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This ''baal teshuva'' movement also appeared in the former ], which at that time had almost completely secularized its Jewish population. The rise of Jewish pride came in response to the growth of the State of ], in reaction to the USSR's pro-] and ] policies, and in reaction to the USSR's ]. The return-to-Judaism movement was a spontaneous movement from the ground up; it came as a great surprise to the Soviet authorities, and even to the Jewish community outside the USSR. Young leaders included ], ], ], and ], who all later ] and are now actively teaching other Russian emigres in Israel, aside from Kogan, who leads a community in Moscow. This ''baal teshuva'' movement also appeared in the former ], which at that time had almost completely secularized its Jewish population. The rise of Jewish pride came in response to the growth of the State of ], in reaction to the USSR's pro-] and ] policies, and in reaction to the USSR's ]. The return-to-Judaism movement was a spontaneous movement from the ground up; it came as a great surprise to the Soviet authorities, and even to the Jewish community outside the USSR. Young leaders included ], ], ], and ], who all later ] and are now actively teaching other Russian emigres in Israel, aside from Kogan, who leads a community in Moscow.


The fact that Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, had a core of dedicated Chassidim who maintained underground yeshivos, mikvaos, and shechita and provided circumcision. They served as the rabbis who jump-started the teshuva movement and had these services in place so that the new baalei teshuva had whom to turn to for their religious questions and needs. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, and his successor, Rabbi M.M. Schneersohn, had a core of dedicated Chassidim who maintained ] throughout the Soviet Union, making all the difference to the new ba'alei teshuva. These Chassidim maintained underground yeshivos, mikvaos, and shechita and provided circumcision, all with incredible self-sacrifice, which entailed imprisonment, exile, and even death. They served as the rabbis who jump-started the teshuva movement and had these services in place so that the new baalei teshuva had whom to turn to for their religious questions and needs.


The Israeli victory of the ] in ] ignited the pride of Jews in the Soviet Union, particularly in Russia. Suddenly there were hundreds of thousands of Jews wanting to go to Israel, although they dared not express their desire too openly. Several thousand applied for exit visas to Israel and were instantly ] by government organs including the ]. Many hundreds became '']'' (known as ''otkazniks'' in Russian), willing to suffer jail time to demonstrate their new-found longing for ]. In the middle of this there arose a new interest in learning about and practicing Judaism, an urge that the Communist government had long attempted to stamp out. The Israeli victory of the ] in ] ignited the pride of Jews in the Soviet Union, particularly in Russia. Suddenly there were hundreds of thousands of Jews wanting to go to Israel, although they dared not express their desire too openly. Several thousand applied for exit visas to Israel and were instantly ] by government organs including the ]. Many hundreds became '']'' (known as ''otkazniks'' in Russian), willing to suffer jail time to demonstrate their new-found longing for ]. In the middle of this there arose a new interest in learning about and practicing Judaism, an urge that the Communist government had long attempted to stamp out.

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Baal teshuva (Hebrew: בעל תשובה; for a woman: בעלת תשובה, baalat teshuva; plural: בעלי תשובה, baalei teshuva) is a Hebrew term referring to a person who has repented. Baal teshuva can be translated idiomatically as "one who has done repentance." The term has historically referred to a Jew who had transgressed the Halakha ("Jewish law") and completed a process of introspection and "returned" to the straight path. Also, Jews who adopt Orthodoxy later in life are known "baalei teshuva" or "chozer b'teshuva" (more common in Israel).

Origins as a movement

Appearing in the 1960s, a growing number of young Jews who had previously been raised in non-religious homes in the United States started to develop a strong interest in becoming a part of observant Judaism; many of these people, in contrast to sociological expectations, became attracted to observant Judaism within Orthodoxy.

This trend was partly related to the prevailing anti-establishment atmosphere of the 1960s, and also to a great rise in Jewish pride in the wake of Israel's victory in 1967's Six-Day War. Although the effects of the Holocaust and the sway of the counterculture movement led many to abandon their religious upbringing, others were willing to experiment with alternate 'liberated' life-styles, and it was thought to be 'cool' to experiment with Sabbath observance, intensive prayer, and deeper Torah and Talmud study. A great many of these people adopted a fully Orthodox Jewish way of life, and although some eventually dropped out entirely or found their path within Conservative Judaism, others remained.

Roots for this movement can also be seen in some pre-1960's organizations whose goals were not oriented towards attacting the non-observant to observance, but were more concerned with simply stemming the trend away from observance. These included the establishment of Young Israel in 1912, the rise of Chabad-Lubavitch in the 1940s, and youth organizations like the National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) and Yeshiva University's Torah Leadership Seminar in the 1950s.

In the former Soviet Union

This baal teshuva movement also appeared in the former Soviet Union, which at that time had almost completely secularized its Jewish population. The rise of Jewish pride came in response to the growth of the State of Israel, in reaction to the USSR's pro-Arab and anti-Zionist policies, and in reaction to the USSR's anti-Semitism. The return-to-Judaism movement was a spontaneous movement from the ground up; it came as a great surprise to the Soviet authorities, and even to the Jewish community outside the USSR. Young leaders included Yosef Mendelevich, Eliyahu Essas, Herman Branover, and Yitzchok Kogan, who all later moved to Israel and are now actively teaching other Russian emigres in Israel, aside from Kogan, who leads a community in Moscow.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, and his successor, Rabbi M.M. Schneersohn, had a core of dedicated Chassidim who maintained Yiddishkeit throughout the Soviet Union, making all the difference to the new ba'alei teshuva. These Chassidim maintained underground yeshivos, mikvaos, and shechita and provided circumcision, all with incredible self-sacrifice, which entailed imprisonment, exile, and even death. They served as the rabbis who jump-started the teshuva movement and had these services in place so that the new baalei teshuva had whom to turn to for their religious questions and needs.

The Israeli victory of the Six Day War in 1967 ignited the pride of Jews in the Soviet Union, particularly in Russia. Suddenly there were hundreds of thousands of Jews wanting to go to Israel, although they dared not express their desire too openly. Several thousand applied for exit visas to Israel and were instantly ostracised by government organs including the KGB. Many hundreds became refuseniks (known as otkazniks in Russian), willing to suffer jail time to demonstrate their new-found longing for Zion. In the middle of this there arose a new interest in learning about and practicing Judaism, an urge that the Communist government had long attempted to stamp out.

Many Russian Jews began to study any Jewish texts they could lay their hands on. Foreign rabbis came on visits in order to teach how to learn Torah and how to observe Jewish law. Jewish ritual objects, such as tefillin, mezuzot, siddurim, and even matzah, were also smuggled into Russia. Now there is a rich resource of Russian religious texts that flourishes and caters to Russian Jews living in Russia, America, and Israel.

In Israel

During this time there was a movement among secular Israeli Jews that was essentially a search for spirituality. At the time, most Israeli parents were secular Zionists. While some Jews were hostile to traditional Judaism, a spiritual quest in the 1960s and 1970s caused some Israelis to seek answers in Jewish tradition.

In Israel, schools have flourished for the intensive study of Torah especially designed for the newly religious students who wanted to devote time to intensive study of classical texts with the ancient rabbinic commentaries. These schools opened in the early 1970s, mainly based in Jerusalem. Two significant institutions have been the Aish HaTorah Yeshiva headed by Rabbi Noach Weinberg, and the Ohr Somayach Yeshiva headed by Rabbi Nota Schiller. Both of these rabbis had degrees from American universities and were able to speak to the modern mind-set.

Chabad, with its dozens of Chabad houses throughout Israel, and yeshiva programs for Israelis, Russians, French, and Americans, reach out to thousands. Followers of Chabad can be seen attending to tefillin booths at the Western Wall and Ben Gurion International Airport as well as other public places, and distribute shabbat candles on Fridays. There are also Chabad houses in almost every location that Jews might be located, whether as permanent residents, on business, or tourists.

Orthodox outreach organizations

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, 6th leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch branch of Hasidic Judaism, and then his successor, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson was responsible for turning Chabad's strength and activities towards outreach. Each in turn sent out large numbers of rabbinic emissaries, known as "Shluchim", and their wives to settle in places across the world solely for the purpose of teaching those who did not receive a Jewish education or to inspire those who did. The vehicle chosen for this was termed a "Chabad house." Chabad Rabbis and their families were sent to teach college students, to build day schools, and to create youth camps. Most of these were geared towards their secular or less religious brethren. Additionally, unmarried rabbinical students spend weeks during the summer in locations that do not yet have a permanent Chabad presence, making housecalls, putting up mezuzot, teaching Judaism, and simply reminding people that they are Jewish.

The late 1960s saw the founding of the non-hasidic, Haredi institutions that eventually became the Aish HaTorah and Ohr Somayach outreach yeshivas.

Menachem Mendel Schneersohn also initiated the largest worldwide Jewish children's movement, called Tzivos Hashem (lit. "The Army of God"), for under bar/bat mitzvah-age children, to inspire them to increase in study of Torah and observance of mitzvot. Schneersohn also encouraged the use of modern technology in outreach efforts such as Mitzva tanks, which are mobile homes that travel a city or country. The Chabad website, chabad.org, a pioneer of Torah, Judaism, and Jewish information on the web, was started by Rabbi Yosef Y. Kazen and developed by Rabbi D. Zirkind.

Nearly 7000 people a year visit Ascent of Safed, which is a combination recreation center, Jewish youth hostel, and religious retreat that exposes Jews to Judaism, particularly the mystical aspect of it.

Aish HaTorah has had notable success. The Aish.com website attracts over two million visits each month, and 160,000 unique email subscribers. The site features articles, movies and audio segments on spirituality, parenting, dating, weekly Torah portion, Holocaust studies, and an "Ask the Rabbi" service. Spin-off sites in Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Russian are all leading websites in their respective languages. At their Discovery Seminar (in different languages) they teach material by Orthodox scientists specifically prepared in accordance with Aish's educational aims to support the authenticity of Judaism and its relevance. More than 100,000 people have attended Discovery, at university campuses, Jewish Community Centers, and Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox synagogues.

Within Modern Orthodox Judaism, the Union of Orthodox Congregations created the National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) to reach Jewish teenagers in public schools. Founded by Rabbi Pinchas Stolper, himself a noted charismatic speaker and writer, the movement also developed its in-house literature geared to the newly observant mainly written by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. In addition, many Modern Orthodox professors have developed and used a sophisticated modern terminology to present Judaism in a scientific manner. Their books on Jewish sciences are the most readily accessible.

In 1987, an organization called National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP) was founded. Headed by a leading outreach rabbi, Ephraim Buchwald, in the first fifteen years of its existence it had managed to create, co-ordinate and guide thousands of volunteer teachers and tens of thousands of Jewish adults. They participated in programs advertised via the mass media and taught at Reform, Conservative and Orthodox synagogues, as well as Jewish non-religious organizations, such as Jewish Community Centers.

Using mass marketing techniques, NJOP have won the support of major Jewish philanthropists, and an ever widening audience by advertising via the media for the Crash Course in Hebrew Reading, Crash Course in Judaism and other programs.

Outreach professionals, have been convening national conventions to bring together the professional outreach workers with leading Orthodox rabbis. The Association for Jewish Outreach Professionals (later renamed The Association for Jewish Outreach Programs) (AJOP) was founded in 1988 and is based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Orthodox outreach to Jewish women

One of the earliest pioneers of outreach to men and women is Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, the founder of the international Hineni movement in America. A Holocaust survivor, she has made it her life's mission to bring back Jews to Orthodox Judaism. She has written popular books and made tapes. Another notable pioneer of women's Orthodox outreach education is Rebbetzin Leah Kohn founder of the Jewish Renaissance Center (JRC) in New York.

Neve Yerushalayim, founded in 1970, is an Orthodox school for secular Jewish women seeking a college level introductory program. Neve Yerushalayim College has a campus in Jerusalem. Its founder and guiding Dean is Rabbi Dr. Dovid Refson and Mrs. Tzipporah Heller is an extremely popular teacher who has inspired thousands of women.

Machon Chana of Crown Heights (founded 1972), Bais Chana (formerly of Minnesota) and Machon Alte of Tzfas, are Lubavitch women's yeshivos that have taught thousands of Jewish women who are beginners in their knowledge of Judaism.

Orthodox day schools

Torah Umesorah (The National Society for Hebrew Day Schools), was founded by Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz. It is an American Orthodox organization which has opened hundreds of day schools and provides resources to many different Orthodox Jewish day schools. It has an outreach effort called Partners In Torah whereby volunteer Orthodox men and women learn on the phone for an hour a week with a non-Orthodox study-partner. A similar program is called Jnet. Torah Umesorah also sponsors the SEED Program whereby young Yeshiva students spend a few weeks during their summers teaching, this is similar to the Chabad Lubavitch "peace corps" which are Yeshiva-student pairs that visit remote Jewish communities over the summers to help develop Jewish communities by teaching.

Publishers of English outreach literature

English, Russian, French and other translations of classical rabbinic literature and modern Jewish works are crucial to the growth and popularity of the Ba'al teshuva Movement. Some of the most important publishers include:

  • Kehot Publications, which is the publishing wing of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, has been publishing basic Jewish texts, and Chasidic works since 1941.
  • Mesorah Publications, publishers of the ArtScroll series , including the Shottenstein English translation of the Talmud.
  • Feldheim, which offers a mixture of classical texts and lighter literature.
  • Merkos Publications, books on every subject
  • Herman Branover's SHAMIR publishes all kinds of Jewish books in Russian. A team of translators and editors have produced the Pentateuch with commentaries, the Code of Jewish Law, and writings of Maimonides and Yehuda Halevy, Machzorim etc.
  • Jason Aronson (sold to Rowman & Littlefield), which publishes texts from rabbis of all Jewish denominations.
  • Verdier in France published classical Jewish texts.
  • Targum Press (targum.com)
  • Sichos in English http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/
  • Ktav http://www.ktav.com/

Orthodox rabbis in outreach

The following lists are not meant to be definitive, they are just a sampling of prominent personalities mainly in Israel and America.

First generation

  • Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1864 – 1935). Chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine and also regarded symbolically by the latter State of Israel as its first chief rabbi as well. He was steeped in Kabbalah, Talmud, and philosophy. He was regarded as a guide to the Mizrachi Religious Zionist movement, and an advocate of urgent Jewish emigration (aliyah), to then Palestine before the Holocaust. He won much trust of the secular Jewish leadership in London, Europe, and Palestine, and argued that a warm and positive outlook to the secular pioneers (halutzim) would win loyalty and greater respect for Orthodox Judaism.
  • Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902 – 1994). The seventh Rebbe of Chabad Lubavitch hasidism. He established a vast international educational, outreach, and community-building movement. In over 40 years, he inspired about 5,000 young men and women to become rabbis and rebbitzins (a name for a rabbi's wife) as his personal emissaries all over the world, with the goal of exposing and attracting non-religious Jews towards Judaism, as well as opening schools, mikvehs, synagogues, yeshivahs, etc. This campaign has had notable success, as a large portion of Lubavitch hasidim today are baalei teshuvah or children of baal teshuva parents. After Schneerson's death in 1994 his hassidim continue his work and hundreds of new emissaries continue to leave for even the remotest places.
  • Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner (1906 – 1980). The late Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn. Moulder of many Orthodox rabbis in America. Author of Pachad Yitzchok ("Fear Isaac"). Arriving in New York in the 1930s, he attracted many young men and influenced them to study Talmud intensively in his "Chaim Berlin yeshiva". Many of them eventually became scholars and leaders of Orthodoxy active in education (chinuch) and outreach (kiruv). He developed a unique Jewish philosophy combining mysticism, ethics, Talmud, hasidic thought, and Jewish law. His daughter, Bruria Hutner David (b.1936-), obtained a Ph.D. from Columbia University and became the dean of Bais Yakov of Jerusalem ("BJJ"), an influential seminary for Orthodox women. In the 1970s he moved to Jerusalem and established a new yeshiva called Pachad Yitzchok.
  • Rabbi Avigdor Miller. Congregational rabbi, one of the first writers of books on Jewish philosophy for today's seeker, and former mashgiach ruchani ("spiritual supervisor") in Rabbi Hutner's Chaim Berlin yeshiva in Brooklyn. Renowned for his over 2,500 taped lectures disseminated amongst, and influencing, many Jews; religious and non-religious alike.
  • Rabbi Henoch Lebowitz. Head of the Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim: Rabbinical Seminary of America with its graduates, branches and schools all over the United States. Unique in that his yeshiva combines a maximal focus on becoming a deep scholar, together with a strong focus on outreach and reaching non-observant Jews. There are currently fifteen affiliates, including outreach centers and yeshivos, across the US and Canada with two more in Israel.

Second generation

External links

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Full-time baal teshuva yeshivas
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