Project Inspire's Yom Kippur Make Them Orthodox Fundraiser!

     This afternoon, the following Yom Kippur fundraising appeal from Project Inspire graced my inbox. I've taken the liberty of highlighting a few noteworthy phrases.

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Dear Friends, During these days of Tishrei . . . you and I joyously proclaim and coronate Hashem as King of the entire world . . . but 90% of the Jewish people have no idea what that means. Please join Project Inspire’s unique mission of thousands of committed Jews bringing back our 5 million swiftly vanishing brothers and sisters to Avinu Shebashamayim. With your help, Project Inspire will reach out to the masses of our brothers and sisters. PLEASE CLICK ON THE AMOUNTS BELOW TO DONATE: $54      One on One Learning – enables a frum person to learn              b’chavrusa with a secular Jew   $250   Series of Inspiration - after work networking event with dinner              and Torah speaker   $500   Shabbat Retreat – connect hundreds of less-affiliated Jews with              frum families and communities   $1,000 J-Inspire Life Changing Trips to Israel -  send hundreds of              secular women to Israel with our trained and motivated lay frum              women With your support . . .  Hundreds of not yet observant women will go on a life-changing 10 day trip to Israel accompanied by (anything but) ordinary frum women who through J-Inspire recruit and take responsibility to follow up with the women so that they in turn may influence their entire families to increased Jewish commitment.   Our Community Kiruv Shabbatons in frum neighborhoods will host a thousand-plus marginally affiliated students, singles and families for an unforgettable Shabbos.   Project Inspire’s “already observant” population will experience the joy, inspiration and z’chus of reaching out to the Almighty’s children AND THEREBY strengthen themselves, their families and often at-risk teens and adults that they know . . . or what’s known as Chizuk and Kiruv Kerovim.   Hundreds of less observant Jews will be matched to study Torah one on one with Project Inspire participants.   Monthly Evenings of Inspiration in Manhattan restaurants and offices host 50 professionals, less connected Jews invited by Project Inspire participants, to connect with each other and learn about Judaism   Thousands of less connected Jews will receive Holiday gifts and inspiring cards from frum neighbors, co-workers and relatives to connect them to Judaism and Jews. When we stand before Hashem, let us declare that we have done all that we could to connect our fellow Jews to the Melech al kol ha-aretz.  May our Kiruv actions hasten the Bias HaMoshiach, bimheira vyameinu.  Thank you for your contribution to Project Inspire. Best wishes for a Gmar Chasimah Tovah, Rabbi Chaim Sampson                                                         Director, Project Inspire                                        Rabbi Mordechai Tropp Executive Liaison P.S. To donate by mail, please mail your check to Project Inspire 5774 Campaign at the address below.

    Before I get to the more serious part of this post, I'd like to thank Project Inspire for taking the time to try to keep us non-orthodox Jews from vanishing. *Poof* I hate when that happens. Unfortunately, Project Inspire's methodology in keeping Jews from disappearing en masse, is to make them all orthodox.
     Once again, understand the problems inherent in Project Inspire's message to its supporters, and bear in mind that Project Inspire is affiliated with Aish International (Aish HaTorah,) a major outreach organization. There is a huge lack of respect for non-orthodox Jews, evidenced by the very words they use to describe those who are not orthodox: "less connected Jews," "less observant Jews,""marginally affiliated,""less affiliated," and my personal favorite, "not yet observant." Project Inspire is making gross assumptions about other Jews,  all the while convincing their orthodox supporters, or as they call them the "already orthodox population," that non-orthodox Jews are somehow inferior, non-practicing, lacking in knowledge, spirituality, and/or a connection to the Jewish community. Project Inspire also believes, based on their wording, that it is their responsibility to change those they meet.
     Project Inspire doesn't try to hide that their goal is to churn out newly orthodox Jews. The use of the phrase "not yet observant" makes this exceedingly clear. Not yet implies that something hasn't happened by the present time, but it is expected to happen at some point in the future. While that should be obvious, it still should be considered closely. Further proof of this is in Project Inspire's  use of the term "already orthodox," implying that this orthodoxy has happened to a certain portion of the population by the current time.
     Of the kiruv rabbis and former kiruv rabbis I've encountered, and from blogs, comments, and opinion pieces I've read, it seems that a lot of people in kiruv are quick to deny that their goal is to make anyone orthodox. And yet, Project Inspire, which bills itself as "A Program of Aish International" and has a kiruv.com copyright, is very open about trying to make non-orthodox people frum--at least when it comes to attempting to attract donors for  their fundraiser. But I wonder, are they this honest about their intentions when meeting with the "not yet observant?"

How About the Easy Gift of Respect?

Click to enlarge. Project Inspire (affiliated with Aish HaTorah) is
selling outreach gifts for the "less-affiliated."

     Yes, you know the drill. Same problem as usual: the use of the phrase "less-affiliated." I have mentioned this in several other posts about Project Inspire's holiday outreach campaigns. Read them here, here, and here. (I discuss this in other posts as well, feel free to search this blog using the search feature.)
     While I find terms that appear to pass judgement on anyone's affiliation abhorrent, I was thinking about something else when I read this advertisement. This ad, like many of Project Inspire's other ads,  subconsciously serves to drive a wedge into Jewish culture as a whole, dividing us, in the words of Pink Floyd, into "us and them." This further serves to widen the gap between people who profess a desire to bring non-orthodox Jews to orthodoxy but then once they become orthodox, inevitably treat them and their children as second-class citizens.
     Furthermore, while it is very nice to give people gifts, such gift-giving can be perceived as awkward and even inappropriate in certain settings. Certain questions crop up when gifts from "acquaintances" are received: Why am I receiving this? Do I give a gift in return? Do I now owe this person something? What are the motives behind this gift? If this is a person at work, are there now concerns about job status, favoritism, and the disrupting the delicate social balance that needs to be maintained in the workplace?
     This isn't to say that there's anything wrong with a well-intentioned gift from the heart. And I'm thrilled to say that my own mom bakes honey cake and gives me one every year, but I know that there is genuine love in that gift, in addition to what has always been unconditional acceptance, even when she disagrees with choices I've made. I'm lucky to have a wonderful and diverse set of friends who are similar in that regard: we all accept each other, warts and all, without feeling the need to change each other. Such a gift from any of these people would never be second-guessed.
     I'm not sure if I've previously mentioned this, but a justification I've often heard for kiruv, not from Project Inspire, but from Chabad, was that the Jewish people should be considered like a body, and if one part of the body is hurting, the whole body works together to heal; we don't just cut people off. I think that we need to take this analogy of the Jewish people--and all people, really,--much further. Like a body, there are many different parts, and each part has its own unique qualities that make each part important. We cannot all be the spleen, nor can we all be the esophagus. We cannot all clone each other and be the left pinky toe. In order to be a whole and healthy society, we need to accept that we're not all exactly alike and weren't meant to be copies of each other, and honestly, not everyone is going to become (or wants to become) orthodox. Instead, we should respect each others' differences and see the good we all bring to our diverse communities, rather than focus on an imaginary scale of affiliation.

Discount Sale on Orthodox Judaism!!!

     It may seem like a vague generalization when I refer to "highly subsidized programs" meant to entice non-orthodox Jews to take a closer look at orthodoxy. After all, in these tough financial times, who can resist a good bargain? I usually discuss programs that are offered to college students, but in this case, I had a few interesting emails grace my inbox over the past week or so. These emails, from Project Inspire (a program offered by Aish International, part of Aish HaTorah's outreach program,) are meant for kiruv [outreach] professionals to share with the non-orthodox folks they're attempting to recruit to orthodoxy. Just in case you were wondering, yes, it is billed as a "kiruv retreat" only to those in outreach. The colorful printed brochure meant to be given to the non-orthodox does not mention "kiruv" or "outreach" and targets adult professionals who may or may not be married.

The first of a series of emails I received, promoting a Kiruv Shabbos Retreat.
(click to enlarge)

     The initial email makes reference to bringing "less affiliated friends, acquaintances, and relatives." Notice in the text portion of the picture above that this weekend will be "discounted." Well, that was easy. What outreach professional couldn't use a weekend away? And at a discount? And while doing Hashem's [God's] work, recruiting non-orthodox Jews to the fold? But of course, that discount to get kiruv workers to bring their "less affiliated" folks in doesn't help to convince those non-orthodox Jews to show up. After all, these are hard times and at $499 per couple, before figuring in the cost of children,  a weekend retreat can be a bit of a strain. Maybe a financial incentive would be in order?

Orthodox Judaism is on sale with a subsidized weekend away!
(click to enlarge)

Project Inspire decided that a subsidy for the "less affiliated" was a good idea, and via email to kiruv professionals on April 15, 2013, offered to "further subsidize the cost for $50 per person or $100 per couple."

Orthodox Judaism is *still* on sale! But only if you're not yet orthodox!
(click to enlarge)

     I checked my email a few hours ago, not expecting another email from Project Inspire's Jinspire program, but lo and behold, there was another email. This email offered, in bold print, "sponsorships that allow [them] to further subsidize the cost by up to $100 per couple." This led me to believe that there was now a $200 discount available. So I got on the phone and called them about this. The first thing that I was told, upon calling was that the subsidy was "not for people already frum [religious.]" I explained that I understood this, but was this an additional hundred dollar subsidy per non-frum couple? The receptionist gave me a very curt "no" and said nothing more. I thanked her, said goodbye, and hung up. I suspect she figured I was going to try to finagle a further discount, but I was just curious.

You can get all this and more with your subsidized weekend of
kiruv.

     As for the actual weekend's lineup of events, I've included a picture of part of the brochure for your viewing pleasure. It seems pretty innocuous until you realize that the "World Famous Discovery Seminar" will be offered. World famous? Yes. This seminar is offered to educated professionals and college students all over the world, and attempts to prove the Torah and orthodoxy true through science and proofs. It's several hours long, gives a lot of information, and has drawn a lot of criticism. I will discuss this at length in a future post, however, you should be aware that Discovery is meant to "shock and awe" people towards orthodoxy.
     People attending functions such as this should be aware that several recruiting tactics are used in order to draw people in. Removing people from their usual environments and putting them into an environment dominated by the organizers of the weekend, managing guests' time with packed schedules,  and bringing in charismatic speakers are all part of the recruitment process. The initial deception that this is simply a "Shabbos retreat" as opposed to a "kiruv Shabbos retreat," as well as offering financial subsidies in order to get people through the door are other major tactics used by many kiruv/outreach organizations.