About The Orthodox Union
THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE JEWISH ORGANIZATION OF ITS KIND

The Orthodox Union is the largest and most dynamic Jewish movement of its kind in the world; the central address and national spokesman for 1,000 synagogues; a not-for-profit educational, outreach and social service organization which serves the burgeoning North American Jewish community.

Since its founding 100 years ago, the Union has served as the central coordinating agency for American and Canadian Orthodox Jewish congregations. Our proven, effective activities and programs serve as the Jewish life-line to hundreds of thousands in the United States, Canada, Europe and Israel.

These include:

NCSY, our much admired and heralded educational youth movement, which maintains local and regional youth centers. NCSY teaches good citizenship, inspires youth to live ethical and moral lives, and is a major force in discouraging drug abuse, promiscuity and crime; the SCHOTTENSTEIN JEWISH YOUTH COLLEGE, the multifaceted, continent-wide formal educational program for developmentally disabled young adults. As the name implies, the emphasis is on mainstreaming, including the YACHAD GOOD SPORTS PROGRAM and the YACHAD Collegiate Division; OUR WAY serves similar needs for deaf and hearing impaired teens and young adults:

The Orthodox Union also provides specialized LEADERSHIP TRAINING for college students, scholarship opportunities and apprenticeship programs to train young people for roles in government and communal service; the INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS, provides a strong Jewish voice in the halls of government; KETUBAH, our marriage, singles and family program is dedicated to ensuring future generations; JEWISH ACTION MAGAZINE, our flagship publication is an influential and exciting magazine ready by scores of thousands; our twelve national PUBLICATIONS and BOOKS reaching 400,000 readers; our scholarly and popular journals, tapes and videos; the OU/NCSY ISRAEL CENTER in Jerusalem, the educational center for American students, English speaking residents and Russian speaking immigrants; SYNAGOGUE SERVICES, provide direct linkage and manifold services to 1,000 synagogues, plus retreats, seminars, conferences, and outreach programs; KHARKOV, the city in the Ukraine which is the focal point of our youth and educational activities in the former Soviet Union. The Orthodox Union and NCSY conduct summer camps and educational programs for youth and adults in the former Soviet Union, and educational programs for Soviet Jewish children, youth and adults in Israel to reintroduce them to their heritage.

Finally, the JOINT KASHRUTH CERTIFICATION SERVICE whose OU is the world's preeminent kashruth symbol. OU Kashruth has achieved this status by dedicating enormous resources including a staff of over 1,000 rabbinic coordinators, kashruth supervisors, food chemists and support personnel in certifying 250,000 brand names, hotels, restaurants, services and 2,505 companies in 54 countries around the globe.

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