As of March 2025, two giant organizations in the world of kiruv have joined forces to expand, strengthen and “dive deeper” in their outreach to Jews of all stripes worldwide. Rabbi Eli Gewirtz, founder and international director of Partners in Torah, and Rabbi Steven Burg, director general-mankal of Aish HaTorah, have joined forces and resources to create a merger that will greatly enhance the mission of “L’hagdil Torah U’Leha’adira,” to enhance Torah and and fortify it.
In announcing the exciting new partnership, Rabbi Burg said: ”Almost a year ago, I had dinner in Jerusalem with my close friend and partner David Magerman. Over a deep conversation about the future of Jewish education, he brought up Partners in Torah through whose efforts his own Jewish journey was shaped. He was referring to one of the most impactful Jewish organizations connecting Jews through one-on-one learning partnerships. Founded by the indefatigable Rabbi Eli Gewitz over 32 years ago, Partners in Torah has changed countless lives by making Torah study accessible, personal and meaningful. … Fast forward a year and I am beyond proud to announce that Aish and Partners in Torah are joining forces. This is a game-changer for Jewish education, combining the reach and innovation of Aish with the powerful one-on-one mentorship of Partners in Torah.”
Rabbi Gewirtz said of the new merger, “We are embarking on an exciting new chapter through which we will be able to amplify our impact and insure our long term sustainability. Partners in Torah is joining forces with Aish, one of the most respected Jewish educational institutions in the world. This partnership will allow us to expand our reach, enhance our programming, and bring the power of one-on-one Jewish learning to an even wider worldwide audience.”
In speaking with Rabbi Dovid Rosman, director of the Aish Educational Institute, we gained insight into the wide bandwidth of Aish. Thousands of individuals walk through the doors of Aish each year. On an ongoing basis, Aish offers 30 in-person learning programs for students from all walks of life, between the ages of 18 to 35. Last year alone, over 60,000 students participated in Aish learning programs. Students at Aish are moved by its innovative approaches to learning. However, when they leave the halls of the yeshiva, they are often on their own in finding ways to continue their learning.
Enter Partners in Torah. Through the newly formed partnership, Aish students will be directed to Partners in Torah through which they will be set up with in-person or online mentors hailing from 50 countries and 49 states within the U.S. Combining Aish’s educational staff of 150 and the thousands of PIT mentors, and utilizing the Curriculum Laboratory of both organizations, many thousands more students can be served. Partners in Torah’s classical curriculum, including the weekly Parsha, Shabbat observance and self-growth, will be expanded to include many more areas of study geared to the diverse Jewish audiences they will be working with, from Chasidish to Litvish, Sephardim and Ashkenazim, unaffiliated to recently connected.
Rosman further explained that through Aish’s five yeshiva programs and five seminary programs, through which the young students are prepared for lives incorporating Torah leadership, they can provide PIT with a huge ready-and-willing core of future mentors who are eager to incorporate outreach into their adult lives.
The mission of Partners in Torah is to facilitate meaningful one-on-one connections between Jews of diverse backgrounds, making Judaism accessible, relevant and deeply personal. The vision foreseen by this mission is a globally united people, connected to their heritage and each other, transcending boundaries of geography, background and affiliation. With this mission and vision in mind, it is no surprise that PIT and Aish are a “match made in Heaven.” Both organizations share the same core values—taking responsibility for the perpetuation of the Jewish people, making Jewish wisdom accessible, and embracing every Jew with love.
Rabbi Burg expressed: “I want to extend my deepest gratitude to David and Debra Magerman for their unwavering guidance and support. Thank you to the Vaad and executive board of Aish for their enthusiastic backing. Thank you to Rabbi Gewirtz and Partners in Torah COO Tehilla Friedland together with their incredible team for trusting us to walk this path together. Thank you to our Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz for his passionate encouragement, and to Rabbi Dovid Rosman, who has been the driving force behind making this merger a success. A very special thank you to the Aish and Partners in Torah communities, who have cheered this union on.”
