Yad Yisroel

What Yad Yisroel does

Yad Yisroel is a US-registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1990 at the behest of the Rebbe of Karlin Stolin by Rabbi Shmuel Dishon (President) and Rabbi Yaakov Shteierman (Director) to revive Jewish communal life in the former Soviet Union after the collapse of the Communist regime. Headquartered at 1070 38th Street, Brooklyn, with its main operational center in Pinsk, Belarus under Director of Operations Moshe Fhima (on the ground since 1995), the organization runs the only registered Jewish boarding school and orphanage in Belarus, serving roughly 150 children at the Beis Aharon Schools. The product portfolio spans residential education, the Matanel Gan kindergarten (ages 3-6), tutorial and vocational training programs, summer and winter camps serving 450+ children annually, the Sponsor a Meal Foundation delivering 700+ daily meals to Holocaust survivors and elderly Jews, the National Sunday School Program delivered online via Zoom to nearly 100 children in remote villages, the E-Jewish Library (Russian-language digital content), a Graduate Program placing alumni at yeshivot and colleges in Israel, Europe, and North America, and community outreach including Chevra Kadisha burial services, mikvah facilities, matchmaking, and Shabbatonim seminars across 15+ Belarusian cities.

The organization is funded entirely through charitable donations, with no Belarusian government support and no disclosed institutional investors. Donor-facing offices exist in Brooklyn, Manchester (UK Friends of Yad Yisroel), and Israel. Donation products are unit-priced and span a wide range: from $18 (tzitzis/yarmulka for one camper) up to $50,000 (naming a museum), with mid-tier options including $185/month to feed a child, $750/month orphan sponsorship, $7,500/year full child adoption, and $8,000/year per-child residential cost. Additional revenue mechanisms include the Simcha Project (life-event giving), the Kaddish memorial program, facility dedication opportunities, and the Marilyn Tallman Scholarship Fund. Payments are processed via Stripe through yadyisroel.com and are tax-deductible for US donors. The addressable beneficiary population is approximately 60,000 Jews in Belarus, of whom the organization states 95% have no Jewish affiliation, while the donor base is drawn from the global Orthodox and Hasidic diaspora in the US, UK, and Israel.

Name

Yad Yisroel

Legal name

Yad Yisroel

Website

https://yadyisroel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yad Yisroel is a US-registered non-profit operating the only Jewish boarding school and orphanage in Belarus, serving orphaned children, Holocaust survivors, and elderly Jews through education, meal delivery, and community outreach funded entirely by global charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Humanitarian Non-Profit Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Other Schools and Instruction (6116), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAH

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPADAJAD

School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Food Security & Nutrition Programs

Keywords

• Jewish community services
• Religious education programs
• Orphanage care services
• Holocaust survivor support
• Charitable donation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a registered non-profit organization, Yad Yisroel operates entirely on donations from supporters worldwide. The organization accepts donations through its website, sponsorship programs, and dedicated campaigns for various programs including schools, meals, camps, and infrastructure. Donations are tax-deductible in the United States and the organization has no Belarusian government funding.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Yad Yisroel operates the only Jewish boarding school and orphanage in Belarus, providing residential care, education, housing, meals, and Jewish identity formation for orphaned and disadvantaged children in Pinsk. Beyond the residential schools, the organization delivers 700+ daily meals to Holocaust survivors and elderly Jews, runs summer and winter camps for 450+ children ages 8-19, places graduates at yeshivot and institutes of higher education in Israel, Europe, and North America, and maintains community infrastructure including mikvah, burial services, matchmaking, and Shabbatonim seminars across 16 Belarusian cities. All programs are funded entirely by charitable donations received through US, UK, and Israel offices.

Product overview

Yad Yisroel is a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of interconnected educational and social service programs centered around Jewish life revival in Belarus. The core offering is the Beis Aharon Boarding Schools and Orphanage in Pinsk, supplemented by early childhood education (Matanel Gan), tutorial support, professional vocational training, and extra-curricular activities. The organization provides meal programs serving hundreds of daily meals to Holocaust survivors and elderly, operates summer/winter camps for over 450 children, and maintains community outreach including burial services, mikvah facilities, and Shabbatonim seminars. The E-Jewish Library provides digital Jewish educational content in Russian. Programs are supported by donation-based funding through the Simcha Project, Kaddish Program, and various sponsorship and dedication opportunities. The Graduate Program sends alumni to institutions in Israel, Europe, and North America. All programs collectively serve to restore Jewish identity and heritage among the approximately 60,000 Jews in Belarus, 95% of whom have no Jewish affiliation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beis Aharon Schools: The only registered Jewish boarding school and orphanage in Belarus for boys and girls
• Matanel Gan
• Sponsor a Meal Foundation
• Yad Yisroel Summer Camps
• The Chesed Emergency Fund

Products and services

• Beis Aharon Boarding Schools & Orphanage The only registered Jewish boarding school and orphanage in Belarus, providing residential care, housing, education, meals, Jewish identity instruction, and professional trade training for approximately 150 orphaned and disadvantaged children in Pinsk. Operations cost roughly $8,000 per child per year.
• Matanel Gan (Kindergarten) Early childhood education program for Jewish boys and girls ages 3-6, teaching Hebrew, prayers, blessings, Shabbat and Jewish holiday customs.
• Summer & Winter Camps Camping programs serving over 450 children ages 8-19 from across Belarus, providing Jewish heritage education, recreational activities, and safe environment during school vacations.
• Graduate Program Post-graduation support sending alumni to yeshivot, seminaries, and institutes of higher education in Israel, Europe, and North America, including placements at Touro College, Lakewood (Tal Torah), Stern College, and Hebrew Academy of Cleveland.
• Sponsor a Meal Foundation Meal delivery program providing over 700 daily meals to Holocaust survivors, elderly, and impoverished Jews in Pinsk, Minsk, Rechitza, Gomel, Moghilov, Lida, Orsha, Kalinkovich, Bobruisk and other Belarusian cities.
• Holocaust Survivors & Elderly Program Meals on Wheels for 30+ Holocaust survivors in Pinsk, food packages, social activities, Jewish heritage lectures, clothing, bedding, electric heaters, medication assistance, and medical transport for elderly impoverished Jews.
• Community Outreach Services Chevra Kadisha burial services, kosher mikvah facilities, matchmaking services, Mishpacha Kehalacha instruction for newlyweds, publishing and distribution of religious texts (siddurim, tanachim), The Chesed Emergency Fund, and community outreach across 16 Belarusian cities.
• Shabbatonim Project Weekend Shabbat seminars bringing Torah and Yiddishkeit education to Jews of all backgrounds with beginner to advanced level instruction, including annual alumni reunions that have drawn 300+ participants from North America.
• National Sunday School Program Online Sunday school delivered via Zoom for close to 100 Jewish children across 4 groups in remote Belarusian villages and cities, covering Hebrew alphabet, Bible stories, prayers, Shabbat and holiday customs.
• E-Jewish Library Digital library in Russian offering Jewish topics including Judaism, Jewish holidays, Mishnayos, Tefila, and Torah content, accessible to Russian-speaking Jews across the former Soviet Union.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150 children educated and cared for in residential schools and orphanage
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC): The largest Jewish humanitarian aid organization globally, with extensive operations in the former Soviet Union including welfare, elderly care, and Jewish education. Highly comparable to Yad Yisroel in target population and FSU footprint, though far larger and more diversified.
• World ORT: Jewish vocational and educational organization operating schools and training programs in the former Soviet Union. Comparable to Yad Yisroel's Professional Trade Program and educational mission in FSU communities.
• B'nai B'rith International: Jewish humanitarian service organization with elder-assistance and disaster-relief programs in Eastern Europe. Comparable to Yad Yisroel's elderly welfare and community outreach activities.
• HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society): Jewish refugee and resettlement organization with historical FSU roots. Comparable in serving Jewish populations in the former Soviet Union with social services and community support, though focused on migration rather than residential care.
• World Jewish Relief: International Jewish humanitarian organization providing poverty relief, elderly support, and community services in Eastern Europe, including the FSU. Comparable mission to Yad Yisroel's elderly and welfare programming.
• American Jewish Committee (AJC): Global Jewish advocacy and community organization with FSU programming. Comparable in serving Jewish community continuity, though more focused on advocacy and policy than direct service delivery.
• Chabad-Lubavitch (FSU Operations): Operates schools, orphanages, camps, and welfare programs across the former Soviet Union. Overlaps with Yad Yisroel on Jewish education, summer camps, and community outreach in Belarus and neighboring FSU countries.

Direct peers

• Ezra Worldwide: Provides food, medicine, and welfare assistance to Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union, including Holocaust survivors and the elderly. Directly comparable in mission and beneficiary population to Yad Yisroel's meal and elderly programs.
• Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch: Chabad-affiliated Jewish school network with institutions in the former Soviet Union providing residential education and Jewish identity formation. Directly comparable to Yad Yisroel's Beis Aharon boarding school model.

Regional players

• JCC Association of North America: Network of Jewish Community Centers offering education, camps, and social services. Comparable program categories (camps, schools, community outreach) but positioned primarily in North America rather than the FSU.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/YadYisroelBelarus
• Xx.com/yadyisroel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yad-yisroel-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yad Yisroel