Noah Weinberg - Kiruv Pioneer

Kiruv Pioneer

Observing the high rate of assimilation and lack of Jewish knowledge among Western youth, Weinberg decided to enter the field of kiruv (Jewish outreach). He opened his first yeshiva for assimilated young men in Jerusalem in 1966. That school was short-lived, as were several other attempts before he co-founded Yeshivas Shma Yisrael (later renamed Ohr Somayach) with Rabbis Nota Schiller, Mendel Weinbach and Yaakov Rosenberg in 1970. After a few years, however, he broke away from the partnership over a difference in educational philosophy. While Weinberg himself was a product of top yeshivas, he believed that the times called for "kiruv soldiers" to be given a few years of basic education and then sent out to give introductory classes to other young people at risk of assimilation and intermarriage. To that end, he established Aish HaTorah with 5 students in a small apartment in Jerusalem's Old City in 1974.

Aish HaTorah became a symbol of the blossoming baal teshuva movement. In addition to its Jerusalem headquarters, Weinberg spearheaded the establishment of an Aish HaTorah branch in St. Louis, Missouri in 1979. The first outreach center of its kind in North America, this became a prototype for the outreach programs in every major Jewish community today. Over the course of 35 years, Weinberg built a network of over 25 branches on five continents.

In 1985, Weinberg launched the Discovery Seminar, a multi-day seminar designed to introduce proofs of God's existence to audiences all over the world. Based on the Arachim model, Discovery is seen by nearly 10,000 people each year.

In 1985, Weinberg launched the Jerusalem Fellowships, a 3-week tour-and-study program that has brought 10,000 college-aged students to Israel.

Aish HaTorah's umbrella of educational programs also include:

• Essentials, an introductory learning program for men ages 18–29
• Executive Kollel, which develops Talmudic learning skills in men over age 30
• Executive Learning Center, a short-term, customized learning program for men and women
• B'nei Aish, a 4-week summer program for ninth through twelfth graders
• Jewel, a 3½-week introductory program for young women
• Gem, a 10-day program of learning and touring for women over age 30

• Intermediate and Advanced Yeshiva
• Rabbinic Ordination/Leadership Program
• Hesder Yeshiva
• EYAHT College of Jewish Studies for Women, led by Rebbetzin Denah Weinberg

The aish.com website, which receives over 2 million hits per month, includes articles and audio segments on spirituality, parenting, dating, weekly Torah portion, Holocaust studies, and "Ask the Rabbi" questions and answers. This website also operates a 24-hour live webcam from the Western Wall. Spin-off sites in Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Russian are also up and operating.