A New Era in Jewish Education

We are about to enter a new era in Jewish education. This is not hyperbole.

For generations, the greatest barriers to Jewish education have been access, affordability and availability. Today, for the first time in decades, all three are beginning to shift.

Through the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition, we have helped remove many of those barriers. We have secured government funding to help keep Jewish schools safe, expanded scholarship opportunities so more families can afford tuition, advanced legislation that enables schools to open and grow, strengthened STEM and other educational programs, and delivered millions of dollars in grants and reimbursements directly to Jewish day schools.

As a result, Jewish education is becoming safer, more affordable and more accessible than ever before. At the same time, technological innovation is transforming the way Torah is taught and learned. Together, these developments present one of the most significant opportunities for Jewish continuity in decades. The question is whether we are prepared to seize it.

For countless Jewish families, the decision not to send a child to a Jewish day school was never ideological. It was financial. They wanted a Jewish education but simply could not afford one.

That reality may soon begin to change.

On January 1, 2027, the Education Freedom Tax Credit is scheduled to take effect. While participation depends on state implementation, momentum continues to build as more states move toward joining the program. If fully realized, the legislation has the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of Jewish education for thousands of families.

But legislation alone is not enough. Opportunity requires infrastructure.

The new law relies on Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) to receive and distribute scholarship funds. Recognizing both the promise and the complexity of this moment, the OU is partnering with Jewish Federations of North America and Prizmah to establish a national SGO, endorsed by Torah Umesorah and other leading national Jewish organizations. Rather than requiring every community to build its own system from scratch, we are creating an infrastructure that will allow Jewish day schools and yeshivot across the country to participate efficiently and effectively.

For many families, Jewish education may soon move from aspiration to reality.

The demand is already there.

One of the most encouraging developments of the past few years has been the extraordinary growth of the Orthodox Union’s JSU (Jewish Student Union) clubs. Prior to October 7, 2023, 304 clubs operated in public high schools across North America. Today, there are more than 515. The growth reflects something much deeper than expanded programming.

Thousands of Jewish teenagers are searching for identity, meaning, community, and purpose. They are asking profound questions about who they are and where they belong. Every week, they voluntarily spend part of their lunch period discussing Torah, Israel, Jewish identity and ethics. If resources permitted, we could easily double that number again, opening more than 1,000 clubs nationwide. The question is not whether Jewish teenagers are interested. It is whether we are prepared to meet them where they are.

The same transformation is taking place among adults.

On June 6, 2027, hundreds of thousands of Jews around the world will celebrate the completion of another cycle of Daf Yomi. Not long ago, the idea of learning a page of Gemara every day was considered the province of a dedicated few. Today, it has become woven into the rhythm of Jewish life. Jews from every background, profession and stage of life have shown that consistent Torah learning is not reserved for scholars. It is attainable for anyone willing to commit.

In addition, through apps like All Mishnah, All Halacha, All Parsha and Torat Imecha, daily learning is accessible to more Jews, through more channels. As Rabbi Moshe Hauer, zt”l, would ask: “What is your yomi?” What will you learn daily that will help transform your curiosity, your relationship to Torah, and your connection with Hashem? How will you participate in a growing transformation of “more Jews growing closer to Hashem through Torah”?

Technology is accelerating that transformation.

Recognizing this remarkable moment, the Orthodox Union has launched Ohrbit, an AI-powered Torah learning platform designed to make Torah study more personalized, accessible and uniquely engaging. Technology will never replace great teachers, but it can help every learner discover the right pace, the right material, and the encouragement to continue growing.

For centuries, the dream of making Torah accessible to every Jew was constrained by geography, finances and limited educational resources. Today, many of those barriers are beginning to disappear.

Nearly two thousand years ago, a Jewish leader confronted a very different educational challenge. The Gemara credits Yehoshua ben Gamla with establishing the first universal Jewish educational system. He lived during one of the darkest periods in Jewish history, as Roman oppression intensified and the Beit Hamikdash stood on the brink of destruction. Rather than yielding to despair, he built institutions that would preserve Torah for generations.

The Talmudic tradition presents a complex portrait of Yehoshua ben Gamla. Some sources view him as a visionary; others paint a more complicated picture. Yet perhaps that complexity is precisely the point. As Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky has suggested, his greatness may not have lain in personal perfection but in recognizing that Jewish education stood at a crossroads and refusing to wait for someone else to act. History often turns not on flawless leaders but on people who understand what the moment requires and step forward.

Thank G-d, our generation faces the opposite challenge. We are not confronting the collapse of Jewish education but the possibility of its unprecedented expansion.

Will we encourage families who never imagined a Jewish day school education to take another look? Will we invite neighbors whose children attend public school to explore opportunities that may now be within reach? Will we strengthen our own commitment to lifelong Torah learning by embracing the extraordinary educational tools now available? Will we become ambassadors for Jewish education in our communities?

Every generation has its defining challenge. Perhaps ours is not preserving Jewish education from extinction but ensuring that every Jew who seeks access to Torah can receive it.

As we begin this new year—and, I believe, a new era in Jewish education—let us recognize the extraordinary opportunities before us. And let us do our part to ensure that every Jewish child, every Jewish family, and every Jewish soul has the opportunity to inherit the timeless gift of Torah.

Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph is OU executive vice president/chief operating officer.