| Aish Hatorah |
Article Index for Aish |
Information AboutAish Hatorah |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT AISH HATORAH | |
| aish hatorahaish hatorah | |
| haredi judaism | |
| orthodox yeshivas in jerusalem | |
| orthodox jewish outreach | |
|
Aish HaTorah ("Fire of the Torah") is an Orthodox Jew ish Outreach organization and Yeshiva . The organization's stated mission is "providing opportunities for Jews of all backgrounds to discover their heritage." Its headquarters are in the Old City of Jerusalem . The government of Israel awarded it a piece of land facing the Western Wall . The organization has "branches" or Franchise s in many cities around the world which contain large populations of Jew s. Each branch has independent governance and funding. In Jerusalem, the Aish HaTorah Yeshiva offers both beginners' drop-in classes and full-time, intensive study programs for Jewish men and women of all backgrounds and levels of knowledge. Areas of study include Hebrew Bible , Talmud , Jewish History , Jewish Philosophy and Hebrew Language Ulpan . A US-accredited college, the yeshiva offers degrees to College and University age students. The Rabbi nic Ordination program combines classical Talmud ic training with intensive instruction in outreach and leadership skills. Over 200 men have graduated from its rabbinic program, assuming leadership and religious roles in many Jewish communities around the world. HISTORY Aish HaTorah was established in Jerusalem by Rabbi Noah Weinberg in 1974 , after he broke away from the Ohr Somayach Yeshiva which he had previously co-founded. Philosophically, Aish HaTorah follows the traditions of the Ashekenazi Lithuanian Yeshiva s, as compared to Hasidic Judaism . AISH HATORAH'S EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY ]]
Meaning of Name The name Aish HaTorah, literally "Fire the Torah", was inspired by the Talmud ic story of Rabbi Akiva , the once illiterate 40-year-old shepherd who subsequently became the most famous sage of the Mishnah . One day he came across a stone that had been hollowed out by a constant drip of water. He concluded, "If something as soft as water could carve a hole in solid rock, then how much more so can Torah — which is compared to fire — make an indelible impression on my heart." [While the comparison to fire is reflected in the yeshiva's name ("aish" means fire), the simile in this story is that of water and the Torah, which is frequent in the Talmud). Rabbi Akiva committed himself to Study The Torah . Elie Weisel said, "Aish HaTorah means to me the passion of teaching, the passion of learning. The study of Torah, the source of Jewish values, is the way to Jewish survival." Aish haTorah's pamphlet ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS Aish HaTorah's self-declared objective is to revitalize the Jewish people by providing opportunities for Jews of all backgrounds to discover their Heritage in an atmosphere of open inquiry and mutual respect. Worldwide, Aish HaTorah operates about 35 full-time branches on five continents, providing seminars, singles events, executive learning groups, Shabbat and Holiday programs, and community building. In Jerusalem, it has built a high-tech main campus and outreach center that features a rooftop vista overlooking the Temple Mount , and the Kirk Douglas Theatre, which houses a dramatic Film presentation of the Jewish Contribution To Humanity . Scheduled to open in 2007 , the outreach center anticipates one million visitors annually. GLOBAL ACTIVITIES Internet presence Aish HaTorah's website, Aish.com, features articles and audio segments on spirituality, parenting, dating, Weekly Torah Portion , Holocaust studies, an "Ask the Rabbi " service, and political articles. The site operates a 24-hour live Webcam that faces the Western Wall , which has registered 20 million visits. There are also spin-off sites in Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Russian. It also has an Aish Audio site with recordings of classes and lectures about Judaism. Seminars A key Aish HaTorah program is the Discovery Seminar , which uses purportedly scientific methods, such as the Bible Code , to explore the authenticity of Judaism and its relevance to modern times. The Discovery Seminar alleges that the divinity of the Torah is proved by the Bible Code . A peer reviewed article was published in favor of the codes by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. The IMS has since published an article refuting the codes and saying that the original article was simply published as an interesting puzzle to challenge the readership. A review by four leading statisticians provided a rebuttal of these codes ( {Link without Title} ). The four-hour seminar presents an overview of the entire gamut of Jewish History , Philosophy , and attempts to answers questions such as, "Why Be Jewish?" "Does God Exist?" and "Is Torah True?" The seminar has been given in hundreds of cities throughout the world, at university campuses, Jewish Community Center s, and Reform , Conservative and Orthodox Synagogue s. More than 100,000 people worldwide have attended the seminars, including guest hosts Ed Asner , Kirk Douglas , Elliot Gould , Joel Grey and Jason Alexander . The seminar has been adapted for presentation to Jewish Day School s, Yeshiva s, and Beth Jacob schools as "Project Chazon." Films In 2005 Aish HaTorah produced a documentary film, ''Inspired'', which chronicles the lives of selected Baalei Teshuvah ("returnees to Jewish observance"). Aish HaTorah believes that the high rate of Intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews has diluted the Jewish people’s vitality. ''Inspired'' was produced to encourage more Observant Jews to share their positive Jewish religious experiences of Jewish life with non-observant Jews, as a way to strengthen the baal teshuva movement and revitalize Jewish life. Dating Designed to help Jewish singles meet each other, Aish HaTorah's SpeedDating is popular in North America. Audio Center The Aish HaTorah Audio Center is a collection of recorded Jewish lectures, with over 5,000 titles on every subject in Judaism. Hundreds of Torah Tape lending Libraries have been established in cities with large Jewish populations, with MP3 downloads available online at Aish Audio's website. {Link without Title} Many of Aish Audio's Jewish classes are also available as mp3 downloads at the Classic Sinai website. {Link without Title} Conferences Aish HaTorah stresses volunteer leadership involvement, and thousands of active partners teach, organize, promote and Fundraise . Its annual Partners Conference attracts hundreds of lay leaders who come together to exchange ideas and glean inspiration for expanding activities. The annual "Power of One Award" honors an Aish HaTorah partner who, it claims, personifies the goal of realizing his or her potential in the service of the Jewish people. Learning programs Aish HaTorah's Executive Learning Program is geared towards successful Jewish men and women of all ages to participate in individually-designed personal study programs. With limited free time, and often with limited background in Judaism, professionals like Morris Smith (former manager of Fidelity Magellan Fund ), Michael Goldstein ( CEO of Toys "R" Us ), actor Elliott Gould , Michael Minkes (Treasurer of Bear Stearns ), and hundreds of busy executives make time to fit Torah or Talmud study into their schedules. Philanthropic fund The Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah has brought important political, business and entertainment leaders on private missions to Israel to increase their support for the Jewish state. The Theodor Herzl Mission, co-sponsored by the Mayor of Jerusalem, has brought international leaders to Israel such as Lady Margaret Thatcher , U.S. Senator John Kerry , Jeane Kirkpatrick and Elie Weisel . However, the independent charity research organization Charity Navigator has awarded the Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah zero stars on its scale. {Link without Title} ISRAEL PROGRAMS Essentials program The "Essentials" introductory program, for Jewish men ages 18-29, offers an understanding of the core concepts of Jewish thought. The educational goals of "Essentials" are to examine the relevance of being Jewish in today's world, define major tenets of Jewish thought from a rational perspective, and explore major themes and practices in Jewish spirituality. Students can participate for one class, a day, a week, or a month. Students live and study in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City. Women's programs Aish HaTorah also operates two women’s programs in Jerusalem, "Jewel" and "EYAHT", which offer comprehensive, multi-level study programs for university and professional women from all backgrounds. EYAHT is headed by Rebbetzin Dena Weinberg . Due to increased demand from post-college Jewish women, the program is set to complete and move into a new modern seminary building of classrooms and dormitories by the summer of 2006. Jerusalem Fellowships Aish HaTorah operates the Jerusalem Fellowships program, which brings "twenty-something" Jews to Israel for a three-week program that strengthens commitment to Judaism through an exploration of Jewish philosophy, history and Israeli Politics . Touring excursions are designed to build a bond to the Land Of Israel . Trips are heavily subsidized, and the fellowships have been called the precursor of the Birthright Israel program. Thousands have participated in the fellowships since the program's founding in 1980. The Fellowships also sponsors get-away trips to London , New York and Chile . Jerusalem Fellowships groups have met with Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon , Yitzchak Rabin , Binyamin Netanyahu , Shimon Peres , Yitzhak Shamir , and other prominent leaders from across the political spectrum. Hasbara Fellowships When the Israeli Foreign Ministry sought to combat anti-Israel ideas on college campuses, it called on Aish HaTorah to develop the Hasbara Fellowships . This program has flown hundreds of student leaders to Israel for intensive training in pro-Israel activism training. In North America, Hasbara Fellowships guides and funds pro-Israel activities on 80 college campuses. Jerusalem Road Trips Aish Hatorah partnered with the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity to run an official Israel trip for their undergraduate members. This three week trip combines Jewish education and touring Israel along with adventurous activities. Honest Reporting See Also: Honest Reporting HonestReporting.com was founded by Aish HaTorah, and now exists as an independent organization. It is the largest organization in the world fighting what it describes as Anti-Israel media bias. HonestReporting scrutinizes news agencies worldwide, and then alerts its 150,000 subscribers to respond to the media directly. EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|