convicted of first degree murder for his part in the December 13, 1984, Florida killing of wildlife officer Peggy Park. He was executed by lethal injection. In the days before his ...

who was convicted of the 1984 killing of a law enforcement officer.http://www.chabad.org/blogs/blog_cdo/aid/1118763/jewish/Martin-Grossman-Does-Not-Deserve-To-Die.htm

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

also sent a personal request to commute the sentence but the execution proceeded and Grossman was killed in 2010.

References

External links

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North East US Aleph Institute official website
{{Authority control Military-related organizations Prison charities based in the United States Jewish charities based in the United States Charities based in Florida Chabad organizations Religious prison-related organizations Chabad in the United States Surfside, Florida