Aleph Institute
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| Founded | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Sholom Lipskar |
| Focus | Prison programs, Military programs, Family programs |
| Location | |
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Key people
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Rabbi Aaron Lipskar, Rabbi Mendy Katz, Moshe Barouk, Rabbi Yossi Stern |
| Slogan | We take care, no matter where |
| Website | http://www.aleph-institute.org/ |
Aleph Institute is a Jewish humanitarian organization for both prisoners and military personnel. Aleph Institute also has sister branches, the European Aleph Institute, and the North Eastern US Aleph Institute.
Aleph provides critical social services to families in crisis; addresses the pressing religious, educational, humanitarian and advocacy needs of individuals in the military and institutional environments; and implements solutions to significant issues relating to US criminal justice system, with an emphasis on families, faith-based rehabilitation and preventive ethics education.
Aleph assists with the spiritual needs of Jews serving in the U.S. Armed Forces by providing Jewish books as well as moral and spiritual support. Aleph also distributes special holiday packages to soldiers for Jewish holidays to Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine bases.
Aleph's prison programs focus on Jewish inmates during their prison stay as well as helping them reintegrate into society once released. Aleph helps them observe the Jewish holidays and assist them with their daily Jewish practices, books, food items and materials holidays and daily Jewish practices. Aleph also has a summer visitation program which sends Rabbinical students around the US visiting over 3,000 Jewish inmates.
The Aleph Institute advocates on behalf of many of the Jewish prisoners in the US as well as in some instances, prisoners abroad. Jacob Ostreicher credited the institute with helping to gain his freedom through contacting actor Sean Penn, who made a direct appeal to Bolivian President Evo Morales.
In 2010, Aleph Institute joined 200 Jewish organizations petitioning then Governor Charlie Christ for a stay of execution on behalf of Martin Grossman who was convicted of the 1984 killing of a law enforcement officer.Pope Benedict XVI also sent a personal request to commute the sentence but the execution proceeded and Grossman was killed in 2010.
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