As Rosh HaShanah approaches, the team at Emet Outreach reflects on a year filled with learning, relationships, leadership, community, and continued spiritual growth. “Rosh HaShanah gives us a chance to appreciate how much can happen in a year,” said Rabbi Akiva Rutenberg, Emet Co-Founder and CEO. “We’ve seen students take meaningful steps in their Jewish lives, deepen their connection to Torah, and become part of a growing community. We enter 5787 deeply grateful to our students, educators, staff, and partners, whose commitment makes it all possible.”
Throughout the year, Emet was there for students and alumni at many different stages of their Jewish journeys. Across Emet’s Campus Division, students participated in classes at St. John’s University, Queens College, Baruch College, Adelphi University, and New York Institute of Technology. Specialized programs, including jHealth, jBiz, and jLaw, gave participants additional ways to connect Torah learning with their academic and professional interests. The Fresh Meadows Fellowship brought students together for weekly learning and discussion, while Shabbatons offered opportunities to experience a Torah lifestyle in a more immersive way.
Student leadership also became a growing focus through Emet’s JBoard, which united students from different campuses to collaborate on larger programs for their peers. One JBoard Shabbaton had a waiting list, while another attracted more than 150 participants. Over the summer, the campus connection continued as Monday Night Live welcomed students for energizing evenings of Torah learning, dinner, and friendship.
For a group of Fellowship graduates, one of the summer’s most meaningful experiences was a journey through Poland and Vienna. The trip brought history to life in a way that strengthened their Jewish identity and inspired the students to commit to more mitzvos when they returned home.
Beyond campus, Emet’s Women’s and Men’s Divisions offered opportunities to take learning further. Motivated young women continued through a progression of programs, including Stepping Up, Stepping Higher, Ateret Emet Seminary, and TorahConnect for Women, along with immersive trips to Miami and California. This year, the Women’s Division introduced its first-ever Shabbat Challenge, creating an inspiring six-week period in which a Shabbaton was offered every weekend and participants committed to attending at least three. The experience culminated with a meaningful week in Texas for those who completed the challenge. Earlier in the summer, there was also a four-day getaway in Lakewood, filled with elaborate activities, classes, and a beautiful Shabbos. Labor Day weekend brought the summer to a close with a magnificent Shabbaton at the Olami Center for Women in the Five Towns.
In the Men’s Division, TorahConnect welcomed students and alumni each week for lively beis midrash-style chavrusa learning with community mentors. The Forest Hills Minyan, hosted by Rabbi Michael and Mrs. Dina Fuzaylov, brought students and alumni together every Shabbos and Yom Tov for davening, meals, and warm hospitality. The men also traveled to Orlando and spent a growth-oriented weekend in Lakewood and Toms River, where they experienced Torah-centered communal life firsthand. Of special note was the opportunity for some students to learn in Israel this winter under the guidance of Emet rabbeim.
In the Couples Division, the Emet team was thrilled to share in the simchah at many weddings throughout the year. There were chasan and kallah classes and compelling workshops on various marriage-related topics. Two focal points were the exhilarating Winter Retreat at Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch, New Jersey, and a meaningful Summer Retreat at Whispering Oaks in Connecticut, where alumni couples spent Shabbat strengthening their marriages and deepening their connection to Hashem. As always, a foundation of the division was the Halacha Hotline 24/6. Moderated by Rabbi Binyamin Yuhanan, this resource, with more than 1,000 members, offered real-time halachic guidance. An adorable addition was the “Mommy and Me” series, which brought mothers and married women to the Emet Center for brunch, learning, and babysitting.
“More than any single class, trip, or event, what means the most to us is seeing how these experiences connect over time,” shared Rabbi Rutenberg. “A student may begin with one program and then continue learning, take on greater leadership, form friendships, and eventually build a Jewish home. With Hashem’s help, we’re looking forward to a next-level year and are more committed than ever to being there for every student, young professional, and young couple searching for meaning, community, and Jewish growth.”