Young Israel or National Council of Young Israel (NCYI), is a branch of Modern Orthodox Judaism. The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) was founded in 1912 to combat the wave of assimilation by Jews into secular American society. Modern Orthodox Judaism (or Modern Orthodox, also known as Modern Orthodoxy and sometimes abbreviated as MO) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize traditional observance and values with the secular modern world. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Young Israel was founded by Rabbi Israel Friedlander, and Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan (1881-1983), who had begun his career as an Orthodox rabbi at Kehillath Jeshrun, a synagogue in New York. Due to Kaplan's evolving position on Jewish theology, he was later condemned as a heretic by Young Israel and the rest of Orthodox Judaism, and his name is no longer mentioned in official publications as being one of the movement's founders. Rabbi Mordecai Menahem Kaplan (June 11, 1881- November 8, 1983) founded Reconstructionist Judaism. ...

At that time, American Jews were striving primarily for social and economic advancement, often leaving their religious observances behind. Because most jobs required working on Saturdays, observance of the Jewish Sabbath was rare, as were many other traditions. The Young Israel movement aimed to provide a positive Orthodox synagogue experience for newly-arrived immigrants and their future generations. The organization used the traditional communal synagogue to provide educational, religious, social, spiritual and communal programming. American Jew (also commonly Jewish American) is a general term frequently used to describe an American who maintains an active connection to the Jewish community in the United States or abroad, either through an active practice of Judaism, or through cultural and historical affiliation, or both. ... Shabbat (שבת shabbāt, rest Hebrew, or Shabbos in Ashkenazic pronunciation), is the weekly day of rest in Judaism. ... Orthodox Judaism is the stream of Judaism which adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmud (The Oral Law) and later codified in the Shulkhan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law). It is governed by these works and the Rabbinical commentary... Lesko synagogue, Poland A synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת ; beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: שול, shul) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ...

Today, NCYI serves as the national coordinating agency for nearly 150 Orthodox congregations comprised of nearly 25,000 member families throughout the United States and Canada. NCYI also serves as a resource to its sister organization in Israel, entitled Yisrael Hatzair - "The Young Israel Movement in Israel", encompassing over 50 synagogues in Israel. It is a grass roots organization administrated on the congregational model, taking its direction from local and national lay leadership as well as rabbis and professional staff. Its socio-cultural outlook is strongly influenced by the Religious Zionist Movement, with strong support of Israel as the homeland for the Jewish people. Congregations belonging to NCYI are generally named "Young Israel of...", followed by the name of the city or neighborhood. Kippot Sruggot: Modern Orthodox Jewish students carry the flag of Israel at a public parade in Manhattan, NY, USA The Religious Zionist Movement, or Religious Zionism, also called Mizrachi, is an ideology combining Zionism and Judaism, which offers Zionism based on the principles of Jewish religion and heritage. ...

NCYI is a not-for-profit service organization, as defined by their 501(c)3 status. The main headquarters is located in Manhattan, with regional offices in Florida, California, New Jersey and Jerusalem. 501(c)(3) is the type of non-profit organization that is dominant in the United States. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ...

In recent years the movement has moved closer to the Haredi with many Young Israel affiliated rabbis being alumni of the Haredi Lithuanian yeshivas. The Young Israel has resisted attempts by the Orthodox Union to create a union between the two organizations. Haredi or Charedi Judaism, often referred to as Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. ... Yeshiva or yeshivah (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ... OU logo. ...

In recent years, the Young Israel lost much of the influence it had during the 20th century, as many of its synagogues began affiliating with the more influential Orthodox Union. In 2006, after lengthy litigation, Young Israel sold its national headquarters and moved its small staff to leased office space in lower Manhattan. The organization is currently subject to an open investigation by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's Charities Bureau.

Books

Kraut, Benny "A Modern Heretic and a Traditional Community: Mordecai M. Kaplan, Orthodoxy, and American Judaism" American Jewish History - Volume 86, Number 3, September 1998, pp. 357-363

External link

• Young Israel homepage