Release Time Program Honors the Birthday of Rabbi JJ Hecht, OBM

Today, 24 Cheshvan, marks the birthday of Rabbi JJ Hecht, OBM, a pioneer of Jewish outreach in America and longtime director of the Release Time Program.

In honor of his grandfather’s birthday, today’s Release Time Program was sponsored by Mendel and Bassie Hecht.

The Frierdiker Rebbe once told Rabbi JJ Hecht that the very purpose of his neshama’s descent into this world was to lead the Release Time Program, bringing Jewish education to children attending public schools. It was a mission that would become his life’s work and impact generations of Jewish children.

Established by the Frierdiker Rebbe, Release Time was Chabad’s first outreach initiative in America, laying the groundwork for the worldwide shlichus movement.

Each week, dedicated volunteer bochurim and girls continue this mission, bringing Jewish children out of public schools for an hour of Jewish education, introducing them to the basics of Yiddishkeit and strengthening their connection to their heritage.

As Rabbi Shea Hecht, Chairman of the Board of the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education (NCFJE), explains, Release Time remains one of the most meaningful expressions of his father’s lifelong dedication to Jewish education and outreach.

The Rebbe repeatedly emphasized the tremendous importance of Release Time in his sichos, encouraging participation and stressing the responsibility to reach every Jewish child.

As thousands of Shluchim gather for the Kinus Hashluchim, it is especially fitting to recall that the Rebbe would often ask those interested in going on shlichus whether they had participated in Release Time.

For generations of Shluchim, Release Time was their first experience in reaching out to another Jew, a mission that began in the public school classrooms of America and continues today in communities around the world.