Oorah (organization)
Encyclopedia
Oorah, or sometimes Oorah Kiruv Rechokim, Hebrew
for "awaken and bring in those who are far," (a reference to educating non-observant Jews) is an incorporated
Orthodox
Jewish kiruv (outreach) organization founded in 1980 "with the goal of awakening Jewish children and their families to their heritage." It is a United States based 501(C)3 non-profit organization
whose stated mission is to "reach out to Jewish families everywhere with life-enhancing learning opportunities, resources and programs – all with a warm, human touch.".
, New Jersey
.
tuition for Jewish children from non-observant homes.ufghjk
, a car-donation program, and Cucumber Communications, a phone service.
Kars 4 Kids raised $8.9 million in 2006, and sent $7.6 million to its religious affiliates, with some $1.4 million going for advertisements. The Better Business Bureau
says 65 percent of a nonprofit's outlay should fund its programs and Kars 4 Kids beats this target by about 20%.
Mary Murphy
of New York City's
Channel 11
news prepared a story on Oorah's "Kars 4 Kids" fund-raising division's lack of disclosure of the religious nature of its programs in its radio and billboard advertising. The report was criticized by some local Jewish residents as yellow journalism
.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
reported that "what is left unsaid [in Kars 4 Kids' radio advertising], and what also is conspicuously absent from the charity's Web site, is that almost all money raised through the Kars4Kids charity goes to a Lakewood, N. J.-based program set up to pay for private schooling and other educational programs. It aims to bring Jewish schoolchildren and adults closer to their heritage." The article also cites a 2004 Better Business Bureau report that criticizes Kars 4 Kids and Joy for Our Youth, another Oorah subsidiary, for its charity accountability standards. Kars 4 Kids' website has since been modified to disclose its affiliation with Oorah and that the organization's purpose is to provide "for the spiritual, emotional and practical needs of Jewish children".
Joy for Our Youth paid $65,000 in fines in Pennsylvania and Kars4Kids paid $65,000 in fines in Oregon in settlements reached with the respective state attorneys general as a result of investigation of alleged misleading practices in those states.
Many people have identified the radio ad, with a warbling adult male singing a kiddie-style song along with a young boy. Some Oorah subcontractors stole the cars of potential donors. Free vacations offered by Oorah are sometimes timeshares in disguise. Oorah Kars 4 Kids is one of 16 organizations being investigated by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. On September 11, 2010, Oorah's Website was hacked by Muslim terrorists posting messages of hate. Oorah is a neutral organization.
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
for "awaken and bring in those who are far," (a reference to educating non-observant Jews) is an incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Jewish kiruv (outreach) organization founded in 1980 "with the goal of awakening Jewish children and their families to their heritage." It is a United States based 501(C)3 non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
whose stated mission is to "reach out to Jewish families everywhere with life-enhancing learning opportunities, resources and programs – all with a warm, human touch.".
Organization biography
Oorah, Inc. was founded by Rabbi Chaim Mintz and its day-to-day operation is run by Rabbi Eliyohu Mintz (son of the founder) out of LakewoodLakewood Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 60,352 people, 19,876 households, and 13,356 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,431.8 people per square mile . There were 21,214 housing units at an average density of 854.8 per square mile...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Programs
Oorah runs a multitude of programs to spread Orthodox Judaism. Separate summer camps for boys and girls and Jewish holiday enrichment are just some of the things Oorah manages. Oorah organizes Jewish outreach and adult learning programs and seminars. It promotes family support and development. A large portion of funds goes towards yeshivaYeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
tuition for Jewish children from non-observant homes.ufghjk
Fundraising
Oorah employs a number of different fund-raising entities to keep its many programs running. They operate Kars 4 KidsKars4Kids
Kars4Kids is a national car donation organization headquartered in Lakewood, NJ, that operates in 49 states. Donations to Kars4Kids benefit Joy for Our Youth a national organization dedicated to addressing the educational, material, emotional and spiritual needs of Jewish children and their...
, a car-donation program, and Cucumber Communications, a phone service.
Kars 4 Kids raised $8.9 million in 2006, and sent $7.6 million to its religious affiliates, with some $1.4 million going for advertisements. The Better Business Bureau
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...
says 65 percent of a nonprofit's outlay should fund its programs and Kars 4 Kids beats this target by about 20%.
Controversies and criticism
In the summer of 2007, Oorah's camp was temporarily shut down by the Schoharie County Health Department and 31 undocumented workers doing work for a subcontactor were arrested in a raid by ICE and local law enforcement. When questioned on July 10, 2007, camp director Eliyohu Mintz stated that "the organization was not aware that the workers lacked employment authorization." One neighbor also complained of loud music and overly bright lights being used late at night which camp directors justified as "necessary to create a "festive mood" for the campers."Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy (reporter)
Mary Murphy is the weekend co-anchor of the PIX 11 News at Ten on WPIX-TV in New York City, and is a correspondent and substitute anchor for Kaity Tong on the station's weekday broadcasts....
of New York City's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Channel 11
WPIX
WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WPIX also serves as the flagship station of The CW Television Network...
news prepared a story on Oorah's "Kars 4 Kids" fund-raising division's lack of disclosure of the religious nature of its programs in its radio and billboard advertising. The report was criticized by some local Jewish residents as yellow journalism
Yellow journalism
Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism...
.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
reported that "what is left unsaid [in Kars 4 Kids' radio advertising], and what also is conspicuously absent from the charity's Web site, is that almost all money raised through the Kars4Kids charity goes to a Lakewood, N. J.-based program set up to pay for private schooling and other educational programs. It aims to bring Jewish schoolchildren and adults closer to their heritage." The article also cites a 2004 Better Business Bureau report that criticizes Kars 4 Kids and Joy for Our Youth, another Oorah subsidiary, for its charity accountability standards. Kars 4 Kids' website has since been modified to disclose its affiliation with Oorah and that the organization's purpose is to provide "for the spiritual, emotional and practical needs of Jewish children".
Joy for Our Youth paid $65,000 in fines in Pennsylvania and Kars4Kids paid $65,000 in fines in Oregon in settlements reached with the respective state attorneys general as a result of investigation of alleged misleading practices in those states.
Many people have identified the radio ad, with a warbling adult male singing a kiddie-style song along with a young boy. Some Oorah subcontractors stole the cars of potential donors. Free vacations offered by Oorah are sometimes timeshares in disguise. Oorah Kars 4 Kids is one of 16 organizations being investigated by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. On September 11, 2010, Oorah's Website was hacked by Muslim terrorists posting messages of hate. Oorah is a neutral organization.
External links
- Oorah.org
- Kars4Kids
- Other vehicle donation websites benefiting Oorah: http://www.givejoy.org/cardonations.html,http://www.donatecars.com/
- Cucumber Communications
- KirbyCard calling cards