Association For Jewish Outreach Programs - AJOP Founded in New York

AJOP Founded in New York

During its first decade AJOP was known as the Association for Jewish Outreach Professionals. Upon its founding in 1987, AJOP was based in Manhattan, New York City. The first director was Gerald Weisberg who was not a rabbi but an administrator in the public school system of New York. It was he who was given the initial mandate to build the organization. His first and most successful innovation was the annual AJOP convention, held in January, that has always attracted hundreds of Orthodox rabbis and their wives, some serving as pulpit rabbis and others as teachers and principals of Jewish day schools. A governing board of rabbis was chosen and the most prominent was Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel who served as AJOP chief rabbinical advisor until the time of his passing in 1999.

AJOP's second president was Rabbi Shaya Milikowsky who was affiliated with the Yeshivas Ner Yisroel MAOR Institute training young rabbis to become "outreach professionals" as Rabbi Buchwald became AJOP's honorary president. Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald has served as AJOP's Honorary President during the entire lifespan of the organization. AJOP's second director was Rabbi Herschel Leiner. Rabbi Leiner was endorsed personally and publicly by Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Pam the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas at one of AJOP's annual conventions. The appointment of Rabbi Milikowsky as President and Rabbi Leiner as Director was an indication that AJOP was officially moving in a more Haredi direction.

Rabbi Leiner's tenure was brief as he went on to a leadership role in the Haredi yeshiva Sh'or Yoshuv that traditionally had a Baal teshuva student base. As the AVI CHAI Foundation announced that it would wind down funding for AJOP the decision was made to align with the National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) and a third director, Rabbi Shmuel Stauber was appointed. The alliance with the NCYI was brief but was soon followed by the organization's move of its main office outside of New York State by the end of the 1990s.