It’s the beginning of a new era at Emet Outreach. Thanks to an outpouring of support during their recent Charidy campaign, Emet is officially launching Emet 2.0. What is Emet 2.0? It’s an expansion of Emet’s programming to have a greater impact on the Jewish future of the Queens community and beyond. Emet 2.0 means that Emet will continue to connect one-on-one with students with their signature warmth and long-lasting relationships, but they will now also be able to reach more college students, young professionals, and married couples with the beauty of Torah and mitzvos.

“As we start our 18th year, we are incredibly grateful to our devoted students, alumni, community partners, family, and friends who rose to the occasion and supported us during our fundraising campaign for Emet 2.0,” said Rabbi Akiva Rutenberg, Emet Co-founder and Director. “During the past year, we were fortunate to launch the men’s Emet Olami Beit Midrash, many daily women’s learning initiatives, a halachah hotline, EmetMatch.com, and EmetTorah.com. We saw more participation in our classes than ever before, and we realized that now is the time to do more and reach more students. Since our inception, we’ve introduced approximately 3,800 college students to a Torah lifestyle. Emet 2.0 will enable us to strengthen the spiritual foundation for so many individuals and help build and sustain more Jewish families.”

Emet 2.0 represents a new level of meaningful, relevant, and personalized programming. Currently, Emet engages 500 students weekly with 17 programs and 15 full-time staff members. In addition to allowing Emet to increase its base programming with more mentoring, educators, classes, events, Shabbatons, and transformative trips, Emet 2.0 will mark exciting changes in the Campus and Couples Divisions. Emet plans to expand its introductory College Fellowships and presence on college campuses. Since Emet’s ultimate goal is to prevent assimilation and build Jewish families, there will now be a dedicated Couples Division to offer more comprehensive programming to both existing Emet couples and new couples. This division will be headed by Shay Yonaiev, who just joined the team. Shay brings a unique perspective, since he was a student at Emet in the early days and also worked as an HR director. Shay’s skills should be put to good use, as there is typically one wedding of an Emet couple every week!

“The most significant thing about Emet 2.0, is that it really allows us to support and educate more students and couples as they embark on their personal, spiritual journeys,” said Mrs. Rivka Muskat, Associate Director. “There is nothing more important than being able to share and elevate people’s lives with real Torah study. It is our greatest brachah and wish as Emet moves forward.”

While the initial fundraising campaign is over, anyone interested in partnering with Emet 2.0 can still visit EmetOutreach.org.

For further information about Emet programs, visit EmetOutreach.org. To experience Emet’s comprehensive video library of Torah lectures, visit EmetTorah.com.