Outreach organizations are relatively new facets of Jewish life, although outreach, in some form, has existed since the days of Abraham and Sarah, who dedicated their lives to inviting as many guests into their homes as possible so they could teach them that there was one G-d and how to thank Him. In the Mishna, we are told to “Be like the Disciples of Aaron, loving G-d and bringing his creatures closer to the Torah.” The concept of Jewish outreach involves educating Jews about their heritage, Torah and the observance of commandments, such as candlelighting and tefillin. If outreach has existed for centuries, why are we only hearing about it now?
Jews have always believed in bringing others closer to the Torah (outreach is distinct from finding converts, which is discouraged in Jewish life, because of the number of obligations required when becoming a Jew. If a non-Jew believes in one G-d and follows 7 basic moral laws, he or she will have a place in the World to Come without having to convert to Judaism.) There wasn’t much of a need for outreach for many centuries, because Jews often lived in close-knit communities in which everyone was observant. However, in the late 18th century, Jewish communities were devastated bythe horrible massacres in Poland which claimed the lives many scholars and teachers, and, as a result, many Jews were grew up without a basic knowledge of their tradition. The Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name) laid the foundations of the Chassidic movement, which was designed to bring Jews closer the G-d through enthusiastic worship and engaging the hearts of those who had become alienated from Jewish life.
Today, Chabad and Aish are two Jewish movements dedicated to reaching out to fellow Jews. When Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn arrived in America from Russia, he began setting the foundations for Chabad outreach in America, and these organizations led by his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, who sent his followers to every corner of the globe to ensure that any Jew who traveled as far as Tibet would have kosher food, a Shabbat service, Shabbat candles and tefillin available. Today, there are over 3,000 Chabad Houses worldwide and many branches of Aish, as well as other Jewish outreach organizations in existence.