About Arachim

In 1979, a group of Israeli scientists and educators joined forces to form Arachim, an organization dedicated to renewing authentic Jewish values.

Searching for an educational tool, they devised the Seminar, a 3-5 day retreat that uses lectures, workshops, and discussion groups to examine basic questions of Jewish outlook:

-       Are science and Jewish belief compatible?

-       What is the secret of Jewish survival, that has kept us a vital nation for
        thousands of years?

-       Why are Jews so often in the headlines, even though they constitute less
        than one half of one percent of the world's population?

The Seminar proved immensely popular. Originally, Arachim planned to hold three or four a year. Today, over two hundred are held annually, on five continents, in Hebrew, English, Spanish, Russian, French, Italian, and Hungarian.

The original Seminar format has been adapted for families, singles, and academics.  It is presented in Israel, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, in England, France, Italy, Holland, and Hungary, in South Africa, and in Hong Kong and India. 

Another refinement is the special-interest Seminar, which may focus on alternative medicine, on the martial arts, interpersonal relationships, or mysticism, or motorcycling – and its relationship to Jewish values.

To date, over 500,000 people have attended Seminars worldwide. Their enthusiasm is contagious. “I never knew Judaism had so much to offer!” says Chayim Katz, an engineer from Tel Aviv.  “It’s made my life more meaningful and satisfying.”

“We’re a happier, more united family now,” says Carol Shine. “Don and I know where we’re headed in life. The children sense that we have more direction in our lives, and they’re happier, too.”

"I thought I’d finished with Judaism when I quit Sunday school,” says Hank Levine. “Now that I started to investigate it, as a thinking adult, I see that I hadn’t even begun to tap the resources it offers.”

Arachim is Hebrew for “values.” We offer you a chance to become acquainted with Jewish values that will add meaning to your life.

Arachim: Facts and Figures

Brief details  

Goal: Outreach, education, and support of Jewish men, women, and children towards  living a life of Jewish values, Torah, and mitzvos, the strengthening of the Jewish identity, and assimilation prevention across the globe.

Founded: 1979  by a group of educators and Torah observant academicians.

Scope: The organizations employ some 700 staff members and thousands of volunteers working around the clock throughout Israel and in countries around the world to restore the Jewish people to their heritage.

Israeli Branches: Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Rechasim, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Chadera, Modi’in-Ilit, Cholon, Bat Yam, Zichron Ya’acov, Tel Aviv.

International Branches: The United States, Canada, Argentina, South Africa, France, Hungary, Italy, The Far East.

Seminars: Over 200 seminars per year in Israel, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Canada, England, France, South Africa, Hungary, Hong Kong, India, in Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Hungarian, and Italian.

Participants: Over 30,000 Jews participated in Arachim seminars in Israel and throughout the diaspora last year and some 100,000 new participants join Arachim’s neighborhood workshops and other programming every year.

Content: Arachim seminars convey the basic tenets of Torah Judaism on a professional level using modern terminology in a way that is both clear and accessible to all. Over the course of several days, seminars cover topics such as the origins of the universe, the meaning of life, fate and destiny, harmonious relationships, parenting challenges, Israel and the nations, history’s conclusion, and many others. Seminars feature educators, Torah scholars, and academicians presenting the Jewish approach to their areas of specialty.

Coordination: Arachim offers seminars crafted to meet the unique needs of specialized social groupings such as families, academics, students, singles, teens, immigrant populations, and others.

Neighborhood Workshops: Some 10,000 neighborhood workshops are held in over 200 locations throughout Israel, serving as a bridge and a transition point both towards and after seminar attendance.

Torah Study Centers: Arachim’s chain of study centers provide lectures, Torah, and hashkafa classes for the entire family, including educational activities for children and teens as well as morning seminary programs for single women and evening kollels for men

     World Leader

Arachim has stood among the leading organizations raising Jewish consciousness around the world for over twenty-eight years. Via an impressive array of programming, personal counseling, and community services in cities across the globe, Arachim has led a revolution towards reinstating Jewish values and practice. Arachim’s accomplishments have included helping thousands reclaim their Jewish heritage, bridging the gap between secular and Torah observant Jewish communities, strengthening communal and individual Jewish identity, and stemming Jewish assimilation worldwide.

Arachim was founded in 1979 by a team of academics, scientists, and Torah scholars in Israel who observed that widespread ignorance was slowly divorcing Israeli society from their Jewish heritage. A lack of basic Jewish education among Israelis included ignorance as to the fundamental principals of the Jewish faith, the miraculous history of Jewish survival, and other matters constituting the basis of Jewish identity. Besides their fluency in Judaic studies, the academic background of many of Arachim’s lecturers particularly suited them to the task of promoting Jewish education for the modern mind.

Arachim’s founders originated some of the most popular models of Jewish outreach and education in use today. The best known of those models is the seminar. Over the course of several days, sessions are presented by dynamic lecturers using audio-visual presentations to illustrate the intellectual foundations of Judaism. This model of Jewish outreach has proven to be extraordinarily impacting. Over two hundred Arachim seminars take place every year in a palette of languages around the world.

For Jewish education closer to home, Arachim provides hundreds of local classes, workshops, and symposiums every month in almost every neighborhood in Israel and many neighborhoods in the diaspora as well. Several cities also benefit from Arachim’s Torah Study Centers. The Centers offer educational activities for the entire family, including full-time Torah programming for women and evening kollels for men. An international specially trained staff is available to accompany Arachim alumnae though their first steps in a Torah observant lifestyle and to assist with the process of integration into the Torah observant community.

This world leader in Jewish outreach does not stop there. Arachim’s Media and Information Center has published dozens of explanatory booklets, information flyers, and flash cards with step-by-step instructions for basic Jewish practices.

Arachim’s Research and Development Division collects and collates studies, statistics, and newspaper and television segments relevant towards furthering Jewish education and creates Arachim’s video and multimedia productions.

Arachim's Center for Training and Certification runs courses, sypmosiums, and continuing education Seminars towards Arachim's growing international endeavors. These services aim to qualify lecturers and activists for Jewish outreach and include exposure to both leading rabbis and academicians.

Arachim, the first and largest organization of its kind, today employs some seven hundred staff members and thousands of volunteers at branches throughout Israel and in dozens of countries around the world. Though a portion of Arachim's funding is garnered by participation fees, the vast majority of the organization's budget is derived by donor contributions from around the world.

Thousands of Jewish men and women around the world have Arachim to thank for their own and their children's relationship with their heritage. Arachim continues to expand their efforts as outreach activities are demanded from the organizations by Jewish communities across the globe. With continued assistance from the Almighty, there is every reason to look forward to Arachim serving the Jewish people for many years to come.