OU Impact
Accelerator

Your Ventures.
Our Accelerator.
A Better Community.

Selection – Education – Graduation – Build Our Nation

The OU Impact Accelerator identifies and advances promising Jewish nonprofits. Through education, mentorship, and collaboration, we empower great leaders committed to strengthening our communal landscape in new ways.

JUNE 2020
Accelerator Summer Experience Internship Program Begins
JANUARY 2021
Cohort III Pitch Night
April 2021
Cohort III Education Launch
OCTOBER 2020
Cohort III Applications Open
March 2021
Cohort II Demo Day Graduation

Cohort III

My Tzedakah Fund
My Tzedakah Fund
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My Tzedakah Fund

Founder(s): Carly Friedman

Year Founded: 2016
MyTzedakah is the tzedakah subscription service that aggregates and automates your charitable giving. MyTzedakah’s mission is to empower every Jew to give the most charity possible, with no technological barriers. It is the platform where all Jews engage meaningfully and personally with the charities they love, ensuring the financial sustainability for global Jewish charities.
mytzedakah.com
One Pager: MTF_One Pager
Demos/Samples: MTF_Pitch Deck
Last Kindness
Last Kindness
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Last Kindness

Founder(s): Yael Davidowitz

Year Founded: Idea Stage

Lasting Kindness is a full force effort to stem the staggering rise in cremation amongst American Jewry through awareness, education, and practical assistance.
https://endcremation.org/
https://lastkindness.org/
One Pager: Lasting Kindness_One pager
Torah Institute Beyond Campus (TIBC)
Torah Institute Beyond Campus (TIBC)
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Torah Institute Beyond Campus (TIBC)

Founder(s):Arieh Friedner

Year Founded: 2019
TIBC is a virtual Beit Midrash for college students with the motivation and need for a community of spiritual growth and Torah study.
One Pager: TIBC_One pager
ATARA – the Arts & Torah Association (for Religious Artists)
ATARA – the Arts & Torah Association (for Religious Artists)
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ATARA – the Arts & Torah Association (for Religious Artists)

Founder(s): Miriam Leah Gamliel, Esther Leah Marchette

Year Founded: 2016
ATARA is a network of Torah observant female creative and performing artists of all ages, all hashkafot within Orthodoxy, and varied levels of training and experience. Through conferences, concerts, workshops, online forums, a monthly newsletter and networking organized by our volunteer leaders, we build community and encourage professional advancement in the arts aligned with Torah values.
One Pager: ATARA_One pager
Demos/Samples: ATARA_Newsletter
Torah Live
Torah Live
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Torah Live: The City of Gold

Founder(s): Rabbi Dan Roth, Rabbi Yaacov Deyo

Year Founded: 2014 and earlier

The City of Gold is a self-paced, educational platform for children to craft their own journey through Torah learning by completing an endless playlist of short films, infographics, quizzes, and real-world challenges — and, by doing so, unlock real world donations to the poor of Jerusalem. It is being designed under the guidance of the world’s premier expert in gamification, Yu-kai Chou and with the assistance of Day School principals and their students.
torahlive.com
One Pager: Torah Live_ One pager
Penimi Inc
Penimi Inc
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Penimi

Founder(s): Faigie Zelcer

Year Founded: 2013
Penimi’s mission is to confront contemporary challenges facing Jewish youth who are growing up in the Digital Age. By providing relevant curricula, workshops, and comprehensive trainings to educators and parents across the globe, our youth are empowered to navigate their lives as Torah true individuals with strong core values that will lead to making good choices.
penimi.org
One Pager: Penimi_One pager
Jenna Beltser
Founding Director

Mrs. Jenna Beltser is the Founding Director of the OU Impact Accelerator. Prior to joining the OU, Jenna worked in the financial technology startup world at both Visible Alpha and Novus. Through the Impact Accelerator, Jenna blends her passion for the Jewish community with her experience in startups to transform the landscape of Jewish future. Jenna graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and lives in Michigan with her husband, Lev, and daughter, Bina.   

You can reach Jenna at beltserj@ou.org
Abigail Rochlin
Program and Operations Associate

Abigail Rochlin is the Impact Accelerator’s program and operations associate. She graduated from Yeshiva University’s Stern Honors Program in 2022 with a major in psychology and minor in data analytics. She has been part time with the Impact Accelerator since June 2020 and began working full time at the Accelerator in March 2022.

You can reach Abigail at rochlina@ou.org
Ovadia Sutton
Program Consultant
Ezra Friedberg
Chairman of the Executive Board

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