Orthodox Union Impact Report 2020

Orthodox Union Impact Report 2020 5781

ORTHODOX UNION | IMPAC T REPORT 2020/5781 | OU.ORG

Table of Contents

L E A D E R S H I P M E S S A G E S TO T H E C O M M U N I T Y F R O M S T R E N G T H TO S T R E N G T H P R O J E C T C O M M U N I T Y 2020

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OU CENTER FOR COMMUNAL RESEARCH NCSY

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YA C H A D

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O U TO R A H I N I T I AT I V E S O U A DVO C A C Y C E N T E R TEACH COALITION

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SEIF OU-JLIC

WO M E N ’ S I N I T I AT I V E O U KO S H E R

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K A R A S I C K S Y N A G O G U E & C O M M U N I T Y S E RV I C E S OU ISRAEL

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I S R A E L F R E E S P I R I T: B I RT H R I G H T I S R A E L

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O U I M PA C T A C C E L E R ATO R OU PRESS

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B E N E FA C TO R C I R C L E

OU BOARD & OU COMMITTEES & COMMISSIONS S E N I O R S TA F F

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O U P U B L I C AT I O N S

N E XT D O R

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77 80

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LEADERSHIP MESSAGES TO THE COMMUNITY Moishe Bane, President

The pages of this report reflect the focus and achievements of the Orthodox Union over this very unusual year. Often overlooked, however, are the myriad partnerships critical to these achievements and essential to the OU’s role as a broadly focused, national organization.

Most OU endeavors are composed of partnerships.

American Orthodoxy’s many communities coordinate to elevate kashrus standards, and organizational coalitions address legislative and regulatory agendas, on both a state and national platform.

The Orthodox Union’s partnerships with local shuls, educational institutions, rabbonim, and poskim form the essence of the OU’s identity. NCSY and Yachad operate in partnership with local shuls, and OU-JLIC partners with Hillel and World Mizrachi. We often address communal policy issues in conjunction with the Rabbinical Council of America. Rabbis and master teachers of Torah are integral to the OU’s burgeoning spectrum of Torah learning, such as All Daf, the Semichas Chaver Program, and the Women’s Initiative’s ever-growing range of Torah content. And thanks to our poskim’s wisdom and indefatigable commitment to the needs of the community, the OU is a conduit for the most crucial areas of halachic consultation and guidance.

But perhaps most significant is the Orthodox Union’s internal partnership between professional staff and lay volunteers. While the creativity, passion, and commitment of staff are clearly the engine that drives institutional success, volunteerism is core to the OU’s functioning and culture. OU lay involvement includes not only board and commission participation, and generous philanthropic support, but also hands-on involvement, such as the legions of student and adult volunteers essential to the magic of an NCSY or Yachad Shabbaton.

The OU is truly a communal institution, and it is the community itself that forms and frames its achievements.

(l-r) Alan Fagin, former OU EVP, Moishe Bane, OU President, Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, Semichas Chaver Program Maggid Shiur Kew Garden Hills, Henry Orlinsky, Chair Torah of Initiatives at Torah NY.

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Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice President

Merubim Tzarchei Amcha, “The needs of Your people are many.” This phrase occupies a prominent place in our Selichot and Yom Kippur liturgy, and invariably its expression elicits the deep sigh of the overwhelmed. How can we even begin to address the many issues we face?

The past year certainly could have fit that bill. The challenges faced by society as a whole and by our community in particular were many, varied, and often unprecedented.

Yet, what we are privileged to observe is a community that did not react with a resigned sigh, but with assertiveness and creativity. Individuals—with or without formal positions of leadership or responsibility—stepped forward to meet the obvious needs. They then dug deeply to identify additional areas where the community was lacking, and proceeded to craft solutions to address them. Klal Yisrael thus follows in the footsteps of Avraham, who did not simply react to the obvious needs of those he encountered, but proactively scanned the horizon for the next opportunity to serve others (Avot d’Rabbi Natan, ch.7).

This is our charge at the Orthodox Union. In the pages of this report, you will read of a dizzying range of initiatives impacting tens of thousands the world over. The accomplishments are impressive, but they are no cause for complacency. Whatever has been accomplished has been propelled by the drive to always do more, a spirit that inspires our lay leadership, staff, and the communities and individuals that we are privileged to serve.

Much has been accomplished but there is so much more to be done. We pray that G-d grant us the strength, wisdom, creativity, and courage to be a part of Klal Yisrael’s movement to a more perfect future.

Rabbi Joshua M. Joseph, Ed.D. Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer

In changing and challenging times like these, the Stockdale Paradox, a concept developed by management guru Jim Collins, provides an instructive pathway to move forward: You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

At the Orthodox Union, we have lived this paradox.

We have combined faith in our mission with operational discipline to pivot amid the turmoil and transformation, as you will read in the coming pages.

Many stories are not included, such as one that occurred at the end of October. With so many schools in the New York area closing, our new head of school at IVDU, Rabbi Michoel Druin, and his dedicated team did everything they could to reopen for their specialneeds clientele, supported by the leadership of Avromie Adler at Yachad. Yet, the reopening may not have happened without the extra efforts and advocacy of Maury Litwack and his team at Teach Coalition.

Collaborative efforts between programs and teams also provided the driving force behind the creation of Project Community 2020. With over 4,400 participants, we ran more than 100 programs in 26 cities and distributed 30,000 meals to people in need.

These efforts demonstrate the OU’s ability to address our fundamental mission while creating programs in an evolving context, confronting the realities of an uncertain time.

Much of what you will read predates my arrival and is due to the efforts of both my professional partner, Rabbi Moshe Hauer, and our incomparable predecessor, Allen Fagin. Nevertheless, I hope you will agree that these people and programs demonstrate the exceptional faith and remarkable discipline that is the Orthodox Union.

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O U I M PAC T R E P ORT 2020

FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH When the coronavirus struck, it came fast and furious, sending the world into a tailspin— economically, emotionally, spiritually. COVID-19 created a crisis that no one could have predicted or prepared for. And yet, thanks to its ever-widening circle of influence, born of trust and an infrastructure that has been growing for over 120 years, the Orthodox Union was uniquely prepared to deal with this crisis. It responded to COVID-19 in much the same way it has responded to the many challenges it has faced since its inception: stepping in and stepping up, swiftly and decisively.

In 1898 it was indeed a crisis—if not of sickness and death but of Jewish spiritual survival—that brought 12 American Orthodox synagogues together to form the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. The battle was to preserve and strengthen traditional Judaism and fight for the religious rights of Jews in America. It was the OU that obtained permission for Jewish soldiers in the Spanish-American War to receive furloughs for yom tov; helped Sabbath observers find jobs via the OU’s employment bureau; fought the blue laws; created a Youth Division and a Women’s Branch.

And it was in the late 1920s that Women’s Branch representatives began personally inspecting foodmanufacturing plants and pressing the OU rabbinical leadership to expand its kashrut supervision efforts, which led to what the OU is best known for: its kosher seal of approval.

And so, in March, when it became starkly clear that the coronavirus was not a passing phase, the OU responded immediately on both a communal and an individual level. We asked ourselves: What do

communities need now and how can we provide it?

What do individuals—children, parents, the elderly, people with disabilities—need, and how can we help them?

It began with listening to our OU partners and constituents as they shared their concerns, fears, needs, and wishes. Then followed phone calls and discussions at all hours, sleepless nights, departments joining forces, leaders and lay leaders checking in with employees and coworkers.

Decisions made, programs overhauled, revamped, and recreated in a matter of hours and days, meeting the community’s needs in creative, out-of-the-box ways, using technology and our connections around the globe.

We helped bring shuls and rabbis clarity, direction, and guidance as centers for our dispersed community and for the leaders who, in many cases, needed help guiding their congregations. Our virtual conference with Dr. Anthony Fauci helped clarify shul guidelines, which have evolved through consultation with other top infectious disease specialists including the U.S. Surgeon General, spiritual leaders, and rabbanim from across the country.

Recognizing the severe economic toll the pandemic was taking on our community, the OU Advocacy Center was able to affect fast-moving federal and local legislation: the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act ensured that our Jewish schools and shuls would get as much monetary relief as possible. The OU Advocacy Center continues its tireless work to maximize monetary relief for our community.

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With thousands of Jewish teens left without summer programs, the OU developed Project Community 2020, a platform of local social and educational activities for over 4,400 teens, college students, and Yachad members across the United States and Canada. Chessed programs included rebuilding a house with Habitat for Humanity, planting vegetable gardens, painting local parks, offering free car washes, connecting teens with seniors, installing mezuzahs, and hosting carnivals for individuals with disabilities. GO (Girls Only) and Kollel sessions also took place in various communities.

Concentrating on the emotional and spiritual needs of specific populations, we created online seminars with therapists, and the OU’s Center for Community Research coordinated surveys to understand the mental health effects of COVID-19. Our rabbanim created wide-ranging Torah-based programming, including a daily Tehillim call attended by thousands.

“

The Orthodox Union was uniquely prepared to deal with this crisis. It responded to COVID-19 in much the same way it has responded to the many challenges it has faced since its inception: stepping in and stepping up, swiftly and decisively.

”

And we focused on meeting physical needs, as the OU's Teach Coalition advocated for and helped facilitate government distribution of over seven million free kosher meals throughout New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. In New Jersey, Teach Coalition was also able to obtain $25 per student for school security, despite the state’s deficit.

Indeed, thanks to effective leadership across the board, 2019–20 was one of the OU’s most successful fundraising years—a true testament to a strong partnership with our community.

Between a $1 million gift to Yachad, a generous gift from Drs. Miriam and Felix Glaubach and family for the NCSY Shevet Glaubach Fellowship, and many other significant commitments from donors, federations, and foundations, the OU continues to gather momentum.

In the midst of this worldwide crisis, the OU has sadly bid farewell to Allen Fagin, to whom we are collectively and individually indebted for his commitment, vision, counsel, and leadership. Taking the helm were Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer and Executive Vice President and COO Rabbi Josh Joseph, Ed.D. Building on Allen’s legacy, the two will stay true to the DNA of the OU as an organization rooted in Torah addressing the community’s needs.

Throughout the pandemic, they, along with OU’s lay leadership, have actively managed the organization, this communal asset, ensuring continuity for generations to come.

Then there was the time just before any of us could have fathomed COVID-19, when the Siyum HaShas— with a sellout crowd of 90,000—showed Klal Yisrael’s commitment to Torah and community. Hundreds of NCSYers attended this historic celebration on January 1, an experience that undoubtedly helped strengthen these young people spiritually for the challenges that were to come.

These are indeed historic times, and despite the bad news we hear daily, there is hope for the future. With the normalization of relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, OU Kosher’s Rabbi Krakowski was on the first plane to the UAE to ensure the food served to Jewish guests followed Jewish law.

Through COVID-19, individuals, families, children, adults, and communities have all experienced profound change. But difficult times can bring out the best in people, and the “new normal” has been a catalyst for personal and communal growth, for reaching beyond boundaries and discovering new sources of strength. At the OU, we too will continue to embrace what we learn, as together, we face this new world—both its challenges and its blessings.

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PC2020

KEEPING SUMMER ALIVE AND KEEPING IT LOCAL: PROJECT COMMUNITY 2020

When COVID-19 effectively destroyed all summer plans (among other things) for thousands of teens and their parents, the OU swung into action.

Project Community 2020 (PC20) brought enriching and fulfilling programs to over 4,400 teens, college students, and Yachad members across more than 30 cities in the United States and Canada, keeping these young people productive and engaged in otherwise difficult times. Launched on July 6, in partnership with the OU’s NCSY, Yachad, OU-JLIC and Teach Coalition, PC20 activities— operated within local safety guidelines— included recreation, Jewish learning, and volunteer experiences that contributed to

local communities. PC20 participants assisted the elderly, rebuilt homes with Habitat for Humanity, worked with individuals with disabilities and their families, helped singleparent households, and showed appreciation to healthcare heroes on the front lines.

Teens took part in virtual and in-person learning as well in the Teach Coalition’s Advocacy Fellowship, where they helped local “Get Out the Vote” campaigns in their communities. College students became mentors and advisors to teens both individually and collectively.

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OU CENTER FOR COMMUNAL RESEARCH

CALCULATING AND ENHANCING OUR IMPACT The Center for Communal Research evaluates the OU’s impact on the communities it serves, while producing actionable insights and growth opportunities for the organization’s professional staff.

The information gathered from our research also helps inform the OU’s larger strategy.

The Center invited Orthodox Jewish singles to enter a photo contest in conjunction with a study of the lives of Orthodox Jewish singles—from dating to spirituality.

First place photo entry, Will I Find, by Lior Melnick, was chosen for its creativity, quality, and originality.

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DISCOVERING DATA-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS TO JEWISH CHALLENGES Understanding Orthodoxy in America

Guiding Us Through the Pandemic: Who’s Suffering?

A groundbreaking survey of American Orthodox Jews will provide critical insight into the world of today’s American Jewry—including its sociodemographic characteristics, religious and spiritual realities, and political views. The study will help policymakers and practitioners understand the vulnerabilities and vitalities within the Orthodox community, as well as possible intervention points.

A variety of studies conducted by the Center have helped guide the OU through the pandemic. One study focused on the mental health of community members, an early concern that drove significant policy and halachic decisions.

"It is such a gift to have an internal resource like the OU's Center for Communal Research, which helps NCSY evaluate and assess its organizational impact. As a result of our partnership with the Center, we have sharpened our focus, clarified many of our goals and approaches, and have become more effective and efficient."

– Rabbi Micah Greenland, International Director of NCSY

In this study, the Center discovered (a finding later confirmed by the American Psychological Association) that those between the age of 18 and 34, especially those who faced economic insecurity, were most at risk for depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges.

Other studies focused on the ability of organizations to function during times of economic uncertainty, and understanding the pandemic’s impact on physical health, financial wellbeing, and religious experiences. The evidence-based results have been used to help organizations successfully adapt and design for impactful interventions.

Runner up photo, titled Oh, the Places You’ll Pray, by Elisheva Ryp. “Exploring the world allows me the opportunity to express my awe and gratitude to G-d through prayer, which, in turn, solidifies my faith in Him.”

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STUDY GRAPHIC

Are You Happy Being Orthodox?

OU Center for Communal Research Financials

Survey of American Orthodox Jews provides critical insight into the world of today’s American Jewry

FUNDING SOURCES

Total Funding: $700,000

Neutral 4%

Somewhat Agree

3%

6% 7%

25% Agree

57%

97%

Strongly Agree

97%

OU Contribution | $681,000

3%

Donations | $19,000

1% Strongly Disagree 1% Disagree

EXPENSES

Total Spend: $701,000

4%

“

It has been great to have CCR as a resource at the OU. The team has taught us and the OU Accelerator ventures so much about measuring impact for our nonprofits. The Center has been collaborative and great partners to work with.

Thank you!

–JENNA BELTSER, DIRECTOR, OU IMPACT ACCELERATOR

”

8%

4%

84%

84%

Personnel | $588,000

8%

Travel | $60,000

4%

Office Expenses | $25,000

4%

Other | $28,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

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NCSY

FUTURE LEADERS OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY NCSY is proud to play an important and trusted role in the lives of thousands of Jewish teens each year.

Immersive learning and social programs connect teens with their Jewish identity and foster self-confidence.

Education, retreats, and summer travel experiences nurture a lifelong relationship and connection to Israel, while leadership and volunteer opportunities empower NCSY teens to become peer role models and committed leaders of the Jewish community. A full spectrum of programming in 150 cities across three continents uniquely positions NCSY to meet teens where they are, emotionally, spiritually, and geographically.

Public school teens participate in the Havdalah ceremony at the Aspire: Yarchei Kallah retreat.

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50,000 TEENS REACHED ANNUALLY ACROSS 150 CITIES ON THREE CONTINENTS

363 JSU CLUBS AT PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS ACROSS NORTH AMERIC A

4,400 IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL PARTICIPANTS IN PROJECT COMMUNITY 2020, BRINGING NC SY TEENS TOGETHER

As part of the Aspire: Yarchei Kallah retreat, hundreds of NCSY teens attended the Daf Yomi Siyum HaShas celebration.

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WHEN COVID-19 CHANGED THE WORLD...

NCSY Reinvented Summer for Thousands of Teens Coronavirus did not stop NCSY. When the world went into quarantine in March 2020, NCSY jumped into action to make sure teens stayed connected and inspired during their time in isolation. A full curriculum of new, virtual programs across the U.S. and Canada gave teens purpose and much-needed social connection after a semester of isolation with volunteer, social, and educational experiences.

Summer in-person chessed programs included rebuilding a house with Habitat for Humanity, planting vegetable gardens, painting local parks, offering free car washes, connecting teens with seniors, installing mezuzahs, and hosting carnivals for individuals with disabilities. NCSY’s signature Israel programs, GO (Girls Only) and Kollel sessions, also took place in various communities.

Walking the Walk: Tikkun Olam Coming to the aid of those in need is an important NCSY mission—even during a pandemic. Example: As part of NCSY Relief Missions, which puts teen volunteers on the front lines of relief efforts in the wake of natural disasters, NCSY worked with Habitat for Humanity to arrange for teens to help rebuild the house of a community leader who lost his home to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In summer 2020, NCSY also trained certified hurricane Ready Teams, small groups of teens and staff who can help communities recover from a disaster.

Leadership of Project Community 2020 Go provided meaningful experiences this summer.

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More Funding, More Trips, More Memories

Thanks to a generous grant from The Marcus Foundation, NCSY will dramatically increase the number of teens attending NCSY Summer in Israel in 2021 through RootOne vouchers.

Running immersive summer programs for Jewish teens in Israel has been central to NCSY’s mission for over 40 years, providing $1.5 million in scholarships and sending over 2,000 public school and Jewish day school students to Israel.

These experiences are often the most memorable and meaningful in these young people’s lives.

NCSY teens volunteered alongside Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild a house damaged in Hurricane Sandy as part of an NCSY Relief Missions program.

LOOKING FORWARD Summer 2021: Stronger Than Ever COVID-19 stopped summer plans in 2020, but summer 2021 will see 22 unique programs across the U.S., Israel, and Europe. From sports and corporate internships to work with Israeli first responders, NCSY summer programs provide a panorama of experiences unbounded by geography.

A Revolution: The Shevet Glaubach Fellowship Created in spring 2020 thanks to a generous grant from Drs. Miriam and Felix Glaubach and family, the Shevet Glaubach Fellowship trains and inspires the next generation of Jewish leaders. The Fellows, which include NCSY advisors and college-aged leaders, expand their skill sets and learn to take responsibility for the broader Jewish community. Programming includes chavruta learning and community Shabbat programming.

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Public school teens receive awards at Aspire: Yarchei Kallah, a 5-day retreat for Torah learning during winter break.

NCSY EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING In December 2019, NCSY held Saving the World: JUMP! its annual Aspire: Yarchei Kallah— Using a “create-a-thon" model, in November 2019 a five-day Torah-learning retreat for teams of over 100 teens from across the country gathered to develop social entrepreneurship projects public school teens during their winter that would benefit their communities. JUMP—a break. Traditional classroom learning teen leadership program—awarded grants for the ideas developed at the event. Winners included was supplemented with group study, best the iKeep initiative, empowering teens to be excited about Shabbat; Vaping Killz, an anti-vaping one-on-one learning, and late-night campaign; and J.U.I.C.E., a program designed to discussions with teachers, advisors, integrate the Ashkenazi and Sefardi communities. and fellow NCSYers. After a week of studying Torah, teens are imbued with a deep passion for learning more about their heritage.

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ALWAYS NCSY Taking It to the Next Level: NCSY Alum on College Campuses NCSY doesn’t end with high school. Alumni who are committed to Jewish continuity on campus are awarded the Judah Fellowship, taking lessons learned in their years at NCSY and running events for fellow college students. These events include Shabbat and holiday programs and social action and relief missions over their winter breaks.

Project Community 2020 Kollel Teaneck, NJ participants learned together in the summer program.

A Home for the Whole Family An eight-day trip to Israel for moms of teens is just one of many programs focused on the family.

NCSY hosts a variety of activities for parents and siblings, including holiday meals, meaningful classes, and concerts.

States and Provinces with Jewish Student Union (JSU) Public School Clubs NCSY runs 363 JSU clubs at public high schools across the United States and Canada, strengthening students’ connection to their heritage and identity.

Alberta Arizona British Columbia California Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Kansas

Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nevada New Jersey New York Ohio

Ontario Oregon Pennsylvania Quebec Rhode Island Tennessee Texas Washington

NCSY JUMP contestants present their idea to a group of panelists made up of community and lay leaders.

NCSY LOCATIONS WORLDWIDE United States ATL A NTA Alpharetta Atlanta Chamblee Decatur Duluth Dunwoody Johns Creek Marietta Milton Norcross Roswell Sandy Springs

Minneapolis

Greater Hartford

Boulder

Omaha

Greater New Haven

Denver

South Bend

Rochester

Winnipeg

Buffalo

Saint Louis

Binghamton

Seattle

Chicagoland

Albany

Eugene

North Shore

Catskills

Silicon Valley

Louisville

Mount Kisco

SF & Marin

NEW JERSEY

Syracuse

Portland

Providence

Arizona

East Brunswick

Westport

Metro West

Western Massachusetts

LA - City

SOUTHERN

San Diego

Elizabeth Passaic

WEST COAST

Orange County LA - Valley

ATL A NTIC SEABOARD

Englewood

Columbia

East Bay

Teaneck

South Carolina

Las Vegas

Allentown

Fair Lawn

Myrtle Beach

Baltimore

West Orange

Tampa

Cherry Hill

Highland Park

New Orleans

Philadelphia

Twin Rivers

Huntsville

Buenos Aires

Delaware

Englishtown

Orlando

JSE

Greater Washington Harrisburg

NEW YORK

Charlotte Chatanooga

Lancaster

Monsey

Raleigh

Norfolk

Queens

South Miami

Richmond

Westchester

Greater Miami

Wilkes-Barre

Brooklyn

Parkland / Coral Springs

Long Island

Boca Raton

Manhattan

Palm Beach

Cincinnati

Great Neck

Savannah

Cleveland

Plainview

Broward

Columbus

West Hempstead

Miami Beach

Detroit

Oceanside

Charleston

Pittsburgh

Long Beach

Greensboro

Toledo

Merrick

Jacksonville

CENTRAL EAST

MIDWEST

Roslyn Port Washington

Little Rock

Nashville

5 Towns

SOUTHWEST

Des Moines

Syosset

Austin Dallas Houston San Antonio El Paso

Indianapolis Kansas City

NORTHEAST

Memphis

Greater Boston

Milwaukee

Stamford

Argentina

Canada Hamilton Calgary Toronto Thornhill Ottawa Montreal Edmonton Vancouver

Chile Santiago

Israel Raanana Gush Etzion Beit Shemesh Modi'in Jerusalem Area

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NCSY | Financials

Michlelet Mechina: Letter from a Public School Teen

FUNDING SOURCES

Total Funding: $40,979,000

I don't know what inspired you to think about us—about the girls sitting in public school, tapping their feet, itching for something deeper, for something real—but I’m so grateful you did.

At Michlelet Mechina, I saw girls who authentically cared for one another, who were unapologetically themselves. Most of all, I saw women and rabbanim who embodied Torah and who made it completely accessible to me even with my limited background in Jewish education and in Hebrew.

23% 40% 38%

39%

OU Contribution | $15,814,000

38%

Donations | $15,546,000

23%

Program Fees | $9,619,000

EXPENSES

This program inspired me to become religious and gave me the resources to continue back home in America.

Total Spend: $39,360,000

Now, every asher yatzar that I breathe, every Shabbat kodesh I greet, every bracha, and even every giggle is filled with the joy and the peace of mind that I am a Yid working on my relationship with G-d.

6%

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

If it wasn’t for your tireless efforts to make Michlelet Mechina a reality, I may never have had this beautiful life. It means the world to me that you chose to invest in us.

I pray that this program can continue to light up the eyes and lives of all girls from public school who have this inner desire for Yiddishkeit.

With much appreciation, NP

32%

55%

5% 55%

Region Spend | $21,685,000

32%

Summer Programs | $12,531,000

6%

Administrative | $2,416,000

5%

National Year-Round Programs | $1,872,000

2%

Staff Training and Development | $856,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

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YAC H A D

A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE BELONGS Yachad, an international organization, is dedicated to enhancing the life opportunities of Jewish individuals with disabilities.

Inclusive, social, recreational, educational, and vocational programming helps break down real and perceived barriers within communities. Programs also empower participants to meaningfully and fully engage in Jewish life, while fostering unity among Am Yisrael by celebrating the uniqueness of every Jew.

"Binyamin loves to learn with his partner in Torah, who is not much older than Binyamin. We figured out that we are actually related to his chavrusa." –Judy

[image needed]

Students at IVDU Girls School campus in Brooklyn.

IVDU offers a pre-vocational training program for young adults, with separate girls and boys divisions.

100%Â OF IVDU STUDENTS WERE CONNEC TED BY TECHNOLOGY TO CL ASS DURING COVID-19

2,100 TEENS ENGAGED THROUGH INFORMAL EDUC ATION PRE-COVID-19

300 PROJEC T COMMUNITY 2020 IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS INCLUDING TEENS AND COLLEGE-AGED YOUTH

1,500 HOUSEHOLDS ATTENDED THE VIRTUAL BATTLE OF THE SINGERS EVENT IN JUNE

$

$1,000,000 GIF T RECEIVED FROM THE RALL A KLEPAK FOUNDATION

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COVID-19: LIFE GOES ON Yachad Saves Summer Social distancing has been particularly challenging for those with disabilities, who heavily rely on in-person connections and look forward to their annual summer getaways in camp and Israel. With many summer camp programs closed, OU’s Project Community 2020 (PC20) came to the rescue with initiatives across the U.S., Canada, and Israel. From six-week camps to Backyard Buddies to personalized activity packages delivered to homes, hundreds of individuals were helped and isolation was eased. Each day, PC20 had new themes that included Torah learning, music and movement, "mad" science, team-building activities, crafts, sports, cooking, and night activities. Yachad brought together small groups of staff and participants in backyards, tents, shuls, and parks, giving individuals with disabilities the social interaction they craved, and families the respite they needed.

The Yachad Sruly App – A Virtual Buddy System The coronavirus pandemic has isolated thousands, highlighting the urgency to provide the Yachad community with the ability to share common interests and to facilitate social connections. Specifically designed for individuals with developmental disabilities, the Yachad Sruly app is a safe and secure platform for developing meaningful personal relationships with pre-assigned, vetted “buddies.” The app also hosts interactive programming and has quickly become a thriving virtual space for people with disabilities. The brainchild of longtime Yachad supporter Michael Lebor, and powered by Moxtra, the application has connected hundreds of pairs of buddies and includes over 400 volunteers.

Yachad Project Community 2020 participants enjoyed traditional summer activities such as color war.

Keeping It Going: On Demand

IVDU Schools: The Pivot

At a time when personal interactions are few and far between, the digital platform “Yachad On Demand” offers a plethora of virtual programming for those with disabilities. These include support groups, Partners in Torah, and events like cooking demonstrations, shiurim, preShabbat shmoozes, and exercise classes.

With over 130 students and a small studentteacher ratio, IVDU Schools, located in Borough Park, Flatbush, and Long Island, offer students with disabilities (ages 5 to 21) a nurturing educational environment. The beginning of the 2019–20 school year started out as usual, with students learning about topics like coding, and creating stop motion movies. By March, the school had moved to virtual classes and students continued their independent research projects, even creating presentations and presenting them to their Zoom audience, adapting well to the change in circumstances.

Yachad offered in-person programs as part of Project Community 2020. Daily programming included recreational activities, Torah learning, and a summer of fun for members.

Yachad: Our Child’s Guardian Angel

By Danny Cutler, father of Yachad member Tali Cutler

When Hashem blessed us with a beautiful baby girl in February 1991, the doctors told us she would never walk or talk, and that we should leave her in the hospital. Of course, we eagerly took home our daughter, Avital Vichna, better known as Tali, realizing that raising this very special and beautiful girl would be a challenge.

could interact with her peers face-to-face, or at least mask-to-mask. The OU’s Project Community 2020, with its Yachad Summer Hubs, was the perfect answer. Tali started six weeks of in-person programming and her joy and excitement are clear for anyone to see, despite the fact that her smile is hidden behind her mask.

In raising a developmentally delayed child, we have learned that Hashem provides us with "Guardian Angels" to help us throughout life. In Tali's case, these Guardian Angels include Yachad.

Yachad has always been there for Tali and for us, constantly enhancing her quality of life, and ours.

That was clear before COVID-19, and is abundantly clear now.

In March, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt, the services and programs we had come to rely upon as our lifelines for Tali and for ourselves were abruptly taken from us. We were terrified that Tali would be left with no structure in her life, which she desperately needs.

Yachad stepped in, as they have done so many times in the past, to provide Tali with structure, a chance to see friends, and an opportunity to continue her growth. Tali has benefited from Yachad's Zoom programs that run from morning until late in the night, and include cooking, arts and crafts, exercise, game nights, shmooze clubs, and concerts. Tali has also been blessed with three Yachad Virtual Buddies who spend half an hour each week talking to Tali and bonding with her. The entire Yachad staff worldwide became accessible to us, constantly asking us how they could be of further help. They are all part of Tali's Guardian Angels.

After 18 weeks in lockdown, we were very concerned about what this summer would be like for Tali. She critically needed in-person programming so she

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Yachad | Financials FUNDING SOURCES

Total Funding: 21,222,000

12% 16% 55% 17%

55%

Program Fees & Tuition Payments | $11,714,000

17%

Fundraising | $3,649,000

16%

OU Contribution | $3,362,000

12%

Government Support | $2,497,000

EXPENSES

Total Spend: $21,389,000 2%

11% 12% 19%

31%

25%

31%

IVDU Schools | $6,649,000

25%

Yachad Inclusion Programs and Chapter Spend* | $5,249,000

19%

Summer Programs | $4,043,000

12%

JUF | $2,670,000

11%

Admin | $2,251,000

2%

Clinical Services* | $527,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

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O U TOR A H I N ITI ATIVE S

LIFELONG TORAH LEARNING FOR ALL Torah Initiatives comprises a broad array of innovative and impactful Torah programming.

With the vision of a community where every Jewish adult makes limmud haTorah a central part of their life, Torah Initiatives is increasing accessibility to high quality, sophisticated, and vibrant Torah. Diverse approaches and formats provide study opportunities for those from every community and affiliation to further develop their relationship with G-d through Torah.

“I joined Semichas Chaver over one year ago. I had not been a part of formal learning for many years and was worried that I wouldn’t have the proper background for a formal shiur. But the shiurim are so well organized, relevant, and interesting, that I was able to follow along and grow from week to week.”

–Zev Davidovics, Chabura: Efrat

26,000+Â VISITORS TO CHAG AT HOME ONLINE HIGH HOLIDAY RESOURCE CENTER

20,000+ WEEKLY VISITS TO THE ALL DAF APP AND WEBSITE

70 SEMICHAS CHAVER PROGRAM LOC ATIONS ON FIVE CONTINENTS

45,600,000 HOURS LEARNED ONLINE ANNUALLY ACROSS OU TORAH PL ATFORMS

Rabbi Shalom Rosner opens the 14th cycle of Daf Yomi with an inaugural shiur on Brachos 2.

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ALL DAF: BRINGING THE DAF TO EVERYONE The start of the new Daf Yomi cycle saw a sharp increase in Daf Yomi learning. And as COVID-19 altered learning schedules and lives, many people who lost their regular shiur to lockdown found a welcoming home on All Daf. Since its launch in January, All Daf followers have grown to over 25,000 regular users and the app has become the de facto go-to Daf Yomi tool. Our featured speakers include some of the most listened-to English language Daf Yomi teachers in the world. Compelling supplementary Daf Yomi resources—like Jewish history on the daf, Zichru memorization tools, and videos showing the creation and maintenance of reallife eruvin—deepen a learner’s connection to the Gemara.

Bringing eruvin to life provides a view of the practical application of halacha, which includes constructing eruvin on telephone poles.

A project of The OU

Daf Yomi Initiative

27

In the short time since the OU released All Daf, it has become the community standard Daf Yomi platform, which includes an app and website.

“

I was injured in a terrorist attack in 2001. Since then, I have been paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. It is important for my health to spend time standing every day. So I do my ‘standing time’ while listening to the Daf Yomi. This is my second cycle—the first cycle I studied the Daf with Rabbi Moshe Elefant and most recently, I learned with Rabbi Shalom Rosner. Most people probably learn the Daf while sitting down. Forced to sit in a wheelchair all day, I am grateful to be able to do the Daf standing up!

–Steve Bloomberg, Karnei Shomron, Israel

” 27

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CREATING ACCESSIBLE LIFELONG LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Torah Study for Seniors While COVID-19 caused the closure of the popular in-person Beit Midrash of Teaneck (BMT) program—created to meet the social, intellectual, and spiritual needs of retirees through intensive, user-friendly, text-based Torah study—a new virtual community created a surge in learning.

Chag at Home Between Shavuot and the Yamim Noraim, Chag at Home gave those stuck in their homes a first-rate learning experience over Yom Tov. Individuals and organizations could create customized packages with guided learning sheets for all levels including children and families. Initially conceived as a crisis response to the coronavirus, the popularity of this model has made it an enduring all-holiday learning platform.

Chag at Home study guides have been accessed over 100,000 times since its launch on Shavuot.

Fastest-Growing Halacha Learning Program in the World The OU’s Semichas Chaver Program (SCP), founded by Rav Elyada Goldwicht, has remained open virtually, maintaining its tight-knit local magic across the globe. This halacha study program, developed to make learning a passionate and practical experience, includes six months of intense weekly learning, followed by a comprehensive exam and siyum celebrating the completion of the learned halachot. Wives, children, and families are included, making the program a family experience. SCP continues to grow despite lockdowns, with over 70 chapters on five continents.

YOUR ULTIMATE HIGH HOLIDAY TOOLKIT

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Torah Initiatives | Financials

“

FUNDING SOURCES

Total Funding: $1,458,000

You saved Shavuos for me and my family.

–DOVID A., ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

4%

9%

”

Make Your Seder More Than B’Seder On Passover this year many celebrated alone, some conducting their own seders for the very first time. As with many aspects of holiday observance during the COVID-19 pandemic, some questions were asked for the first time.

This program was one of several designed to help all those who suddenly found themselves making a seder for one.

59%

28%

59%

OU Contribution | $852,000

28%

Dedications | $411,000

9%

Event Revenue| $137,000

4%

Donations | $58,000

EXPENSES

Total Spend: $1,458,000

4%

27% 34%

Torah Yerushalayim— Virtual Yom Iyun Over 2,500 viewers from around the world watched online shiurim during this year’s three-day virtual event leading up to Yom Kippur. The event featured 50 of the world’s top rabbinic scholars, educators, and Jewish communal leaders and was dedicated to the memory of David & Norma Fund Z”L by their children.

4% 39%

39%

Event Expenses | $571,000

34%

Daf Yomi Initiative | $491,000

23%

Personnel | $340,000

23% 4%

Other | $57,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

30

OU ADVOCACY CENTER

PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITY The OU Advocacy Center is the nonpartisan public policy arm of the OU that advocates on behalf of the Orthodox community nationwide.

Through its federal advocacy in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals, the OU Advocacy Center (OUA) advances our community’s interests and values in law and policy.

Fighting for the Community During COVID-19 Within days of the start of the pandemic, the OU Advocacy Center became laser focused on helping craft the legislation that became the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The act included nearly $2 trillion in emergency economic stimulus funding for many hard-hit sectors of American society.

OU Advocacy worked to ensure that these programs would include maximum availability for our community’s schools and synagogues. As a result of OUA’s work, the bill’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ensured that forgivable loans were fully available to these critical community institutions. Hundreds of schools and shuls received PPP funds in amounts ranging from $150,000 to several million dollars. OUA also successfully advocated that the CARES Act’s emergency funds to support K-12 schools were also available on an equitable basis to Jewish nonpublic schools.

The coronavirus pandemic is not over, and OUA’s work for our community is constant and ongoing.

OU Advocacy Center Executive Director Nathan Diament testifying on Capitol Hill against anti-Semitism.

$

$90,000,000

SECURED IN 2020 FOR IMPROVED SAFETY AT JEWISH DAY SCHOOLS, YESHIVAS, SYNAGOGUES, AND OTHER NONPROFITS

5,000+ JEWISH DAY SCHOOLS, YESHIVAS AND OTHER NONPROFITS THAT HAVE EACH RECEIVED UP TO $100,000 IN FEDERAL FUNDS TO MAKE THEIR BUILDINGS MORE SECURE THROUGH THE NONPROFIT SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM—WHICH THE OU ADVOCACY CENTER HELPED CREATE IN 2005

OU Advocacy Center Executive Director Nathan Diament at a press conference with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in New York, where they called for quadrupling the next round of funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to $360 million.

Advocacy in the Time of COVID-19 Interview with Nathan J. Diament, executive director for the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center

Q What was OU Advocacy’s immediate response when the country shut down?

A I t was obvious and urgent that we focus on our schools and shuls—they needed economic support.

$

$419,000,000

SECURITY GRANTS ALLOC ATED TO JEWISH DAY SCHOOLS, YESHIVAS, SYNAGOGUES, AND OTHER NONPROFITS NATIONWIDE SINCE 2005 WITH THE HELP OF THE OU ADVOCACY CENTER

Q What have been your biggest concerns?

AG etting senators, representatives, and the White House to focus on the details that would make or break whether programs would work for our schools and shuls. It would be very easy for legislation written hurriedly to have unintended provisions that could make it difficult or impossible for synagogues and schools to benefit from.

32

So we had to focus on the details. And by and large, we were successful.

Q What challenges have you faced?

A T he complexity of the CARES Act has meant that we have spent a lot of time helping schools and shuls through the application process, and now the loan forgiveness process.

WORKING ON BEHALF OF OUR COMMUNITY Getting Security Resources for Shuls and Schools Funding to fortify day schools, shuls, yeshivas, and other houses of worship was increased to $90 million for 2020—a 50% increase over 2019—thanks to the OU Advocacy Center’s ongoing and pioneering work with legislators and other partner organizations. OU Advocacy is now working to quadruple that amount to $360 million for 2021.

U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) speaks at an OU Advocacy event.

The funding is part of the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). The grant was created in 2005, in conjunction with OU Advocacy, to make America’s nonpublic schools, shuls, and other Jewish communal institutions safer against the threat of terror attacks.

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Fighting Anti-Semitism—In Person, In Congress By the end of 2019, the United States recorded a historic high of 2,013 anti-Semitic attacks and incidents. Visibly Orthodox Jews, in particular, were the targets of deadly violence.

Amid this disturbing trend, Congressional leaders invited the Orthodox Union’s executive director for public policy, Nathan Diament, to testify on Capitol Hill. Speaking before the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism on January 15, 2020, Mr. Diament urged lawmakers to take action against anti-Semitic attacks across the United States—particularly those committed against Jews wearing yarmulkahs and other religious garb. “We are being targeted for physical assaults and verbal abuse and suffering,” Mr. Diament testified. “We are afraid in a way we never have been before in this great country.”

OU Advocacy Center | Financials FUNDING SOURCES

Total Funding: $827,000

20%

80%

80%

OU Contribution | $662,000

20%

Donations | $165,000

EXPENSES

Total Spend: $829,000 3%

Protecting Religious Liberty: Supreme Court Rulings Just before the close of the Supreme Court’s 2019-20 term, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down two significant rulings that were important victories for the Orthodox Jewish community and religious liberty—and in both cases the justices cited briefs submitted by OU Advocacy in rendering their opinions.

In the case of Our Lady of Guadalupe School v.

Morrissey-Berru, the court affirmed the right of religious schools to make hiring decisions about religious teachers without improper state interference.

In the case of Espinoza v. Montana, the court invalidated a state decision to exclude religious K-12 schools from a state program that provides tax credit supported scholarships.

17%

80%

80%

Personnel | $655,000

17%

Office Expenses | $ 136,000

3%

Other | $28,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

34

TEACH COALITION

FOR BETTER, SAFER, MORE AFFORDABLE DAY SCHOOLS AND YESHIVOT Teach Coalition secures government funding for Jewish day schools and yeshivot.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding have been secured through Teach Coalition’s lobbying efforts which focus on equitable government funding, tax credit scholarships, government grants, education savings accounts, and more. The Coalition advocates on behalf of approximately 90% of yeshivah and day school students nationwide.

7,580,000Â FREE MEALS DISTRIBUTED ACROSS FIVE STATES IN RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC FOOD INSECURITY

$35,000,000 RENEWED STEM FUNDING FOR NON-PUBLIC SECUL AR EDUC ATION IN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY

240,000 STUDENTS IMPAC TED

BY ADVOC AC Y TO ALLOW REMOTE DELIVERY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND SERVICES

36

FIGHTING FOR OUR SCHOOLS IN HISTORICALLY CHALLENGING TIMES Pandemics Don’t Discriminate Teach Coalition has always fought to make sure Jewish students and schools receive fair government support. But this year was different, as state governments shifted their focus to the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic: food insecurity, safe school openings, testing, resources for remote learning, and safety. Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, Teach Coalition advocated for our schools and their families at all levels of government to ensure that all of America’s children have the resources they need.

Continuation of STEM Funding for Teachers in New York and New Jersey Despite major budget cuts in both New York and New Jersey, Teach Coalition was instrumental in ensuring the continuity of groundbreaking STEM funding programs for New York and New Jersey day schools and yeshivot. Teach NYS and Teach NJ successfully advocated to renew the $35 million in STEM funding in New York and the $5 million STEM funding program in New Jersey.

These programs are transformative, as they are the first in the nation that provide funding of educators in nonpublic schools for secular education.

Security Funding in Teach Coalition States While several states are still determining their budgets for this fiscal year, Teach Coalition successfully advocated for a significant increase in nonpublic school security funding in New Jersey, while New York City and State maintained security funding under extraordinary economic circumstances.

Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maryland security funding is likely to be maintained as well.

Maximizing Government Funding Teach Coalition’s Government Maximization team ensures our schools are successful in applying for a range of government funding programs available to them. The team offers a series of services to Teach Coalition member schools including application writing, review, and more.

Senator James Skoufis visited students at Yeshivah of Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY.

Senator Lagana, Assembly member Swain, Assembly member Schaer, Rabbi Daniel Price, and Rabbi Yehuda Rosenbaum visiting Rosenbaum Yeshiva of Northern New Jersey.

COMBATING FOOD INSECURITY ACROSS FIVE STATES As food insecurity spread throughout the country, Teach Coalition organized communities to participate in government programs.

As a result, millions of pounds of free food was distributed to families in need.

“

Pandemics and the resulting financial distress don’t discriminate. The kosher lunch program is an example of multiple local Jewish organizations coming together and deciding that they will not let Jewish children go hungry because of a lack of kosher food.

– DAN MITZNER, DIRECTOR OF STATE POLITICAL AFFAIRS, TEACH COALITION

”

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State

Meals Served FLORIDA 854,292 MARYL AND 206,048 NEW JERSEY 1,227,234 NEW YORK 5,120,000 PENNSYLVANIA 174,250 TOTAL

7,581,824

Teaneck was one of the many Teach Coalition distribution sites across the Tri-State area.

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Teach Coalition | Financials FUNDING SOURCES

Total Funding: $3,261,000

13% 38% 22% 27%

Aaron Zelig of West Hempstead, Teach NYS network member and activist, wearing a "Stop Kvetching, Start Voting" hat which was part of Teach Coalition’s Get Out the Vote Campaign.

38%

Donations | $1,237,000

27%

School Income | $876,000

22%

OU Contribution | $723,000

13%

Grant Revenue | $425,000

EXPENSES

Stop Kvetching and Start Voting Teach Coalition’s 2020 Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaign was designed to strengthen our advocacy work and voice in our states and cities. Strong voter turnout ensures that the yeshiva and Jewish day school community will get the attention of elected officials.

With the help of activists, leadership and member schools, the campaign promoted the importance of voting to more than 65,000 voters directly in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Pennsylvania, and many tens of thousands more through social media, phone calls, advertising, and videos.

Total Spend: $3,260,000

5%

3%

2%

12% 13%

64%

64% NY | $2,106,000

3%

CA | $89,000

NJ | $425,000

2%

States Admin | $54,000

12% FL | $381,000

1%

Toronto | $29,000

13% 5%

PA | $175,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

40

SEIF OU-JLIC

SHAPING THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW Now in its 20th year, the OUJLIC’s (Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus) network of Torah directors provide support for students at 23 campuses in the United States, Canada, and Israel.

Connecting with students at a formative time in their lives, OU-JLIC fosters an ongoing commitment to Torah study and lifestyle, providing a warm and welcoming home for Jewish students on campus.

Shira Boshnack (OU-JLIC at Brooklyn College) delivering food to local students.

Rabbi Aaron and Miriam Greenberg (OU-JLIC at Greater Toronto) at their Kickoff 2020 BBQ event.

LEANING INTO LOVE IN CORONA TIMES

A Wedding We Could Not Have Imagined

5,823 VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON COFFEE DATES WITH OUJLIC CAMPUS DIRECTORS AND STUDENTS/ALUMNI

6,933 MEALS DELIVERED TO STUDENTS

1,467 VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON SHIURIM/CHABUROT

19,747 STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO JOINED OUR SHIURIM AND CHABUROT EITHER VIRTUALLY OR IN PERSON

7,317 HAL ACHIC QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY OU-JLIC DIREC TORS, 1,790 REL ATED TO COVID-19

Imagine planning the wedding of your dreams—only to find yourself trapped in a pandemic, wondering if you can even have a wedding, and if so, what it would look like.

Such was the case for many students at the onset of the coronavirus. OU-JLIC was there for them: From mid-March through early October, directors virtually taught nearly 130 chattanim/kallot, and 15 were Mesader kiddushin, making sure that, despite the compromised circumstances, each wedding was a happy, memorable event.

"When we realized that COVID-19 was going to impact our wedding, we immediately called Rabbi Greenberg [OU-JLIC director, Toronto]. He helped us navigate the many questions that arose in both halacha and Canadian law, officiated at our fiveperson backyard wedding, and did everything possible to make it special!"

– Pearl and Nadav

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DOING WHAT MATTERS IN CORONA TIMES Killing COVID with Kindness @ NYU From the moment the crisis became a reality— just before Pesach—OU-JLIC students and alumni went into action on a large scale: making the Javits Center kosher within 24 hours, filling food pantries and delivering groceries, and distributing $15,000 in emergency food, rent, and debt relief.

During the first week of the crisis, they distributed hundreds of care packages to the homeless and 100 Pesach meals and sedarim to the Javits Center COVID Field Hospital. In the following months, volunteers made weekly calls to over 150 isolated seniors.

Thanks to OU-JLIC students, thousands of people know that someone cares.

OU-JLIC at NYU Students giving first responders care packages with Rabbi Joe Wolfson.

Getting People What They Need Entertaining Homebound Seniors For thousands of seniors unable to get to adult activity centers during the pandemic, life became dangerous and isolating. In response, OU-JLIC partnered with the Met Council on Jewish Poverty to create online enrichment classes taught by talented OU-JLIC members. Class topics included Jewish character development, taught by the head of Cornell’s Jewish Studies Department; armchair fitness, taught by a graduate student in kinesiology; and classical music, taught by an NYU music student.

OU-JLIC at NYU students delivering food packages to homebound seniors.

Problem: Getting seniors and the immunocompromised what they need during COVID-19. Solution: Students from OU-JLIC at Greater Toronto set up a program that matches locals in need with a volunteer WhatsApp group. To date, volunteers have shopped for nearly 300 residents in the Toronto area.

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The Giving Chain Inspired by the Yom Kippur Break-fast Goodie Bags home-delivered by OU-JLIC, a Cal State University, Northridge (CSUN) student wanted to give back too. So, in consultation with OU-JLIC at CSUN, he decided to sponsor a single-parent family with two young children for Sukkot. Initially, the student pledged $400.

Then, reflecting on the single-family household he grew up in and the struggles they faced, he decided to donate $1,000.

Thanks to the student, the family celebrated Sukkot free from financial stress.

OU-JLIC | Financials FUNDING SOURCES

Total Funding: $6,892,000 14% 16%

47%

22% 47%

OU Contribution | $3,228,000

22%

Donations | $1,508,000

Leaning in with Torah

16%

Hillel In-Kind Support | $1,100,000

As campuses shut down in March and then partly reopened in the fall, students craved safe, meaningful learning and social programming. OU-JLIC answered the call: In June, campus directors led a four-week, nightly virtual beit midrash for college students, which included intensive Torah study, cooking classes, women’s yoga, music, and storytelling.

14%

Hillel Direct Support | $988,000

1%

Program Fees | $68,000

EXPENSES

Total Spend: $7,135,000

15% 15%

University of Chicago OU-JLIC students delivering meals to seniors.

66%

66%

Torah Educators & Personnel | $4,697,000

15%

Program | $ 1,044,000

15%

In-Kind Office Space & Support | $1,100,000

2%

Training | $146,000

1%

Admin and Other | $91,000

1%

Recruitment & Placement | $57,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

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O U WO M E N’S I N ITI ATIVE

EDUCATION AND INSPIRATION FOR WOMEN The OU Women’s Initiative works with Orthodox communities worldwide to identify and address women’s spiritual, educational, and communal needs.

Through a range of innovative Torah learning opportunities as well as leadership training for women in communal positions, the Women’s Initiative supports women in their myriad roles and in all ages and stages of life.

“As a Baalas T'shuva of decades, this opportunity to learn the vast content of Nach for the first time is very meaningful, as is the great sense of unity with other women who are participating. What’s most amazing is the contemporary relevance of the eternal words of our prophets."

– Esther Hollander, Baltimore

"Shavuot Ideas and Inspiration" featured top educators and scholars delivering a series of virtual programs in preparation for Shavuot.

6,000+ WOMEN IN 38 STATES ACROSS 27 COUNTRIES PARTICIPATE IN TORAT IMECHA NACH YOMI

1,641 PARTICIPANTS IN COUNTING TOWARD SINAI, THE COVID-19 TEFILL AH PROGRAM

200+ MIK VAH ATTENDANTS ON THE WHATSAPP MIK VAH ATTENDANT TRAINING SUPPORT GROUP

1,500+ WOMEN COME TOGETHER VIRTUALLY IN THE ROSH CHODESH INITIATIVE Avital Levin, LMSW, Director of Education, Shalom Task Force, at the Sense and Sensitivity Mikvah Attendant Professional Development Seminar.

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AN ANCHOR DURING COVID-19 Torat Imecha Nach Yomi: Bringing Women Together Through Learning Launched January 9th as part of the Shoshana Grossman a”h Nach Yomi program, this daily Nach podcast has brought together over 6,000 participants around the world. Women scholars deliver shiurim on the books of Prophets (Nevi’im) and Writings (Ketuvim), geared toward learners of all levels. Noted Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman, the Women’s Initiative’s founding director, “Living through this global mayhem, we are rediscovering just how relevant the words of the prophets are today.”

Virtual Torah Learning Ideas & Inspiration:

Virtual Beit Midrash:

Ongoing text-based and experiential video and audio shiurim focus on each upcoming holiday through the lens of art, architecture, travel, history, literature, and psychology.

This summer, over 100 women took part in the Beit Midrash’s ALIT three-week text-based learning program focused on halacha, Tanach, and Tikun HaMiddot.

Counting Toward Sinai and Yemei Ratzon:

Rosh Chodesh Virtual Lunch 'n Learn:

Powerful shiurim emphasized the power of prayer during these challenging times.

Thousands of women take part in this video series, hosted by a different woman scholar each Rosh Chodesh.

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Professional Development for Mikvah Attendants In every age, mikvah attendants are on the front lines of our community, maintaining kedusha (holiness) and tahara (purity)—and this has been especially true during COVID-19. Since 2018, the OU Women’s Initiative has been providing professional training and development for mikvah attendants and directors to better support their clients’ medical and mental health needs.

During the pandemic, these needs, and the role of the mikvah attendant, have increased exponentially. Attendants must create and uphold safety protocols in consultation with infectious disease doctors and rabbanim, in addition to ensuring an emotionally and spiritually uplifting experience for their mikvah clients. To meet this new reality, the Women’s Initiative provides training, support, and networking in virtual forums and workshops attended by hundreds of mikvah attendants worldwide.

OU Women's Initiative | Financials FUNDING SOURCES

Total Funding: $420,000

19% 4% 77%

77%

OU Contribution | $324,000

19%

Donations | $81,000

4%

Event Revenue | $15,000

EXPENSES

Total Spend: $421,000

Virtual Summit Over 150 women from dozens of communities around the world attended the OU Women’s Initiative virtual summit in June, where they networked and strategized, facing the impact of COVID-19 and its aftermath together.

22% 77%

77%

Personnel | $322,000

22%

Program Expenses | $93,000

1%

Other | $6,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

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OU KOSHER

STRENGTHENING KASHRUT STANDARDS OU Kosher combines expertise in halacha with an understanding of modern food production to ensure that kosher food meets the highest quality kashrut supervision.

Thanks to the over 850 rabbinic field representatives located across North America and throughout the world— from Europe to Australia, and from China to South Africa—the OU Kosher symbol now appears on the labels of nearly 70% of America’s koshercertified food products.

Rabbi Yissachar Dov Krakowski, Director of OU Kosher Israel, signs the OU's first kosher certification in the UAE.

1,217,200+Â PRODUC TS UNDER OU KOSHER CERTIFICATION

9,900+ OU-CERTIFIED PRODUC TION FACILITIES

51,000+ INSPECTIONS BY RABBINIC FIELD REPRESENTATIVES IN 2020

105 COUNTRIES REACHED THROUGH OU KOSHER

Bartenura Moscato, on display at the Kosher Food and Wine Experience, is one of thousands of wines under OU Kosher supervision.

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Kashrut and COVID-19 When the pandemic hit, OU Kosher followed most of the world into remote work, learning how to manage in this new era. And while all else changed, there was one constant: food. And where there’s food, there’s kashrut. Throughout the pandemic, OU Kosher has proudly maintained a virtually uninterrupted inspection schedule of its customers' plants and facilities worldwide. Our more than 850 rabbinic field representatives are stationed in regions around the globe, making the OU uniquely positioned to maintain the highest standards in kashrut.

European Rabbinic Field Representative Samuel Friedman training staff on how to manage kosher production at Froneri Ice Cream's production facility in Frosinone, Italy.

KOSHER EDUCATION & SUPPORT OU Kosher Community Relations Launched More than 1,100 people from 23 countries on six continents participated in the new OU Kosher Community Relations Department’s first virtual event in September. The department focuses on education and support for kashrut-related topics.

Resources for Passover At the beginning of the lockdown, OU added several new how-to Passover kitchen kashering videos to its inventory of Passover resources, along with an in-depth Passover kashering website. OU Kosher also increased support staff and hours of operation, radio appearances by OU administrators, and the distribution of over 80,000 Passover guides.

There were also many virtual community educational events.

Rabbi Chaim Loike, OU Kosher’s expert in bird species, with a live bird at an Ask OU presentation for Camp Yorah Deah.

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OU Kosher App: More Than Products The OU Kosher app has become more than a product search: Its range of resources includes a tevilas keilim guide, a Pas Yisroel list, a guide to bug checking in a variety of fruits and vegetables, brachos, and more.

Answering All Kashrut Questions The OU Kosher Hotline and Webbe Rebbe email service has been busier than ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, responding to over 200 inquiries a day and increasing to over 800 a day before Passover.

Questions range from current certification news to complicated issues requiring real-time assistance.

Kosher Training for the Food Industry Partnering with an educational resource company, the OU is helping provide resources for all companies producing kosher products under any certification agency. The OU’s commitment to kashrut helps ensure that any kosher product is produced with best kosher practices.

Getting Healthy: The Latest OU Kosher-Certified Products

Barbeque Snacklins

United Sodas

CACTUS!

Bearded Brothers Bars

Founded in 2015

Strawberry Basil, Pear Elderflower, Lemon Verbena

Organic Cactus Water

Bars: clean, simple, organic, truly delicious

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A rabbinic field representative inspecting ingredients on labels at Smitty Bee Honey in Defiance, Ohio.

KOSHER’S CONTINUED GROWTH: ADDING OVER 200,000 NEW PRODUCTS Even During COVID-19: Monitoring Thousands of Facilities in 105 Countries With a remote workforce living and working across the Tristate area, the OU’s Kosher team has continued to coordinate the complex logistics for over 4,000 monthly inspections along with a steady stream of client requests for new products and production process changes. The resources needed to support this extraordinary enterprise include over 850 rabbinic field representatives, an administrative team of approximately 80, plus 60 account representatives.

Rabbinical Field Coordinator Rabbi Daniel Sharratt inspects a Califia Farms production facility.

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Rabbi Yissachar Dov Krakowski, director of OU Kosher Israel, with Khaled Al Shamzee of MOPA (Ministry of Presidential Affairs Abu Dhabi) at a dinner for the discussions on the Abraham Accords.

OU Kosher and Middle East Peace When the first U.S.-Israel commercial flight to the UAE opened its doors to Israeli tourism, the Orthodox Union was there. In the kitchen, the OU ensured that the kashrut held to the highest halachic standards. Rabbi Yissachar Dov Krakowski, director of OU Kosher Israel, was OU Kosher’s rabbinic field representative in Abu Dhabi, supervising food for the first U.S.-Israel delegation on the first commercial flight from Israel. The Emirati royal court spared no expense to make sure kashrut observers ate as well and as elegantly as anyone else. After seeing the work of the OU in the initial meetings, the UAE made OU the leading kosher certification agency for the UAE businesses now servicing Israeli tourists.

Bringing New Kosher Products to Consumers The pandemic has not slowed the hundreds of newly certified products each month. These products include food, flavors, medications, and even technology, including hardware that controls GE smart ovens and refrigerators to ensure their Shabbat compliance. Many of these products simply require sourcing of new ingredients, while others require an in-depth understanding of food production technology and chemistry. The OU’s staff includes experts in all of these areas.

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KARASICK SYNAGOGUE & COMMUNITY SERVICES

STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNITIES The OU Pepa and Rabbi Joseph Karasick Department of Synagogue & Community Services provides religious, educational, social, and operational support to synagogues and communities across North America.

Regional directors connect a robust network of rabbis and rebbetzins, executive directors, lay leaders, youth staff, and business experts who share best practices and help communities thrive both spiritually and socially.

Kansas City was one of the nearly 60 communities from the U.S. and Israel represented at the Jewish Community Fair.

600 VIRTUAL MEETINGS GUIDING AND INFORMING COMMUNITY LEADERS

50,000 C ALLS TO OUR DAILY DOSE OF CHIZUK AND TEHILLIM C ALLS

3,700 WORLDWIDE PARTICIPANTS IN VIRTUAL SPIRIT SESSIONS FOR RETIREES, BABY BOOMERS, AND EMPTY NESTERS The OU’s Jewish Community Home & Job Relocation Fair offers information and resources to families and individuals wanting to improve their quality of life by relocating to affordable Jewish communities that offer professional opportunities.

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PROGRAMMING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DURING COVID-19 Staying Informed and Inspired

Serving All Ages and Stages

With so many unknowns during the outbreak, OU staff provided much-needed support, including guidance about closing and reopening schools and shuls and effective best practices.

The department arranged communication with Dr. Anthony Fauci and Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams with our schools and shuls. Nearly 700 people across the country call in daily to our Tehillim calls, while community programming, including the Calm Amid Corona series and Project Resilience, have kept community members connected and inspired during these trying times.

Kids, empty nesters, parents, and community leaders have all had their challenges—and the department’s professional staff summoned all its resources to address them. The SPIRIT Initiative—begun in 2013 for active retirees, empty nesters, and baby boomers—shifted from onsite to online, while the department developed a set of tools for parents with kids on extended hiatus.

Calm Amid Corona, a series of talks by mental health professionals who provided help with managing through the emotional challenges of the pandemic.

The OU Community Fair focused on growing communities throughout the U.S.

CREATING COMMUNITY: BEFORE CORONA Opening the Gates of Heaven: Tefillah Initiative A first-of-its-kind series of webinars for ba’alei tefillah leading up to the 2019 High Holidays drew over 235 participants representing 136 shuls across the world. Led by seasoned chazzanim and rabbis, sessions offered support and guidance to those who take on the responsibility of inspiring and leading the Jewish people to connect with Hakadosh Baruch Hu on the most important days of the year.

This was followed in 2020 by a virtual course for new chazzanim, which trained 236 ba’alei tefillah from 21 states in the U.S., three Canadian provinces, Israel, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

OU Community Fair 2019 In November 2019, before COVID-19 shut down our world, the OU held its seventh International Jewish Community Home & Job Relocation Fair.

Over 1,500 people attended the event, which showcased a record-breaking 63 communities from the U.S. and Israel. Attendees learned about the schools, local infrastructure, and potential employment opportunities in the participating communities. Special workshops were available for first-time home buyers and Nefesh b’Nefesh facilitated workshops for those contemplating Aliyah.

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OU ISRAEL

THE PLACE WE CALL HOME Since 1979, OU Israel has been making a difference in Israel, touching the lives of children and adults, immigrants and native Israelis, visitors and residents, and soldiers and civilians.

OU Israel's five-story building in central Jerusalem is home to classrooms, event halls, and more than 80 weekly programs that attract Jews of all affiliations. Through social connection and spiritual inspiration, OU Israel's goal is to maintain and invigorate each member's Jewish heritage while fostering Jewish pride and unity.

The Zula Teen Drop-in Center The COVID-19 lockdown has been hard on everyone.

But imagine feeling unwanted or unsafe in the only home you had. For kids whose best option is the street, the Pearl & Harold Jacobs Zula Outreach Center helps save lives—mentally, spiritually, and even physically.

Since 2000, when it opened with five kids and a guitar, the Zula has been a home for tens of thousands of troubled teens, most from religious homes. Counselors and social workers create a safe space, building trust and encouraging kids to get in touch with their spiritual side, and to reconnect with their Jewish roots and their Jewish pride.

Before the coronavirus, Rachel, who had a history of alcohol abuse and a tense relationship with her family, had become a Zula regular. She was getting stronger and healthier.

And then she was stuck at home 24/7. Fighting bitterly with her parents and struggling emotionally, Rachel was on the verge of returning to her destructive habits. Then one of her Zula counselors began calling her daily. “She has been my lifeline,” Rachel says. “Things still aren’t perfect at home, but I don’t feel alone anymore. The Zula has kept me sane and has given me hope.”

2,673,278 VIRTUAL EDITIONS OF TORAH TIDBITS SENT

21,976 TELEPHONE AND WHATSAPP CONVERSATIONS WITH AT-RISK YOUTH

7,265 HOURS OF VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING

33,000 RECIPIENTS OF OU ISRAEL CENTER VIDEO CHIZUK MESSAGES

Makom Balev Youth Center girls in Beit Shemesh welcome Deputy Mayor Moshe Shitrit to their club.

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From OU Youth Centers Through the IDF: Breaking the Cycle

OU Israel Youth Centers (The Jack E. Gindi Oraita Program & Makom Balev) The coronavirus has been particularly tough on youth dealing with violence, crime, and poverty.

For thousands of these teens, OU Israel Youth Centers are their last resort.

Counselors at 20 OU Youth Centers across the country are “big brothers” and “big sisters” to these kids, giving them unconditional love and instilling Jewish values and a sense of responsibility and confidence, so they become proud, contributing members of Israeli society. For the teens who count on OU Youth Centers, even short-term closings are devastating.

After six months of virtual programming, the OU Youth Center in Ariel reopened with a newly decorated and freshly painted clubhouse—thanks to help from the kids themselves. Together with counselors and alumni, the youth whitewashed and repainted the center and fixed up the interior.

“The kids and staff have poured in their energy,” says Branch Director Yaden Cohen. “The club is homier, and you can see the smiles of pride on the kids’ faces.

That means everything.”

Oraita Youth Center Alumni Coordinator Aharon Karov and Ariel Branch Director Yaden Cohen attend an IDF ceremony for alumni.

When OU Youth Centers young adults move on to the IDF and beyond, it’s easy for them to fall through the cracks. To make sure that doesn’t happen, OU Israel Youth Centers offer a variety of programs for alumni. Last year, the Centers began a pilot program in partnership with Amit LaDerech, providing mentorship to released IDF soldiers from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program gives these young adults the support and tools they need to succeed, ensuring they’re never alone.

Torah Yerushalayim: Much-Needed Inspiration

“

The phone calls and visits from my OU Israel counselors have given me much-needed encouragement.

I feel excited about what I can accomplish in the future.

— YOSEF, AN OU YOUTH CENTER ALUMNUS

”

Building on the success of 2019’s first annual in-person event, this year’s three-day virtual event leading up to Yom Kippur featured 50 of the world’s top rabbinic scholars, educators, and Jewish communal leaders. Nearly 3,000 people from around the world viewed the online lectures.

The program was dedicated in loving memory of David & Norma Fund Z”L by their children.

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OU Israel | Financials FUNDING SOURCES

Total Funding: $5,030,000

19% 39%

13% 29%

Nearly 3,000 viewers from around the world watched shiurim that provided chizzuk and inspiration during some of the pandemic’s most difficult days.

39% OU Contribution $1,966,000

19% Donations $955,000

29% Program Fees $1,437,000

13% Government, Jewish Agency, and Grant Support $672,000

EXPENSES

Total Spend: $4,785,000

15%

85%

Hiking in Support of New Lives In August, 20 dedicated Zula supporters trekked for 8.5 hours and 17 miles— overnight—from Tekoa to the Dead Sea, raising $10,000 toward the Zula.

85%

Programming | $4,055,000

15%

Admin | $730,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

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O U P U B L ICATION S

THE HEART OF MODERN JEWISH THOUGHT PRINT AND DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS

Whether it’s the critically acclaimed Jewish Action magazine or the OU Guide to Passover, OU Publications has something for everyone.

Jewish Action As COVID-19 struck, Jewish Action launched a series exploring life in a pandemic, starting with “The Corona Diaries,” emphasizing how innovation and chessed has defined the Jewish community’s response to COVID-19. Reaching some 180,000 readers across North America and Israel, Jewish Action offers thought-provoking, intellectually-sophisticated articles on topics of interest to the Orthodox reader.

Its plethora of publications, enjoyed by millions of Jews worldwide, give voice to a diverse array of opinions and ideas within the Orthodox Jewish community.

JUST BETWEEN US

A group of retirees learning together at the Memphis Kollel. “As a group, the retiree members of the kollel tend to be very committed,” says Rabbi Yosef Braha. Courtesy of Rabbi Braha

Jewish Action seeks to provide a forum for a diversity of legitimate opinions within the spectrum of Orthodox Judaism. Therefore, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the policy or opinion of the Orthodox Union.

M

A New Stage, A New Chapter, A New Life:

AFTER RE Nowadays, retirement is not an end

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Dating with a Mental Disorder A PSYCHOLOGIST SPEAKS OPENLY ABOUT THE CHALLENGES

By David H. Rosmarin

Remembering the 1929 Hebron Massacre

David H. Rosmarin, PhD, ABPP is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is also the founder and director of the Center for Anxiety (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Monsey). Dr. Rosmarin is a board-certified clinical psychologist and a prolific researcher, having authored seventy peer-reviewed manuscripts and over 100 abstracts, predominantly on the topic of spirituality and mental health. The author would like to thank Rabbi Naftoly Bier, Rabbi Leib (Lawrence) Kelemen, Dr. Perella Perlstein and Aliza Shapiro MSW for their review and comments on earlier drafts of this article.

JEWISH ACTION Fall 5780/2019

Spring 5779/2019 JEWISH ACTION

The eastern road to Hebron, called Mar Saba, circa 1920.

Courtesy of the G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection/Library of Congress 20

And the Winner Goes To...

but a new beginning, an opportunity for seniors to reinvent themselves

INSPIRATION

ecades ago, many seniors would move to South for many seniors, retirement has become an opportunity Florida to passively live out their twilight to grow and develop in new and exciting ways. years,” says Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, whose In the Orthodox community, this transition stage shul, the Boca Raton Synagogue, boasts often means devoting oneself to intense Torah study. In a significant senior population along with a growing fact, in communities throughout the country, a veritable membership spanning all ages. “Nowadays, we find seniors explosion of Torah learning has developed around retirees. moving here to write the next active chapter of their lives.” “Many seniors are realizing that playing mahjong or golf Indeed, as the senior population grows—due to longer is not enough,” says Rabbi Goldberg. “They’re looking for something more to fill their days with meaning.” Retiree life expectancy and the Baby Boomer generation aging—

rs. Shoshana Reiss1 called my office in a panic. Her twenty-two-year old daughter Adina had recently begun dating Simcha, a wonderful and kindhearted young man. Things were off to a great start and Adina was already thinking about the next step, but on the fourth date Simcha dropped a bomb: He disclosed that he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), for which he receives both regular psychotherapy and medication. As Mrs. Reiss spoke with my patient care coordinator, her fears started to settle, but she had a number of serious questions, such as: Is Adina signing up for a life of turmoil by getting married to Simcha? Will he be able to take care of her, despite his OCD? How will Simcha handle the inherent stressors of Orthodox Jewish family life, such as raising children and the financial demands of paying tuition? Will his children inherit a genetic risk for OCD? What should Adina do? Should she call it off?

As a mental health professional who works within the Orthodox community, I receive these and other questions very frequently. This is no surprise, considering the high base rates of mental health concerns.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five American adults suffers from a full-blown anxiety disorder in every given year, and more than two in five will experience an anxiety disorder at some point over their lifespan. Of these cases, more than one in five can be classified as severe, meaning that the symptoms lead to a substantial impact on functioning and/or suicidality. And that’s just anxiety. If we add mood disorders (e.g., depression), obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, psychotic disorders,

JEWISH ACTION Summer 5779/2019

Rockower-Award winning Jewish Action articles.

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Jewish Action won three Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism, which were presented virtually by the American Jewish Press Association (AJPA) for articles printed in 2019.

Winners were: "Dating With a Mental Disorder," "Remembering the 1929 Hebron Massacre," and "A New Stage, A New Chapter, A New Life: After Retirement."

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The World’s Favorite Bencher The NCSY Bencher is a staple in Jewish homes around the world and across the Jewish spectrum. It is common to see Jews of various backgrounds seated together, NCSY Bencher in hand, joining their unique voices in harmony. For those unfamiliar with the liturgy, the NCSY Bencher app offers the opportunity to study and become more familiar with the songs and text.

Pre-Shabbat Inspiration With a fresh new design, we continue offering content curated from guest columnists, published authors, and well-known speakers. The Shabbat Shalom Weekly email newsletter inspires thousands of Jews each week before Shabbat with informative, interesting, and inspirational content delivered straight to their inboxes.

Winter 5780/2019

Vol. 80, No. 2

Summer 5780/2020

Vol. 80, No. 4

DAF

THE

IN THE

DIGITAL AGE

Fall 5781/2020

Vol. 81, No. 1

Jewish Action covers: Winter 2019, Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020

Memories of a

Master Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm

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ISRAEL FREE SPIRIT: BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL

OUR HOMELAND, OUR FUTURE Israel Free Spirit Birthright, the OU’s Birthright Israel program, aims to keep the Jewish community vibrant by connecting our young adults, sharing the magic of Israel, and strengthening engagement in Jewish life.

In addition to the Birthright Israel trip, Israel Free Spirit offers participants the option to extend their stay for learning opportunities that strengthen their Jewish commitment and identity.

A wide array of educational and entertaining online events built community and excitement around traveling to Israel.

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KEEPING DREAMS OF VISITING ISRAEL ALIVE Nearly 1,800 young adults were scheduled to travel with Israel Free Spirit programs in summer 2020.

But even as COVID-19 grounded those trips, Israel Free Spirit has kept its mission alive: sharing the magic of Israel with young adults across North America.

Virtual Madrichim Training on InclusionÂ

Video Series: "Bringing Israel to You"Â

LIVE with Israel Free Spirit

This online series connected tour educators with past and future participants by sharing little known facts about some of the most celebrated locations in Israel. The six episodes featured Jaffa, the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Negev, and Tiberias.

Israel Free Spirit is a leader in providing trips for those with cognitive and developmental disabilities and special medical needs, as well as for those impacted by addiction.

Over 65 staff members from North America and Israel participated in a virtual training focusing on inclusion and accessibility on Birthright Israel trips.

Nearly every week following the lockdown, Israel Free Spirit went live on its social media channels to showcase an Israeli or Jewish theme. Generating over 4,700 views, these events included cooking classes, at-home concerts, a Yom HaShoah ceremony with testimony from a Holocaust survivor, and Hebrew classes.

Miracles During COVID-19: Fall 2020 In September, after six months of postponed Birthright Israel trips, students found themselves on a Birthright Israel adventure before starting their one-year gap program in Israel. Israel Free Spirit partnered with yeshivas and seminaries, as well as Bar Ilan University.

Israel Free Spirit gap year students on one of the first Birthright Israel tours after trips were suspended at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.

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EXPERIENCING ISRAEL BEFORE THE PANDEMIC

Israel Free Spirit | Financials FUNDING SOURCES

Total Funding: $4,788,000

4%

Specialty Trips

50%

In early 2020, Israel Free Spirit ran seven trips geared toward specific communities and demographics: arts, music, and entertainment; Modern Orthodoxy; 27-to-32-year-olds; people impacted by addiction; and individuals with cognitive and developmental disabilities. Israel Free Spirit is the only organizer providing trips for people impacted by addiction, and one of a few offering trips for individuals with disabilities.

Beyond the Trip In winter 2019–20, 870 young people worldwide participated in 26 Birthright Israel trips, staffed by nearly 100 Americans and Israelis. In ten Birthright Plus extended trips, participants added an extra week to their adventure to focus on Israel’s natural beauty in Eilat and Jewish spirituality with Tsfat as the backdrop.

36%

50%

Birthright Direct Support | $2,392,000

36%

Birthright In-Kind Support | $1,740,000 OU Contribution |$375,000

4%

Donations | $168,000

2%

Program Fees & Miscellaneous | $113,000

EXPENSES

Total Spend: $4,788,000

13%

36%

FROM ISRAEL QUARANTINE TO ISRAEL ADVENTURE

“

I never thought my one-year Israel gap year program would start off with a Birthright Israel trip. The day after our 14-day quarantine we were on our way, and it was so fun and so inspirational. I’ll never forget it!

– MOLLY LOPKIN, FALL 2020 TRIPS

”

51%

51%

Programming | $2,427,000

36%

In-Kind Programming | $1,740,000

13%

Admin, Misc., and Development | $621,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

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NEXTDOR

HELPING A GENERATION

INTEGRATE THEIR PROFESSIONAL AND JEWISH LIVES NextDor is a community and professional network of young Orthodox Jews who aspire to further their careers, empower their religious lives, and create spaces where they can help each other succeed.

In-person and virtual networking opportunities, mentorship, and members-only events create opportunities and help young professionals integrate their professional future and Jewish lives.

Still Here Through Lockdown Even though offices across the world were closed, NextDor was still open for business.

Throughout the spring and summer, NextDor ran weekly online events building a virtual community of over 400 regulars. From technical lightning talks and armchair conversations to breakout “coffee circles,” NextDor created a home for regular faces, transitioning from “the only meetup with a Maariv” to “the only meetup with a dvar Torah.”

Lightning Talks Networking and professional development from your living room. Short, informative talks followed by Speed Circles—an opportunity to meet and connect with new contacts and old friends.

Armchair Conversations Conversational insights with decision makers on topics like "Career Progression in Corporate America" and "Interview Insights."

Presenters from:

• • • • •

Google Bloomberg AIG Northwestern Mutual FlatIron Health

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O U I M PAC T AC C E L E R ATOR

EMPOWERING JEWISH LEADERS Built on mentorship-based growth and early-stage funding, the OU Impact Accelerator identifies and advances promising Jewish nonprofits that will strengthen our communal landscape.

The OU pairs a selected cohort of Jewish nonprofit founders with experienced professional mentors and supplies them with OU resources, funding, knowledge base, and networks.

TURNING ADDICTION INTO ACTION: COMMUNITIES CONFRONTING S U B STA NC E A B U S E

“

In 2018 we held a substance abuse awareness event. When 700 people came, we realized how many people were struggling with this problem. That’s when we launched Communities Confronting Substance Abuse (CCSA).

–Lianne and Etiel Forman, founders of CCSA

”

On pitch night in the winter before COVID-19, four organizations were selected from nine presenting organizations.

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COHORT II

OU Impact Accelerator Financials FUNDING SOURCES

ANI TEFILLAH/THE VOICE

Total Funding: $294,000

OF J E WI S H E D U CATIO N

7%

Founded: 2018 | A prayerenhancement curriculum for schoolaged children emphasizing Hebrew language skills teaching children to “Stop, Think, and Feel” the words of prayer as they say them.

CHINUCH YEHUDI

Founded: 2017 | Encouraging the nearly 1 million Israelis in the U.S. to send their children to Orthodox Jewish day school, assisting them financially and socially.

93%

93%

OU Contribution | $272,000

7%

Donations | $22,000

EXPENSES

Total Spend: $295,000 4%

COMMUNITIES C ON F RONTI NG S U B STA NC E ABUSE (CCSA) 32%

Founded: 2018 | Bringing substance abuse and addiction awareness, education, and prevention to local Jewish communities, including support groups and teacher training.

DA I LYG I V I N G .O R G

Founded: 2019 | A platform that helps every Jew perform the mitzvah of tzedakah every day, dispensing those funds to deserving Jewish nonprofit organizations around the world.

64%

64%

Personnel | $188,000

32%

Cohort Grants | $94,000

4%

Other | $13,000

The financial information here includes the total communal impact of OU programs worldwide. In addition, the OU provides significant support for all of its programs through facilities, management, and administrative services—e.g., IT, Finance, HR, and Communications. Those expenses are not reflected in the program’s financials.

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OU PRESS

TORAH INSIGHTS COME TO LIFE OU Press publishes popular and scholarly works that reflect the broad spectrum of Orthodox Jewish values in the contemporary Jewish community.

Among OU Press authors are outstanding thinkers including Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, Dr. Erica Brown, Rabbi Ari Kahn, and Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom.

Judaism’s Life-Changing Ideas: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible

By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Judaism’s Life-Changing Ideas, co-published with Koren Publishers of Jerusalem, was one of several books published during the pandemic.

After the OU offices closed, OU Press continued its publishing while working remotely and entered into special arrangements with distributors to ensure deliveries of books would not be interrupted. During this critical time, OU Press continued to provide inspiring volumes of the highest quality.

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Recently Published OU Press Books 01

02

Torah Beloved: Reflections on the Love of Torah

Halacha Yomis: A Daily Halachic Companion

and the Celebration of the Holiday of Matan Torah (Gibber Family Edition)

By Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm | Edited by Dr. Daniel Gober

(The Feldhamer Edition)

By Rabbi Yaakov Luban and Rabbi Eli Gersten

With his renowned eloquence and wit, Rabbi Lamm’s collection of sermons relating to the festival of Shavuot, the giving of the Torah, and the love of Torah, deeply expresses the Jewish attitude that the act of studying Torah is not merely an intellectual exercise or one mitzvah among many, but the preeminent value in our lives.

The OU’s daily halacha email, in the merit and memory of Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky zt”l, contains one halacha each day composed by a team of OU rabbis. This compendium volume, based on the daily halacha email, contains 354 halachot, one for each day of the Hebrew calendar, presented in a clear, succinct, and easily readable fashion for both beginners and those well-versed in halacha.

03

04

The Crowns on the Letters: Essays on the

Koren Yachad Siddur

By Rabbi Ari Kahn

By Rabbi Dr. Benjy Leibowitz and Michael Adler

A major achievement in the study of the lives of our Sages, as well as in the study of rabbinic Aggada, Rabbi Kahn presents an immensely learned and deeply creative interpretation of many fundamental aggadot relating to the intellectual biographies of the Sages as well as aggadot dealing with major themes in Jewish thought, including the nature of the Oral Law, mysticism and its perils, the Messianic Era, teshuvah, and Eretz Yisrael.

The Yachad Koren Siddur invites readers of varying skill levels to join and be included in tefillah. Designed by Yachad, the OU’s worldwide organization dedicated to addressing the needs of Jewish individuals with disabilities, the innovative Yachad Koren Siddur is designed to make tefillah a space for all readers to pray together b’yachad.

The Siddur features pictorial icons, color coding of the tefillot, and an easy-to-read conceptual English translation and commentary focused on fundamental concepts of tefillah that bring the text to life.

01

03

Aggada and the Lives of the Sages

02

(The Legacy Heritage Fund Edition)

04

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BENEFACTOR CIRCLE OU Benefactor Circle members form the cornerstone of the Orthodox Union—and they remained so during COVID-19. While the pandemic halted many of the OU’s traditional program activities, it challenged us to re-envision much of our community programming.

Our OU Benefactor Circle members helped us meet this challenge, many giving more generously than ever before. Much of what the OU continues to accomplish, as it rises to overcome the everchanging obstacles presented by COVID-19, would not have been possible without their partnership and deep commitment to our mission.

We applaud all those who lead through their philanthropy and whose names appear here, as well as those choosing to remain anonymous.

If your name does not appear in these pages, we invite you to join us in making a difference.

TO L E A R N M OR E, P L E A S E C ONTAC T

Arnold Gerson Chief Institutional Advancement Officer 212-613-8313 agerson@ou.org

AMBASSADOR $1,000,000 +

Dan and Ewa Abraham Drs. Felix and Miriam Glaubach Dr. Shmuel and Evelyn Katz The Marcus Foundation Inc. In Memory of Anne Samson A"H

GUARDIAN

$100,000 - $999,999

Mark (Moishe) and Joanne Bane Robert and Michelle Diener Ariela and Benito Esquenazi In Honor Of The Mendel Balk Yachad Community Center Mr. and Mrs. Jack Feintuch Elliot P. and Deborah Gibber Alan and Barbara Gindi The Gustave and Carol Jacobs Center For Kashrut Education The Jewish Federation Of Greater Los Angeles

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Thank you for your generous support of our vital programs Becky and Avi Katz

Judi and Jason Berman

Mordecai and Monique Katz

The Cayre Family

Ralla Klepak Foundation For Education In The Performing Arts

Crain-Maling Foundation: W W W.CRAINMALING.ORG

The Kohelet Foundation

Foundation For Jewish Day Schools, Greater Philadelphia

Michael and Andrea Leven Family Foundation David and Debra Magerman Mayberg Foundation The Jewish Federation Of Metropolitan Chicago

Gershon and Aviva Distenfeld

Rabbi Manfred Z"L and Liselotte Z"L Gans Chessed Fund Dr. Ephraim and Rita Greenfield Richard Hirsch

BUILDER

$25,000 - $49,999 Lior and Drora Arussy Sue and Bill Auerbach Lewis and Lauri Barbanel Saby and Rosi Behar

Harry H. Beren Z"L Max and Elana Berlin Brian and Dafna Berman Vivian and Daniel Chill Dr. Benjamin and Esther Chouake

Eric and Gale Rothner

Jewish Communit y Federation and Endowment Fund

Ruderman Family Foundation

Jewish Federation Of Northern New Jersey

Moris and Lillian Tabacinic

Jewish Future Pledge

UJA-Federation Of New York

Dr. Ezra and Lauren Kest

Joyce and Jeremy Wertheimer

Et ta Brandman Klaristenfeld and Harry Klaristenfeld

FOUNDER

Estate Of Ethelyn Lieblich

Howard Tzvi and Chaya Friedman

Chuck and Allegra Mamiye

Ralph S. Gindi Foundation

Eitan and Debra Milgram

Shana Glassman Foundation

Samis Foundation

Eve Gordon-Ramek

The Shamah Family

Ari and Alison Gross

The Weiss Family, Cleveland, Ohio

James and Amy A"H Haber

Raphael and Rivka Nissel

$50,000 - $99,999

Mr. Raanan and Dr. Nicole Agus Allen and Deanna Alevy Howard and Chaya Balter Daniel and Razie Benedict

Josh and Allison Zegen

Combined Jewish Philanthropies The Conduit Foundation Shimon and Chaya Eckstein Judith and Allen I. Fagin Falic Family Foundation Greater Miami Jewish Federation

Dr. Elliot Z"L and Lillian Hahn

Robert and Debra Hartman

Michael and Arianne Weinberger

J. Samuel Harwit and Manya Harwit-Aviv Charitable Trust

The Weininger Foundation Inc.

Alissa and Shimmie Horn

David and Gila Weinstein

Dr. Allan and Sandy Jacob

Esther and Jerry Williams

Paul and Chavi Jacobs

Mr. Jerry and Mrs. Sara Wolasky

Jewish Federation Of S. Palm Beach County Natalie and Davidi Jonas Michael and Judy Kaiser Benyamin and Esti Kaminetzky Rabbi Mark and Linda Karasick

VISIONARY

$18,000 - $24,999

Emanuel and Helen Adler Dennis and Debra Berman

Michael and Elissa Katz

Aaron and Marie Blackman Foundation

Karmela A"H and Jerry Klasner

Marcus Z"L and Doris Blumkin

Albert Laboz Jeff and Marci Lefkovits

The Charles Crane Family Foundation

Iris and Shalom Maidenbaum

Peter and Lori Deutsch

Azi and Rachel Mandel

Linda and Michael Elman

Mrs. Fegi Mauer

Mark and Cheryl Friedman

Martin and Elizabeth Nachimson

Robyn and Shukie Grossman

Henry and Mindy Orlinsky

Joan and Peter Hoffman

Martha and George Rich Foundation

Ed and Robyn Hoffman/ Hoffman Catering

Malki and J. Philip Rosen

Jack Albert Kassin

James and Loren Rosenzweig

Dana and Jeffrey Korbman

Robbie and Helene Rothenberg

Chaim and Bara Loewenthal

Stephen and Jessica Samuel

Lynn and Joel Mael

Genie and Steve Savitsky

Dr. Ralph and Judith Marcus

Louis and Stacy Schwartz

Stephen and Eve Milstein

Barry and Joy Sklar

Cal and Janine Nathan

David and Amy Strachman

Yehuda and Anne Neuberger

Gar y and Malka Torgow

Isabelle and David Novak

Lance and Rivkie Hirt

Marc Penn Allen and Miriam Pfeiffer The Refuge - A Healing Place Henry and Golda Reena Rothman George and Irina Schaeffer Toby Macy Schaf fer Menachem and Rena Schnaidman Baruch and Susie Singer Morris and Rachel Tabush Travel Insurance Israel

PARTNER

$10,000 - $17,999

Alisa Abecassis Daniel and Liora Adler Aaron and Tammy Attias Ira and Sheri Balsam Yale and Ann Baron Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Berman Andrea Bier Harvey and Judy Blitz David and Chedva Breau Dr. Moshe and Bryndie Benarroch Vanessa and Raymond Chalme Mr. Sheldon J. David A"H Michael and Aliza Davis Fred and Suzan Ehrman Drs. Gilat and Yossi Englanoff Ezra and Racheli Friedberg Ilana and Jeff Gdanski Arnold and Esther Gerson Mary Jo Robinson and Gordon Glaser

75

Murray and Batsheva Goldberg Amir and Stacey Goldman Joseph and Laura Goldman Rabbi Ben and Aviva Gonsher Philip and Aviva Greenland Rabbi Micah and Rivkie Greenland Abe and Ronit Gutnicki Mr. and Mrs. David Hartman Rabbi Moshe and Mindi Hauer The Jacoby Family Jewish Federation In The Heart Of New Jersey Dr. Julie and Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Kaminetsky Morris and Sondra Kaplan Rabbi Joseph Karasick Z"L Rabbi Ethan and Deborah Katz Alice and Jacob Klein Lawrence and Evelyn Kraut Scott and Aviva Krieger Jonah and Fran Kupietzky Kim and Jonathan Kushner Daniel and Amanda Nussbaum Laifer Mrs. Shirley Levy Vivian and David Luchins Dr. Louis and Chanie Malcmacher Jeffrey and Adria Mandel David and Michelle Margules Masa Israel Journey Mr. and Mrs. Shalom Menora Mr. and Mrs. Asher David and Michelle Milstein Gila and Adam Milstein Daniel and Jessica Minkoff

Etan and Valerie Mirwis and Family Alexander and Yocheved Mitchell Jack A"H and Gitta Nagel Aaron and Ahuva Orlofsky Avi and Alissa Ossip The Oved Family Drew and Careena Parker In Memory Of Rabbi Raphael Pelcovitz Z"L, From The Pelcovitz Family Israel and Nechama Polak The Rabbi Nathanial and Shirley Pollack Memorial Foundation Daniel and Leyla Posner Proskauer Rose Llp Ralphs Grocery Company Ian and Carol Ratner Dr. Azriel and Ilana Rauzman Yaron and Lisa Reich Lawrence Rein Yechiel and Nomi Rotblat Ralph Rubenstein Kenneth and Mindy Saibel Ethel and Stan Scher Joseph Shamie Louis Shamie The Herbert Smilowitz Foundation Mr. and Mrs. David Sokol Dr. and Mrs. Ethan Spiegler Ronald and Beth Stern Talk N Save Isaac H. Taylor Endowment Fund Dr. and Mrs. Shimmy Tennenbaum Dr. Charles and Sharon Trauring Ira Waldbaum Family

Foundation Stanley and Ellen Wasserman The Weil Family Jessica and Lenny Weiss Tova and Howard Weiser George and Joni White Susanne and Michael Wimpfheimer Shimon and Hennie Wolf Drs. Yechiel and Suri Zagelbaum Mr. and Mrs. Alan Zekelman

PATRON

$5,000 - $9,999

Adm/Roi Ariel Tours, Inc. Ashford Hospitality Jaimie and Gershon Ballon Samuel and Rachel Baratz Michael and Susan Baum Mr. Harvey Bell Dr. and Mrs. Yitzhak and Ellen Berger Rabbi Julius and Dorothy Berman Yehuda and Faigie Bienstock Rabbi Glenn and Henni Black Yehuda and Roni Blinder Lois Blumenfeld Enid and Harold H. Boxer Endowment Ccs Fundraising Himan Brown Charitable Trust Adam and Ilana Chill Jeremy and Hilda Cohen Pace and Aileen Cooper Rabbi Abraham and Rosalyn Cooper Steve and Chavi Dorfman

76

Dr. Car yn Borger and Mark Dunec

Stuart Karon and Dr. Jodi Wenger

Dr. Jay and Marjorie Robinow

Lea Z"L and Leon Z"L Eisenberg

Ira and Rona Kellman

Ira and Debra Rosenberg

Robert Eisenberg

David and Roberta Kimmel

Yitzhok and Tamar Rosenthal

Rina and Rabbi Dov Emerson

Mr. Robert Korda

Joshua and Alyse Rozenberg

Binah and Danny Englander

Avi and Ravital Korn

Zvi and Sharonne Rudman

Drs. Robert and Kay Faguet

Joseph and Hana Kornwasser

Larry and Shelly Russak

Mrs. Margaret Feder

Darren and Marni Kottle

Milton and Shirley Sabin

Rabbi Dave and Chani Felsenthal

Marc and Rena Kwestel

Marvin and Roz Samuels

Errol and Pat Fine

David and Faye Landes

David and Roslyn Savitsky

Martin and Leora Fineberg

Joshua and Bryna Landes

Tammi and Bennett Schachter

Aryeh and Dorit Fischer

Armand and Esther Lasky

Lisa and Jonathan Schechter

Ron and Lisa Rosenbaum Fisher

In Memory Of Judy Lefkovits

Jerry and Barbara Schreck

Stephen and Roz Flatow

Hylton and Leah Lightman

Shlomo and Gitty Schwartz

Joseph and Rachel Fox

David and Judith Lobel

Mali and Steve Schwartz

Jeremy and Dana Frenkel

Josef Loeffler

Andrew and Stephani Serotta

Sura and Bert Fried

Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike and Dr. John Loike

Ruth Shanker

Dr. Stan and Marla Frohlinger Andrew and Yvette Gardner Lawrence and Judith Garshofsky Lenny and Estelle Glass Mr. and Mrs. Ernie Goldberger Mr. and Mrs. Dan Goldish Jerry and Anne Gontownik Goldie and I. David Gordon Aaron and Michal Gorin Freda Greenbaum Dr. Edwin and Cecile Gromis Chaim and Ariella Herman Dov and Laura Hertz The Hidary Family Yisroel and Shira Hochberg Norma Holzer Dr. David and Barbara Hurwitz Yaacov and Rayme Isaacs Jewish Community Federation Of Richmond Chaim and Suri Kahn

Noah and Arinn Makovsky Benay and Ira Meisels Jennifer and Dror Michaelson Noah and Suzanne Mishkin Jay and Joyce Moskowitz Dr. Michael and Elizabeth Muschel Sharona and Irwin Nachimson Anna Baum and Barry Novack Terry and Gail Novetsky Prof. Martin Patt People's United Insurance Agency Larry and Andrea Portal Mr. and Mrs. David Porush Richard and Ora Rabinovich Norman and Lindy Radow Regals Foundation Drs. Craig and Jackie Reiss Sara and Laurence Richards Dr. Weston and Denise Richter Gail and Binyamin Rieder

Jayne Shapiro Dr. Morris and Sharon Silver Michael Smith Jaime and Marilyn Sohacheski Ruth Brandt Spitzer Avi and Deena Stein Mr. and Mrs. Abraham J. Stern Dr. David and Dorothy Stoll Aaron and Ariella Strassman Abraham Sultan Marilyn and Robert Swedarsky Matt Teichman Tal Tours Daniel and Zahavah Uretsky Joshua and Leslie Wanderer Esther and Baruch Weinstein Ari and Caroline Weisman

77

2019-2020 BOARD The 2021-2022 Board will be elected at the December 6th Biennial Convention.

President

Azi Mandel

Yitzchak Fund

Mark (Moishe) Bane

Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike

Jack Nagel*

Chairman, Board of Directors

Treasurer

Aver y Neumark

Howard Tzvi Friedman

Morris Smith

Henr y I. Rothman

Vice Chairman, Board of Directors

Secretary

Gerald Schreck

Dr. Mordechai D. Katz

Menachem Schnaidman

Joseph Stechler

Chairman, Board of Governors

Honorary Chairman, Board of Directors

Heshy Wengrow

Avi Katz

Marcel Weber*

Vice Chairman, Board of Governors

Honorary Vice Chairmen, Board of Directors

Directors-at-Large

Seymour J. Abrams*

Howard Balter

Emanuel Adler

Senior Vice Presidents Dr. Michael Elman Elliot Gibber Yehuda Neuberger Barbara Lehmann Siegel Dr. Steven Tennenbaum Gar y Torgow

National Vice Presidents Mitchel Aeder Charles Harar y Etta Brandman Klaristenfeld Dr. David Luchins Manette Mayberg Isabelle Novak Henr y Orlinsky Ari Shabat Esther Williams Michael Wimpfheimer Jerr y Wolasky

Associate Vice Presidents Lauri Barbanel Deborah Chames Cohen Dr. Allan Jacob Chuck Mamiye

Harvey Wolinetz David Woolf

Morr y Weiss

Daniel Butler

Honorary Chairmen, Board of Governors

Jack C ayre

Lee C. Samson

Shifra Dimbert (NCSY National President)

Jay L. Schottenstein

Ezra Friedberg

Honorary Vice Chairman, Board of Governors

Dr. Stanley Frohlinger

William Tenenblatt

Shukie Grossman

Past Presidents

Baruch Zev (B.Z.) Halberstam

Julius Berman

Debra Hartman

Harvey Blitz

Ari Kahn*

Neil Cohen

David Gerstley

Moses I. Feuerstein*

Melanie Kaminetsky

Mandell I. Ganchrow, MD

Aaron Kinderlehrer

Harold M. Jacobs*

Scott Krieger

Rabbi Joseph Karasick*

Joshua Kuhl

Dr. Simcha Katz

Rena Kwestel

Professor Sidney Kwestel

Eli Levitin

Martin Nachimson

Shiff y Lichtenstein

Sheldon Rudoff *

Vivian Luchins

Stephen J. Savitsky

Cal Nathan

Honorary Vice Presidents

Raphy Nissel

Max Berlin

Paul Pinkus

Fred Ehrman

Nomi Rotblat Joshua Rozenberg

Rivkie Samson

Jeffrey Lefkovits

Rena Kwestel

Alan Shamah

Morey Levovitz

Eli Levitin

Dr. Rosalyn Sherman

Nathan Lewin

Henr y Orlinsky

Howard Sitzer

Mrs. Joseph K. Miller

Menachem Schnaidman

Ronald Wilheim

Rabbi Michael Miller

Dr. Rosalyn Sherman

Larr y Zeifman

Irwin Nachimson

Jerr y Wolasky

Honorary Governors

David Novak

Finance Committee

Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman

Terr y Novetsky

Morris Smith**

Rabbi Marvin Hier

Steven Orlow

Joel Yarmak**

Malcolm Hoenlein

Adam Parkoff

Rose Bernstein

Richard Joel

Dr. David Pelcovitz

Harvey Blitz

Dr. Alan Kadish

Dr. Harr y Peled

Howard Tzvi Friedman

Rabbi Moshe Krupka

Dr. Allen Pfeiffer

David Gerstley

Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm*

Dr. Joshua Penn

Elliot Gibber

Rabbi Zev Leff

Donald Press

Eli Levitin

Senator Joseph I. Lieberman

Barr y Ray

Aver y Neumark

Rabbi Haskel Lookstein

Dr. Howard Rosenthal

Henr y Orlinsky

Rabbi Sheftel Neuberger

Zvi Sand

Mordecai Soloff

Rabbi Marc Penner

Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter

David Zimble

Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld

Rabbi Max N. Schreier

Audit Committee

Rabbi Berel Wein

Marsha Stranzynski

David Gerstley**

Board of Governors

Gar y Weiss

David Lawrence

Susan Alter

Joyce Werthheimer

Jacob Weichholz

Leon Achar

Executive Committee

Investment Committee

Hy Arbesfeld*

Moishe Bane**

Ari Fuchs**

Daisy Berman*

Mitchel Aeder

Steve Landau

Marvin Bienenfeld

Etta Brandman Klaristenfeld

Yehuda Spindler

Larr y Brown

Howard Tzvi Friedman

Legal Services Committee

Stuart Cantor

Charles Harar y

Dr. Ben Chouake

Avi Katz

Daniel Chill

Menachem Schnaidman

Pace Cooper

Barbara Lehmann Siegel

Leon Eisenberg*

Martin Nachimson

Shirley Feuerstein

Yehuda Neuberger

David Fund*

Henr y Orlinsky

Eugen Gluck*

Morris Smith

Stanley Hillelsohn

Dr. Steven Tennenbaum

Lance Hirt Dr. David Hurwitz

Nominating and Board Resource Committee

Jonah Kupietsky

Howard Tzvi Friedman**

Albert Laboz

Ezra Friedberg

Deborah Laufer

Josh Kuhl

Emanuel Adler** Harvey Blitz Etta Brandman Klaristenfeld Nomi Rotblat Henr y I. Rothman Michael Wimpfheimer

IT Committee David Emmer** Harvey Blitz David Gerstley Avi Katz Morris Tabush

79

Pepa & Rabbi Joseph Karasick Department of Synagogue & Community Services Yehuda Neuberger**

OU Israel

Barbara Lehmann Siegel

OU Women’s Initiative

Dr. Steven Tennenbaum

Etta Brandman Klaristenfeld

Youth (NCSY)

Miriam Greenspan

Avi Katz**

Rebecca Katz

Josh Rozenberg, Vice

Dr. Rivkie Hirt Barbara Lehmann Siegel

Dr. Steven Tennenbaum**

Laura Goldman

OU Advocacy Center

Freda Greenbaum

Jerr y Wolasky**

Benyamin Kaminetzky

Harvey Blitz

Jess Kornwasser

Allen Friedman

Josh Kuhl

Howard Tzvi Friedman

Elizabeth Kurtz

Dr. Allan Jacob

Rena Kwestel

Dr. David Luchins

Miriam Lightman

Yehuda Neuberger

Vivian Luchins

Raphy Nissel

Isabelle Novak

Amanda Nussbaum

Miriam Pfeiffer

Drew Parker

Ari Shabat

Isaac Pretter

Joseph Stechler

Yaron Reich

NCSY Summer Programs

Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike

Elizabeth Kurtz**

Rabbi Binyamin Ehrenkranz

OU Kosher

Miriam Pfeiffer**

David Olivestone

Gar y Torgow**

Amy Gibber

Dr. Rosalyn Sherman

Raphael Benaroya

Allegra Goldberg

Rabbi Gil Student

Avraham Berkowitz

Esti Kaminetsky

OU Center for Communal Research

Max Berlin

Jessica Kornwasser

Howard Sitzer**

Julie Berman

Rena Kwestel

Harvey Blitz

Miriam Lightman

Yachad/ National Jewish Council for Disabilities (NJCD)

Yosef Fink

Vivian Luchins

Rabbi Yosi Heber

Isabelle Novak

Fred Horowitz

Josh Rozenberg

Eli Levitin

Gila Weinstein

Hillel Moerman

Jennifer Wiederkehr

Henr y Orlinksy

Arielle Wolfson

OU-JLIC

Jay Zachter

Morris Smith** Emanuel Adler Lewis Barbanel Sruli Feuerstein Leah Lightman Henr y Rothman Deborah Schick Laufer Menachem Schnaidman

Financial Resource Development Commission (Institutional Advancement) Azi Mandel** Howard Tzvi Friedman Shukie Grossman Avi Katz Henr y Orlinsky

Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike Esther Williams

Communications Charlie Harar y**

OU Press Julius Berman** Jonah Kupietzky Stephen Neuwirth Jerr y Schreck Rabbi Gil Student Joel Schreiber

Jewish Action Jerr y Schreck** Deborah Chames Cohen

Mitchel Aeder** William Auerbach Lauri Barbanel Tzirl Goldman Esti Kaminetsky Ira Kellman Aaron Malitzky Miriam Pfeiffer Ben Rieder Aver y Stok Howard Suss The Executive Vice President serves as an ex-officio member of all committees and commissions, except the Audit, Nominating, and Board Resource Committees. The OU President is an ex-officio member of all committees and commissions, except the Nominating, and Board Resource Committee. * Deceased ** Committee / Commission Chair

80

SENIOR STAFF R A B B I M O S H E H AU E R

R A B B I J O S H J O S E P H, E D. D.

RABBI MENACHEM GENACK

Executive Vice President

Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer

OU Kosher Rabbinic Administrator / Chief Executive Officer

R A B B I M O S H E E L E FA N T

OU Kosher Executive Rabbinic Coordinator / Chief Operating Officer RACHEL SIMS

General Counsel CRAIG M. GOLDSTEIN

Chief Marketing Officer S H O S H A N A P O L A KO F F

Director of Facilities Management and Logistics RABBI MICAH GREENLAND

International Director of NCSY REBBETZIN DR. ADINA SHMIDMAN

Director of Women’s Initiative RABBI ILAN HABER

Director of Heshe & Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus M AT T W I L L I A M S

ARNOLD GERSON

Chief Institutional Advancement Officer RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREB

Executive Vice President, Emeritus S A M D AV I D OV I C S, P H. D.

S H LO M O S C H WA RT Z

Chief Financial Officer/ Chief Administrative Officer RABBI LENNY BESSLER

Chief Human Resources Officer YO N I C O H E N

Chief Information Officer

Chief of Staff & Director of Special Projects

YA E L TA M A R I

SHARON DARACK

Israel Director, Israel Free Spirit AV R O H O M A D L E R

North American Director of Israel Free Spirit

International Director of Yachad

N AT H A N D I A M E N T

RABBI ADIR POSY

Executive Director of OU Advocacy Center

National Director of Pepa & Rabbi Joseph Karasick Department of Synagogue & Community Services NECHAMA CARMEL

R A B B I AV I B E R M A N

Executive Director of OU Israel R A B B I D AV I D PA R D O

Editor in Chief of Jewish Action

Director of Torah Initiatives & NextDor

J E N N A N E L S O N B E LT S E R

M AU RY L I T WA C K

Director of OU Center for Communal Research

Director of OU Impact Accelerator

RABBI SIMON POSNER

J E F F R E Y KO R B M A N

Executive Editor of OU Press

Director of Foundation and Strategic Partnerships

Executive Director of Teach Coalition

81

ORTHODOX UNION | IMPAC T REPORT 2020/5781 | OU.ORG

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