I write this to you at a powerful threshold. This message marks the final email of our fiscal year, as the secular year draws to a close. It also comes at the end of one of the most emotional, demanding, and transformative years for Aish and for the Jewish people as a whole.
The year 2025 has carried extraordinary weight. For more than two-and-a-half years, the Jewish people across the globe have been on a relentless roller coaster. Our history has always been filled with moments of ascent and moments of heartbreak. These past years have felt like a compressed version of our two-thousand-year journey, from the destruction of the Temple until now. Pain and resilience, fear and courage, loss and hope have all lived side by side.
Despite everything, momentum is moving the Jewish people in the right direction. That truth matters deeply. Aish has always seen it as a privilege to walk alongside the Jewish people during moments like these, strengthening, uplifting, and helping chart a path forward.
The release of hostages has brought moments of relief and gratitude, even as our hearts remain heavy. We still await the return of Ran Gvili’s body from Gaza. He will never be forgotten. We stand with his family in solidarity and in mourning. At the same time, something meaningful is happening beneath the surface. The Jewish people are turning a corner.
These past two-and-a-half years have confronted us with levels of hatred that many never imagined they would witness in their lifetimes. Antisemitism has reemerged loudly, unapologetically, and in places we once believed were immune. That hatred must be confronted. It must be exposed. It must be challenged wherever it appears.
Hatred, however, can never be allowed to become the organizing force of Jewish life. Antisemites do not get to define the Jewish people. They do not get to set our agenda. They do not get to determine our priorities or our future. A Jewish identity built only on reaction is fragile. A Jewish future built only on defense is incomplete.
The Torah teaches, “Ki hi chayeinu ve’orech yameinu,” Torah is our life and the length of our days. Jewish existence has never been sustained by opposition alone. It has always been sustained by purpose. Our survival has never depended on how well we fight our enemies, but on how deeply we live our values.
The real question before us is not how loudly they shout, but how clearly we live. The answer to antisemitism has never been Jews hiding, shrinking, or merely responding. The answer has always been Jews being Jews. Jews learning Torah. Jews teaching Torah. Jews living with wisdom, love, and responsibility. When Jewish life is strong, vibrant, and confident, hatred loses its power.
This is the moment to shift from reaction to mission. This is the moment to stop letting others define what it means to be Jewish. Our identity is not forged by our enemies. It is forged by our learning, our values, and our willingness to take responsibility for one another and for the world.
That is the work of Aish. That has always been the work of Aish. Strengthening Jewish life so profoundly that hatred becomes background noise rather than the headline.
This week, while in Israel at our headquarters in the Old City of Jerusalem, I had a conversation that crystallized this idea for me. I was sitting with Rabbi Daniel Rowe, who many of you know well, and who has taken on the role of president of our new initiative, AishU. This is why I am spending so much time here in Jerusalem right now. During our conversation, Rabbi Rowe shared something that struck me as profoundly important.
For years, I have described Aish as a convener of the Jewish people. Rabbi Rowe took that idea a step further. He said the time has come for the Jewish people to unite around a clear national mission. A mission that transcends levels of observance. A mission that every Jew can stand behind, regardless of background or affiliation.
We often speak about Aish’s three core values: wisdom, love, and responsibility. Wisdom is often translated as Torah study. Rabbi Rowe challenged that assumption. The mission of the Jewish people is not merely to learn Torah. The mission of the Jewish people is to teach Torah. Every Jew is meant to be a teacher. The national mission of the Jewish people must be the teaching of Torah to one another and ultimately to the world.
This idea lies at the heart of Aish. Torah has always been made accessible so that it can be passed forward. Our goal has never been knowledge for its own sake. Our goal has been influence, responsibility, and transformation. When Torah is lived and shared, it shapes families, communities, and civilizations.
Looking back at this past fiscal year, it is clear that we have taken major steps toward fulfilling that mission. The creation of AishU represents a defining moment. This week and next, I am spending extensive time working with Noah Levin, who is leading the development of AishU Online. This platform is being built to become a truly global online university offering immersive Torah-based learning experiences.
I have also spent time with Dr. Akiva Covitz, our dean, whose academic leadership includes senior roles at institutions such as Harvard and MIT. AishU is a serious academic endeavor that will offer deep, immersive courses, many of which will provide university credit, G-d-willing. More importantly, it will give people an experience of Torah learning unlike anything they have encountered before.
I have begun referring to this vision as Yeshiva Without Walls. Ideally, every Jew would come to learn at a Yeshiva or Seminary in Israel. When that is not possible, AishU Online will offer the next best thing. I am deeply grateful to Rabbi David Rosman, who has agreed to oversee curriculum development, continuing the extraordinary work he has done at the Yeshiva and Seminary. This initiative brings to life the vision of the Rosh Yeshiva of Aish, Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits, whose dream has always been to give every Jew an immersive Torah experience grounded in love and responsibility.
Another historic turning point for Aish in Israel that took place this year was that Aish created and ran a political party within the World Zionist Organization for the first time in our history. Under the banner of Aish Ha’am, we entered the elections for the World Zionist Congress and earned five delegates. As a direct result, we now have an active division working within the WZO focused on strengthening the Jewish people in the Diaspora, with a particular emphasis on university and college students.
Through the WZO and through our growing relationships with the Israeli government and key decision makers, Aish is now positioned to play a far more significant role in shaping policy, allocating resources, and strengthening Israel and Jewish identity worldwide. This is another way we ensure that Jewish values help shape the future rather than merely reacting to it.
Strength continues to build across Aish in many forms. This year also marked the launch of our new recording studio. Gratitude goes to the Tratt family for sponsoring the equipment that has allowed us to elevate our media efforts to an entirely new level. We have already launched three major podcasts in a serious and intentional way: Aish-U President Rabbi Daniel Rowe, Aish Global Spokesperson Jamie Geller, and international spiritual leader Rabbi Dov Ber Cohen.
Just days ago, I wrote an op-ed in the Jerusalem Post in support of Ben Shapiro, who courageously confronted voices using podcasts to promote antisemitism. Antisemitism must always be called out for the damage it causes. Jewish life cannot be reduced to defense alone. We are a people with vision, with allies, and with a future filled with promise.
This year also saw the opening of the Suzana and Ivan Kaufman Aish Women’s Institute for Education, a remarkable new building with two hundred beds dedicated to advancing women’s learning. The impact has already been profound. Women from diverse backgrounds are engaging deeply with Torah in ways that are transformative and empowering. Recently, we hosted the Innovative Mominary, often described as a Seminary for Moms, at the new campus, alongside many other groups. Plans are underway to expand continuing education programs for men through our Dan Family Aish World Center as well.
In the midst of building the future, we also pause to honor our past. This year, we were deeply blessed within our Spanish programs to welcome the relatives of Rabbi Reuven Biermacher z’l, a beloved Aish teacher originally from Argentina. Ten years ago, Rabbi Biermacher was tragically murdered in a terrorist attack as he was leaving the Old City. Hosting his family for a commemorative ceremony at our Spanish yeshivot, the largest of their kind in Israel, was profoundly moving. His legacy continues to inspire Torah teaching rooted in love and courage.
Even with unprecedented reach online, challenges remain. Aish now generates more than one million video views every day and reaches more than four million followers across platforms. One of our yeshiva’s Instagram accounts was recently shut down after we posted pictures of students visiting an IDF base during Hanukkah to uplift soldiers. Support for those who defend our people should never be controversial. This setback will not slow us down.
Support for IDF soldiers remains deeply woven into the fabric of our Yeshiva and Seminary. Soldiers regularly come to learn, to recharge, and to spend Shabbat with us. Seeing young men and women at our Shabbat tables, still carrying their weapons, is a powerful reminder of sacrifice and resilience.
This week, we hosted two dozen soldiers from the elite units of the newly formed Chashmonaim Brigade who made a special request to come spend the morning studying in our men’s Yeshiva. We were very happy to accommodate this request and we look forward to more partnerships with IDF soldiers who wish to spend time studying Torah.
As this fiscal year comes to a close, I want to speak to you not only as supporters but as partners in destiny. Moments like this demand more than reflection. They demand action. The Talmud teaches, “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh,” all of Israel is responsible for one another. Responsibility is what we choose to do when history places its weight on our shoulders.
Maimonides teaches that the highest level of tzedakah is empowering another person to stand on their own, to grow, and to give forward. That is exactly what Aish does every single day. We do not simply respond to crises. We build Jewish strength. We cultivate wisdom. We ignite love. We create responsibility that lasts for generations.
Supporting Aish at this moment is a conscious refusal to let antisemitism write the Jewish story. It is a choice to invest in our mission, not just being reactive to the problems that face us. It is a declaration that Jewish life will be defined by Torah, by education, and by responsibility rather than by fear or opposition. Every gift strengthens Jews in being Jewish with confidence, depth, and pride.
Your support right now is an affirmation of who we are and who we refuse to become. When you give to Aish, you help ensure that the Jewish future is shaped by our values rather than by those who oppose them.
I ask you to give generously, from the depth of your heart, at this critical moment. Click the link and stand with the Jewish people at a time when standing truly matters.
When Jews choose to live as Jews with clarity and courage, no enemy can ever define us.
Wishing you an uplifting and meaningful Shabbos. Thank you for your partnership, your trust, and your belief. May Hashem bless you and your families always.
