The Shema is Judaism’s most iconic declaration — six words carried across thousands of years, countries, and circumstances. Now, a bold new initiative is inviting a million Jews to reclaim them.

Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, founder of New Jewish Outreach Program, and Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff, co-founder of Simchat Torah Challenge, join Rabbi Justin Pines to discuss the Shema Initiative — a collaboration to inspire one million Jews to recite the Shema twice a day, with love. They explore the meaning behind these ancient words, whether it matters to say them in Hebrew, and how they’re pairing inspiration with practical tools — including NJOP’s legendary Hebrew Reading Crash Course — to make sure no Jew is left on the outside.

Rabbi Buchwald is a student of Rabbi Soloveitchik, a recipient of an honorary doctorate from Yeshiva University, and one of the pioneers of the Jewish outreach movement in America. For fifty years — beginning with the legendary Beginners Service at Lincoln Square Synagogue — he has devoted his life to opening doors into Jewish life. Through NJOP, he has reached nearly 1.8 million Jews across more than 5,000 locations in 46 countries.

Rabbi Hajioff is a beloved professor of Jewish philosophy and mysticism at Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University, where he was voted Professor of the Year in Judaic Studies. Originally from London, he came to Jewish education by way of Manchester University and MTV, and serves as a senior educator at the Edmund Safra Synagogue in Manhattan. In just two years, Simchat Torah Challenge’s weekly newsletter has grown to nearly 50,000 subscribers, reaching Jews well beyond the Orthodox world.

With Elul underway and Rosh Hashanah approaching, this conversation is a timely invitation to reconnect with the words at the heart of Jewish life.

The Shema Initiative https://simchattorahchallenge.org/shema

Simchat Torah Challenge: https://simchattorahchallenge.org/

National Jewish Outreach Program: https://njop.org/

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