Gateways is an international organization whose self-declared mission is it to "raise Jewish consciousness."

Origins

Gateways was founded in 1998 by Rabbi Mordechai Suchard with the stated goal of "providing opportunities for Jews to unlock the treasure of their heritage through dynamic educational and social programs." The organization is based in Monsey, New York, United States. It began as an American offshoot of Arachim (meaning "values"), an Israeli

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

outreach organization founded in 1979. Funding for Gateways is entirely from individual donors.

Programs

The programs educate in Jewish values and traditions." Gateways often joins with other organizations to co-sponsor events. Programs include: * Family education. * Learning programs for collegiates and young professionals. * Services focused on the Russian American Jewish community. * Singles networking and matchmaking. * Learning opportunities via the internet, including an "

Ask the rabbi Ask the Rabbi is a term used in Jewish newspapers and on Jewish websites for responsa, known as ''Shut'' (Hebrew: שו"ת, literally Q&A), the traditional term for correspondence with rabbis, usually on a Halachic basis. This phrase is often use ...

" portal. * Life skills and professional development seminars. *

Jewish holiday Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' ( he, ימים טובים, , Good Days, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed in Judaism and by JewsThis article focuses on practices of mainstre ...

programs. In addition to the New York metropolitan area, the organization hosts events throughout the United States.

Gateways personalities

Gateways is staffed by a team of 45 working in seven departments.

Rabbi Mordechai Suchard

Rabbi Mordechai Suchard is the founder and executive director of Gateways. He is a Jewish educator, speaker and author.

Biography

Suchard was born in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. His father is a dayan (ecclesiastical "judge") on the

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

Beth Din A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...

. He studied at the Telshe yeshiva, in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. He attended Ponevezh in

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an are ...

, Israel, and received his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Itzhak Kolitz, the

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and Dean of the Jerusalem Beth Din. Suchard founded Gateways to promote the continuity of

. He has established and run a network of outreach organizations targeting college students, young professionals, singles and Russian immigrants in the United States. He is active in Jewish education on the Internet. Suchard has served on the rabbinical board of "Ask The Rabbi" answering questions about Jewish law, philosophy and ethics. He speaks across America on Jewish issues such as

prophecy In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or prete ...

and seeing God in one's life. Suchard was on the American delegation accompanying US President

George Bush George Bush most commonly refers to: * George H. W. Bush (1924–2018), 41st president of the United States and father of the 43rd president * George W. Bush (born 1946), 43rd president of the United States and son of the 41st president Georg ...

when he visited Israel in May 2008 to mark the country's sixtieth birthday celebrations.

Political views

Rabbi Suchard is a supporter of

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Joe Lieberman, contributing to his political campaign from 2002 to 2006.

Rabbi Mordechai Becher

Rabbi Mordechai Becher is an author and lecturer on topics of Jewish philosophy and ritual law and practice.

Biography

Born in Australia, Becher attended the Bialik College in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

for

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

. He received his rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the

. Shortly thereafter, he started lecturing at Neve Yerushalayim, Darchei Binah and

Ohr Somayach Ohr Somayach may refer to: *Ohr Somayach (book), commentary by Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk **''Ohr Somayach'', common reference to Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk *Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem, a network of yeshivas based in Israel * Ohr Somayach, Monsey, a ...

College, remaining at the latter for 15 years. He also served as a senior lecturer at Ohr Somayach Thornhill for four years in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, from 1992 to 1996. Becher first moved to Israel in 1978, and served in the

armoured infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is d ...

in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

,. He was an army

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

, teaching in training programs for rabbis and educators. His wife, Chavy, is from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1985 and lived for a time in

Kiryat Moshe Kiryat Moshe ( he, קריית משה) is a neighborhood in Jerusalem, named for the British Jewish philanthropist Moses Montefiore. Kiryat Moshe is bordered by Givat Shaul. History Kiryat Moshe was founded in 1923 with funding from the Moses Mon ...

, Israel. He has co-authored two books on contemporary issues in

Jewish law ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws which is derived from the Torah, written and Oral Tora ...

and has responded to legal, ethical and philosophical questions on the Ohr Somayach "Ask the Rabbi" website. Becher considers Rabbi Moshe Shapiro to be his ''rebbe'', or primary mentor in areas of Torah and Judaism. Becher lives with his wife and their six children in

Passaic Park Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,78 ...

Gateways

Becher is a Senior Lecturer for Gateways. He also lectures for Project Genesis and is one of the leading voices in American Orthodox Jewish outreach. He is known for his sense of humor, evidenced by some of the lectures he delivers, with titles including "Guns and Moses: A Jewish Perspective on

Politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

," "The Rooster, the

Tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

and the

SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

," "

First Fruits First Fruits is a religious offering of the first agricultural produce of the harvest. In classical Greek, Roman, and Hebrew religions, the first fruits were given to priests as an offering to deity. In Christian faiths, the tithe is similarly g ...

, Cheeseburgers and Lord of the Flies" and " Shabbos: Who Invented the Weekend Anyway?"

Other endeavors

Becher is the author of books, including ''Avodat Ahavah'' (''Labor of Love'', available only in Hebrew) covering the Jewish laws related to ''

kiruv Orthodox Jewish outreach, often referred to as ''Kiruv'' or ''Qiruv'' ( he, קירוב "bringing close"), is the collective work or movement of Orthodox Judaism that reaches out to non-observant Jews to encourage belief in God and life accord ...

''. He co-authored ''After the Return: A Guide for the Newly Observant'' with Moshe Newman and wrote ''Gateway to Judaism: The What, How and Why of Jewish Life''. Becher has contributed to the development of computer software programs related to Israeli

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

. Becher has a radio show on OU-Radio, which operates in a question and answer format. Becher is the host of a

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...

show that airs on Shalom TV, carried on

Time Warner Cable Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC) was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, operat ...

's Channel 1 On Demand entitled "Dimensions of the Daf," a reference to the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

, a page of which is referred to as a ''daf''. Becher has given lectures for organizations that include the

UJA The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1939 until it was folded into the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the 1999 merger of United Jewish Appeal (UJA), Cou ...

and the Zionist Organization of America. Becher has studied

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yie ...

archeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and history and is on the speakers list of the Israeli Consulate in New York.
Lectures by Rabbi Mordechai Becher

Rabbi Jonathan Rietti

Rabbi Jonathan Rietti is an English-born Rabbi, educator, and prominent speaker.

Biography

Rietti was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the son of British actor and director Robert Rietti. A descendant of the Sephardic leader the

Ben Ish Chai Yosef Hayim (1 September 1835 – 30 August 1909) ( Iraqi Hebrew: Yoseph Ḥayyim; he, יוסף חיים מבגדאד) was a leading Baghdadi ''hakham'' (Sephardi rabbi), authority on ''halakha'' (Jewish law), and Master Kabbalist. He is best ...

, Rabbi Rietti studied at Dvar Yerushalaim under Rabbi Baruch Horovitz and then went on to receiving his rabbinical ordination from

Gateshead Talmudical College Gateshead Talmudical College ( he, ישיבת בית יוסף גייטסהעד), popularly known as Gateshead Yeshiva, is located in the Bensham area of Gateshead in North East England. It is the largest yeshiva in Europe and considered to be one ...

and was then involved in establishing a growing

kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

. Rietti is a senior lecturer for Gateways. He lectures on Jewish life and identity, lecturing throughout the United States. He possesses a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in educationJewish Inspiration, Inc. - reverse side of audio albums and has been an educational consultant since 1986, offering guidance to parents of gifted and

ADD Addition (usually signified by the plus symbol ) is one of the four basic operations of arithmetic, the other three being subtraction, multiplication and division. The addition of two whole numbers results in the total amount or '' sum'' of ...

children. Rietti is the author of a book entitled ''The Art of Healthy Living'', based on

Maimonides Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...

' teachings of healthy diet. He runs educational seminars and lectures, focusing on inner growth, relationships, positive parenting, health, and support for the authenticity of

. He has recorded over 200 lectures.

References

External links

*Gateways
Gateways website

The Brownstone

RAJE"Gateways' Russian American Jewish Experience (RAJE) Newly Top-Rated Jewish Nonprofit on GuideStar"
''ABC'', Lincoln, NE November 23, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gateways (Organization) Baalei teshuva institutions Jewish organizations based in the United States

Origins

Programs

Gateways personalities

Rabbi Mordechai Suchard

Biography

Political views

Rabbi Mordechai Becher

Biography

Gateways

Other endeavors

Rabbi Jonathan Rietti

Biography

See also

References

External links