Oorah (organization)

Oorah, Inc.
FounderChaim Mintz
Headquarters
Lakewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Revenue56,660,418 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Total assets197,739,957 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Websiteoorah.org

Oorah Kiruv Rechokim, Inc (Hebrew: עורה קירבו רחוקים; "awaken and bring in those who are far"), better known as Oorah is an incorporated Orthodox Jewish outreach (kiruv) organization.[1] It is a United States–based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.[2]

History

Oorah, Inc. was founded by Chaim Mintz and is based in Lakewood. Day-to-day operations are overseen by his son, Eliyohu Mintz of New Jersey.[3][4]

Programs

Oorah operates and/or funds 49 individual programs that target Jewish outreach (Kiruv) and learning, family support, personal growth, and relationship counseling. It promotes family support and development.[5][6] It runs summer camps for boys and girls, Jewish holiday enrichment, early, primary, and secondary educational support and enrichment, as examples. One of their main programs involves an anthropomorphic $5 bill, named Fiveish.

In the summer of 2007, 31 undocumented workers doing work for a subcontractor at Oorah's summer camp were arrested in a raid by ICE and local law enforcement.[7] Camp director Eliyohu Mintz stated that the organization was not aware that the workers lacked employment authorization.[8]

In September 2010, a website for some of Oorah's camps was hacked.[9]

In 2017, a report from the attorney general of Minnesota, Lori Swanson, stated that Kars4Kids, a vehicle donation charity and sister organization to Oorah, had misled donors in Minnesota regarding the use of their funds. Of the $3 million raised by Kars4Kids in Minnesota, less than $12,000 went to children in Minnesota, while 90% of the funds went to Oorah, which is based in New Jersey and operates summer camps in New York. The report also stated that Oorah had lost almost $10 million in real estate transactions.[10] Kars4Kids and Oorah share offices in Lakewood, and have many employees working for both charities. The attorney general's office found that the majority of Oorah's funds came from grants from Kars4Kids.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Oorah.org". Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  2. ^ "Oorah.org - Tax exempt status". Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  3. ^ Genia Gould (February 4, 2007). "With Curls and a Haircut, a Billboard Is Reborn". The New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "About Oorah | Jewish Outreach". www.oorah.org. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  5. ^ "Oorah Programs". Oorah. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  6. ^ Oorah's self-published December 2008 news bulletin, pages 90-91
  7. ^ Palmateer, Jake (July 12, 2007). "Neighbors surprised by ICE raid". The Daily Star. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  8. ^ Immigration News Briefs (July 22, 2007). "Immigration News Briefs - NY: Raid at Upstate Summer Camp". Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  9. ^ '"Oorah's Children's Camp Site Attacked by Radical Islamists on Anniversary of 9/11". The Yeshiva World. September 14, 2010.
  10. ^ "Kars4Kids charity misleads donors report says - CBS This Morning - CBS News". CBS news. May 5, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  11. ^ Prather, Shannon (May 5, 2017). "Minnesota attorney general finds that less than 1 percent of donations to Kars4Kids charity goes to Minnesota kids". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
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