The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation (established in 1989) is a non-profit Orthodox Jewish organization based in Monsey, New York, United States, dedicated to spreading the teachings of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan who was known as the Chofetz Chaim ( חָפֵץ חַיִּים "Seeker Life" in Hebrew) based on his work of Jewish ethics of the same name dealing with the prohibitions of gossip, slander and defamation known as Lashon Hara in Jewish law (Halakha).
The Foundation has become a popular fixture in the English-speaking Orthodox world. It utilizes a vast array of communication tools including books, tapes, video seminars, telephone classes and a newsletter, designed to heighten awareness of their values in "judging others favorably, speaking with restraint and integrity, and acting with sensitivity and respect". The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation's website asserts their belief in the "Torah's timeless recipe for building a world of compassion and harmony".
It has received serious commendation for its work from leading Rabbis. Rabbi Moshe Francis, head of a prominent Chicago Kollel has written that:
- Years ago, an organization like the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation -- which is marshaling the latest technology and enlisting the best communicators to help Klal Yisroel fight loshon hara and other sins of speech – would have been unimaginable. Our efforts to control loshon hara have succeeded because we have taken a preemptive approach, teaching young children about the pitfalls of this aveira, honing their sensitivity and inspiring them...(Based on an address given by Rabbi Moshe Francis at the Torah U'Mesorah Conference of Principals held in Chicago in early 2000.)
The Foundation has raised significant funds and adevertizes its activities and events by taking out very prominent ads in the Yated Ne'eman (United States); Hamodia; The Jewish Press and others, as well as by distributing newsletters to the English-speaking Orthodox and Haredi public.
The founder and director of the Foundation is Michael Rothschild.
Read more about Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation: Wide Ranging Appeal and Acceptance
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