I hope you are enjoying a productive, meaningful summer.
Summer is one of my favorite seasons. It gives us the opportunity to slow down just enough to think about where we have been and where God is calling us next. That is exactly what we have been doing at Aish these past several weeks as we build the future of our movement.
Before I share some of that exciting work, I want to tell you about something that fills me with tremendous pride.
One of the accomplishments that means the most to me during my eleven years as CEO has been watching Aish dramatically expand opportunities for women’s Torah learning. This has never been the work of one individual. It has been the work of an entire movement that believes with complete conviction that every Jewish soul deserves access to Torah wisdom.
Our mission at Aish rests upon three pillars: Wisdom, Love, and Responsibility.
Wisdom means that every Jew, regardless of background, age, or stage of life, deserves the opportunity to discover the beauty of Torah. Torah learning elevates a person. It strengthens confidence. It deepens purpose. It creates resilience. Most importantly, it builds a relationship with God that transforms every part of life.
Love is the way we teach. Every class, every conversation, every program, every relationship begins with genuine care for another Jew.
Responsibility is what we hope every student carries home. Our mission is never simply to teach Torah. Our mission is to inspire people to become teachers themselves. Every person who learns has the ability and the obligation to illuminate another Jewish soul.
That is why I am so excited about our upcoming Garden Lunch and Learn celebrating women’s Torah learning.
This event captures everything Aish stands for.
The gathering takes place on one of the most beautiful properties in Monsey, generously hosted by our dear friends Isaac and Edie Gross. Their family has been woven into the fabric of Aish for decades. Whenever Rav Noah Weinberg zt”l spent Shabbos in Flatbush, he would often stay in their home.
Isaac tells one of my favorite Rav Noah stories.
Their son Yumie was still a young boy, not yet Bar Mitzvah, when Rav Noah zt”l asked him for a Coke with ice, his favorite drink. Yumie proudly brought it to him. Rav Noah took one sip, smiled at this young child, and asked the same question he asked presidents, philanthropists, rabbis, students, and business leaders all over the world.
“What are you doing for the Jewish people?”
That single question shaped the course of Yumie’s life. In many ways, it also captures the essence of Aish.
My wife, Rachel, has become very close with Edie over the years. Together they have helped transform this annual gathering into a true celebration of women’s learning.
Mominary itself began with the vision of two extraordinary women, Shari Alter and Stephanie Pomerantz. They believed women deserved greater opportunities for serious Torah learning. They brought friends to Israel, created a community of learning, and ignited what has become a movement reaching women from across North America.
This year’s Garden Lunch and Learn is chaired by Shari Alter, Stephanie Pomerantz, Edie Gross, and Dr. Bari Erber, each of whom has dedicated herself to strengthening Jewish women through Torah. Dr. Bari Erber is not only an accomplished business leader who holds a doctorate in Jewish education, but every time she visits Israel she makes it a priority to spend time with our young women. She shares her remarkable personal journey, the inspiration she received from her Holocaust survivor grandmother, and the profound impact Torah learning has had on her life. She leaves our students inspired to dream bigger and to embrace lives of meaning and purpose. Their collective leadership reminds us that the future of the Jewish people is built by people who refuse to wait for someone else to act. They simply take responsibility.
My greatest source of pride, however, is watching my wife Rachel become one of those leaders.
Rachel spent years teaching first grade boys to read. Everywhere we go, former students still come over to thank the teacher who gave them one of life’s greatest gifts.
Today she has devoted herself to women’s Torah education. Every week she teaches, learns with chavrusas, mentors women, and inspires communities around the world. Watching her become one of today’s outstanding Jewish educators has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.
This year we are also honored to recognize Hattie Danziger.
Hattie represents everything this movement believes about lifelong learning. She began her Torah journey later in life. She embraced every opportunity to grow. She has become an exceptional student of Torah and a source of inspiration to everyone fortunate enough to know her.
When I think about this event, I see Aish.
I see Jewish wisdom.
I see unconditional love.
I see responsibility.
I see women stepping forward to inspire communities, strengthen families, educate future generations, and build the Jewish future.
That future also has a magnificent physical home in Jerusalem.
The Suzana and Ivan Kaufman Aish Institute for Women’s Education on King George Street stands as a powerful testament to our commitment to women’s Torah learning. It is far more than a beautiful building. It represents our belief that investing in women’s education strengthens the entire Jewish people.
One of the great privileges of leading Aish is recognizing extraordinary talent before the rest of the world does.
This year’s keynote speaker is one of those people.
Mark my words. Rabbi Daniel Rowe is destined to become one of the defining Torah voices of this generation.
He served in the Israel Defense Forces in the Tank Corps before dedicating himself to Torah scholarship. Today he combines profound Torah knowledge with a remarkable grasp of philosophy, science, artificial intelligence, and the challenges facing modern civilization. His teaching reminds many people of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, yet his voice is entirely his own.
Rabbi Rowe is completing his doctorate in the philosophy of mathematics, is writing what I believe will become an important book titled Homo Sapiens, and has become a respected voice among scholars of many faiths. Religious leaders around the world seek his perspective, which recently led to his invitation to participate in the establishment of the Somaliland Embassy in Jerusalem.
If you have the opportunity to hear Rabbi Daniel Rowe speak in Monsey next week, take it. I believe we will be hearing his voice on the world stage for decades to come. To read or watch more of Rabbi Rowe’s Torah, click the box below the main part of the email.
The event is nearly sold out. A limited number of tickets remain. I strongly encourage you to reserve your place if possible.
My heartfelt thanks also go to Rachel Spinner, whose tireless work behind the scenes has helped make this beautiful event possible.
This past week I had the privilege of spending countless hours with our leadership team in Jerusalem planning the next chapter of Aish.
As I looked around the room, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I have never been prouder of our staff. Their passion, creativity, commitment, and love for the Jewish people inspire me every single day.
We asked ourselves one question over and over again.
We have reached millions of Jews.
Now what?
Aish Vision 2030 challenged us to engage three million Jews with Torah. With God’s help, we exceeded that goal.
Our next challenge is even greater.
How do we help those millions move from inspiration to transformation?
How do we bring them into deeper Torah learning?
How do we help them build lasting relationships with God?
Every conversation about Aish University, artificial intelligence, our Yeshiva and Seminary, Aish.com, our social media platforms, and every new initiative ultimately comes back to those questions.
We are no longer simply trying to reach people.
We are building lifelong Jewish journeys.
The opportunities before us have never been greater.
Millions of people already look to Aish every day for guidance, inspiration, answers, and authentic Jewish wisdom. Our responsibility now is to help every one of those people take the next step. We want to help them move beyond a video, beyond an article, beyond a social media post, into a genuine relationship with Torah, with the Jewish people, and with God.
That is the future we are building.
As I reflected on everything we accomplished this week, something became very clear to me.
The Jewish future will never be secured by beautiful buildings alone.
It will never be secured by technology alone.
It will never even be secured by remarkable organizations alone.
The Jewish future is built when one Jew takes responsibility for another Jew.
That was Rav Noah Weinberg zt”l’s message when he looked at a young boy holding a glass of Coke and asked, “What are you doing for the Jewish people?”
That question still echoes throughout Aish today.
Every class we teach.
Every student we inspire.
Every woman who embraces Torah.
Every young man who discovers his purpose.
Every Jew who decides to take one more step toward God.
That is why Aish exists.
Thank you for believing in this mission.
Thank you for standing with Aish.
Thank you for helping us bring Torah wisdom to the Jewish people through love and inspiring every person to embrace the responsibility of passing it forward.
Together, with God’s help, we will continue bringing Jewish wisdom to the world, sharing it with love, and inspiring every Jew to embrace the responsibility of building our future.
I wish you and your families a beautiful summer. I hope many of you will join us next week in Monsey for what promises to be an unforgettable celebration of women’s Torah learning.
