This past week, I had the incredible privilege of spending four days in Israel for a series of deeply meaningful and strategic meetings. Ten months ago, our staff gathered in Ashdod for intensive strategic planning. We examined our mission and the work we do to strengthen the Jewish people. During those conversations, a pivotal question emerged: What are we? Are we an institution? An organization? A business? A non-profit? An NGO?
What we ultimately realized and what resonated with everyone in the room is that we are a movement. AISH is not merely an organization housed in buildings or governed by spreadsheets. We are a movement with a mission, a vision, and a set of values that we want the entire Jewish world to embrace. We believe that this is what will ultimately strengthen the Jewish Nation.
Over the last ten months, we’ve put in tremendous work to align with this vision. This week in Israel, I had the privilege of participating in two days of intense discussions expertly facilitated by our indefatigable Chief Product Officer (CPO) Noach Levin, and joined by our Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits, and many other passionate leaders. One of those people was our very own dedicated partner Bari Erber, who shared her own inspiring and impactful story and why Aish is so important to her and to Jews around the world. The entire staff was in awe of Bari, whose energy and love for the Jewish people know no bounds. We gathered in Jerusalem at the World Zionist Organization, where our team had also recently helped lead the impactful AISH Ha’am campaign for the World Zionist Congress.
The building itself became a sacred space of vision, values, and dreaming for the future. At the end of the week, we gathered our entire Jerusalem staff to continue the conversation and deepen the connection to our shared mission.
The heart of our discussions centered on the values of AISH, global values that guide our every action: Wisdom, Love, and Responsibility.
- Wisdom is the study of God’s Torah, drawing us closer to Him and to His truth.
- Love defines the way we interact with compassion and respect for all Jews, regardless of differences.
- Responsibility reflects our duty not only to ourselves and our families, but to the Jewish people and ultimately to all of humanity.
These values are not abstract. They are lived. Rabbi Dovid Rosman, the director of our yeshiva, spoke movingly about the Hebrew word Aharayut (responsibility), connecting it to every layer of life from the individual to the global. Rabbi Nechemia Coopersmith, editor of AISH.com, shared a brilliant connection to Pirkei Avot, noting how our three values mirror the foundation of the world: Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Chasadim, learning, service, and kindness.
Everyone in the room had their own personal interpretation, their own way of living these values. The beauty was in the unity through diversity of voice. These are the building blocks of our students, our yeshiva, our seminary, and our alumni, who are the future leaders of the Jewish people.
I want to assign all of you homework! Please respond to this email and tell me how our three values speak to your heart.
A particularly exciting moment was when we walked over to the new seminary building on King George Street, the Batsheva Hotel. As of September, this will be the new home for the women’s seminary, expanding from 70 beds to 200. We are deeply grateful to Suzana and Ivan Kaufman, whose leadership and generosity are making this dream a reality. The entire building was bustling with construction, charged with the holy energy of preparing for the next generation of Jewish women leaders.
Additionally, it was very exciting to see and speak to the second Re-invigorator program, what we have lovingly termed ‘The Mominary,’ which took place this week. The program brought together several women to come and learn at Aish in a week-long intensive program. It was a privilege to be able to speak with them and share our values, and I am looking forward to this project and others like it continuing for many years to come.
As I approach my tenth anniversary with AISH this July, I reflect on how special this place is. Every single day, we strive to be intentional. We think deeply. We ask how we can improve, how we can serve more meaningfully, how we can uplift more Jews. That is what makes AISH unique. It’s not just what we do. It’s how we do it; strategically, spiritually, and with passion.
As part of my personal mission, I write regularly, often op-eds and articles on issues facing our people. I am grateful to so many of you who have reached out in response. Whether you agree or disagree, your feedback matters deeply to me. I value honest dialogue and thoughtful critique. To be a true thinking person is to consider multiple sides and arrive at principled conclusions.
This week, I wrote an op-ed in the Jerusalem Post about the recent Middle East visit of President Donald Trump. There was apprehension and uncertainty about what his trip would mean for Israel. In the piece, I made a crucial point: no matter what political winds blow, we are never alone.
We have a Partner, our Father in Heaven. We must work hard, we must lobby, build, organize, and strive, but always with the faith that God is with us. He loves us, and He has our back. That is the essence of faith (Emunah). Not just believing in God, but believing that He believes in us. He walks with us through the fire and the triumph, through exile and redemption.
Our history is filled with hardship and miracles. Over the 2000 years of exile from our homeland of Israel and wandering amidst global persecution, the Jewish story is proof that God’s love is unwavering. Now more than ever, we must know that our Father in Heaven will never abandon us.
That is the heart of AISH. That is the movement we are building. A God centered movement where we work in partnership with the Almighty to strengthen the world. I am honored to walk this path with each of you. Let’s keep pushing forward, together.
