JLIC (Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus)

What JLIC (Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus) does

JLIC (Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 and operated as a program under the Orthodox Union (OU), headquartered in New York. JLIC recruits, trains, and places rabbinic couples on college campuses and in Jewish communities to serve as resident Torah educators, role models, and community leaders for Jewish students and young professionals. It operates across 100+ campuses and communities in the United States, Canada, and Israel, with named presences at institutions including UCLA, Yale, Penn, Columbia, NYU, Princeton, Brandeis, Cornell, Binghamton, Maryland, Michigan, Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Rutgers, Bar-Ilan, Ben-Gurion, Technion, Reichman, Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, and others.

The organization's core product is its on-the-ground human-capital model — rabbinic couples delivering Shabbat meals, Torah learning sessions, holiday programming, pastoral counseling, and student-leadership training rather than a software or technology platform. Product lines include the North American Campus Program, Israel College and Community, JLIC Summer (e.g., Harova and TVA tracks), Yavneh (student leadership network training 400+ leaders annually), Avraham's House (social-service initiative), the JLIC Sherut Program (support for young women in national service), and an innovative Semicha (rabbinic ordination) program at Bar-Ilan in partnership with Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh. JLIC also produces Torah content via the Torat JLIC and Torat TLV podcasts.

JLIC is funded primarily through donations and charitable contributions from individuals, families, and organizations, with programs offered free to participants. It reported approximately 8,000 yearly global participants and 600+ programs delivered per year across its locations. There are no proprietary technology platforms, AI capabilities, or APIs associated with the organization; go-to-market is relationship- and community-driven rather than digital-led. The organization is governed under the Orthodox Union umbrella with no external investors or venture funding.

Name

JLIC (Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus)

Legal name

Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus

Website

https://oujlic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JLIC is a nonprofit under the Orthodox Union that places rabbinic couples on 100+ college campuses and communities across North America and Israel to provide Torah education, pastoral support, and Jewish community programming for 8,000 students and young professionals annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Jewish campus education
• Torah learning programs
• Student community building
• Israel education programs
• Religious student services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York, NY

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: JLIC is funded through donations from individuals, families, and organizations who support the mission of empowering Jewish students and young professionals. The website features 'Make a Gift' donation options.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

JLIC recruits, trains, and places rabbinic couples on college campuses across North America and Israel to serve as Torah educators, role models, and community leaders supporting Jewish students and young professionals (ages 18-35) in their religious, academic, and personal development. The organization operates as a residential educator and community-building platform, complemented by the Yavneh student leadership network, summer Israel programs, a Semicha ordination track, the JLIC Sherut program, and the Abraham's House charitable initiative. Programs are delivered free of charge to participants and are funded through charitable donations under the Orthodox Union umbrella.

Product overview

JLIC (Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus) is a multi-program educational organization, not a software technology product. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected campus and community programs centered on Jewish education, leadership development, and Torah learning. The core offerings include North American Campus Programs (rabbinic couples serving on campuses), Israel College and Community programs, Summer/Volunteer Israel Programs (including JLIC Summer at Harova and TVA), Yavneh student leadership network, Abraham's House charitable initiative, JLIC Sherut national service support, and a Semicha (rabbinic ordination) program. Programs are delivered through in-person community building, educational shiurim (lectures), chaburot (study groups), Shabbat programming, internships, and volunteer activities rather than through a software platform or digital product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yavneh: Student leadership network recruiting, training, and mentoring student leaders engaged in positive Israel activism and campus Jewish life.
• JLIC Summer
• Avraham's House

Products and services

• North American Campus Program Recruits, trains, and places rabbinic couples on college campuses across North America to serve as Torah educators, role models, and community leaders who support and empower Jewish students as they navigate the college environment and take their first independent steps into Jewish adulthood.
• Israel College and Community Builds communal and personal support for college students, graduate students, and young professionals (ages 18-35) making Aliyah and choosing to study for a degree in Israel, through university programs (Bar-Ilan, Ben-Gurion, Technion, Reichman, Hebrew University, Ono, Ariel, JCT) and Jerusalem/Tel Aviv community programming.
• Summer and Volunteer Israel Programs Summer and short-term Israel programs featuring professional internships, Torah study, volunteering, travel, and leadership training for college students from North America; close to 200 students participated in JLIC Summer 2026.
• Yavneh Student Leadership Network Recruits, trains, and mentors a network of student leaders engaged in positive Israel activism, building Jewish life, and creating dynamic programs on college campuses across North America; 400+ student leaders trained annually.
• Abraham's House Initiative engaging Jewish students and young professionals in social service and charitable giving, mobilizing the community—especially its younger members—to support a variety of meaningful causes.
• JLIC Summer in Jerusalem at Harova Six-week summer program where participants live in the Old City's Jewish Quarter, combining professional internships with high-level Torah study and community engagement.
• JLIC Summer @ TVA (Midreshet Torah V'Avodah) Summer program in Jerusalem's Katamon neighborhood combining spiritual enrichment, professional development through internships, and communal engagement in collaboration with Bnei Akiva/TVA.
• Semicha Program Innovative rabbinic ordination program at Bar-Ilan University/Givat Shmuel, partnering with Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh's Virtual Halacha Program to offer undergraduate students rabbinic studies alongside their academic degrees.
• Fellowship for Campus Professionals Fellowship program providing professional development for campus professionals working in Jewish student life and education.
• JLIC Sherut Program Support program for young English-speaking women dedicating themselves to national service (Sherut Leumi) in Israel, providing community, social activities, and personal development opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000 yearly global participants across all programs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Mizrachi World MovementmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMizrachi World Movement partners with JLIC on programming and events. Rav Doron Perez, Executive Chairman of Mizrachi World Movement, gave opening remarks at the JLIC Winter Break Israel Solidarity Mission Day of Achdut.
• Sukat ShalomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSukat Shalom is an organization dedicated to helping IDF soldier families build sukkot for Sukkot. JLIC Jerusalem partnered with Sukat Shalom to mobilize community volunteers to build sukkot for families of soldiers, including those injured in conflict.
• Keren Or Jerusalem Center for Blind ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeren Or is a nonprofit serving children with multiple disabilities including visual impairment. JLIC Jerusalem community members volunteered to pack 600 mishloach manot packages for Keren Or's Purim campaign.
• Ben-Gurion University of the NegevcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJLIC operates a program at Ben-Gurion University where Rabbi Idan and Prielle Rakovsky direct community programming, Torah learning, and cultural events for students.
• Yavneh On CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYavneh is an affiliated organization that recruits, trains, and mentors student leaders for Israel activism and Jewish campus life. JLIC works with Yavneh to build local Jewish communities and establish campus-wide student movements across North America.
• Orthodox Union (OU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJLIC is a program of the Orthodox Union. The OU provides organizational infrastructure, funding support, and national coordination for JLIC campus programs.
• Hebrew UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJLIC Summer participants intern at Hebrew University facilities including the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine and various research labs. The university provides internship placements for program participants.
• Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh Virtual Halacha ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJLIC's innovative semicha program at Bar Ilan partners with Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh's Virtual Halacha Program to offer undergraduate students rabbinic ordination alongside their academic degrees.
• OU KosherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRabbi Moshe Elefant, COO and Executive Rabbinic Coordinator of OU Kosher, presented a shiur on the kashrut of lab-grown meat at JLIC Jerusalem, hosted by directors Emily and Rabbi Jeremy Tibbetts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hillel International: The largest Jewish campus organization in North America, serving Jewish students at hundreds of universities. JLIC works alongside and competes with Hillel chapters for student engagement and shared donor support, while operating within the broader ecosystem Hillel coordinates.
• Chabad on Campus: Chabad-Lubavitch's campus outreach arm places rabbinic couples (shluchim) at universities worldwide — a near-identical delivery model to JLIC's, often serving an overlapping Orthodox audience and competing for the same donor pool and student participants.
• Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi): International Jewish fraternity present at more than 180 universities, serving Jewish college students with programming, leadership, and community. Competes with JLIC for Jewish student engagement and Hillel-coordinated programming on shared campuses.
• Olami: Global network of Jewish student organizations focused on Torah learning, leadership, and Israel engagement across multiple universities. Operates in many of the same campus markets as JLIC and shares the Modern Orthodox / Zionist target audience.
• Masa Israel Journey: Operates long-term study, intern, and volunteer programs in Israel for young Jewish adults — directly overlapping with JLIC Summer and JLIC Israel College programs in target audience, geography, and Israel-engagement mission.

Others

• Birthright Israel Foundation: Major funder and organizer of the Birthright Israel trips, a key pipeline into JLIC's Israel summer and aliyah-support programs. Sits upstream in the same Jewish young-adult engagement funnel.

Emerging players

• Bnei Akiva: Religious Zionist youth movement that partners with JLIC on summer programs (TVA / Midreshet Torah V'Avodah). Operates overlapping summer programming and on-campus activities targeting the same Modern Orthodox student demographic.
• Aish HaTorah: Jewish educational organization offering Torah learning programs, Discovery seminars, and Israel experiences — including on-campus kiruv activity that competes with JLIC for non-Orthodox students exploring Jewish practice.
• National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP): Jewish outreach organization running on-campus and community-based educational programs. Competes for the same Jewish young-adult attention and donor dollars as JLIC, particularly for unaffiliated or less-observant student segments.

Broad incumbents

• Yeshiva University / RIETS: Major Modern Orthodox institution and rabbinical seminary (RIETS). A core feeder for JLIC's rabbinic couples and a destination for JLIC alumni pursuing advanced Jewish study; overlaps in mission and pipeline rather than direct delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jlic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about JLIC (Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus)