204 Bochurim Boost NCFJE

By COLlive reporter

Every Wednesday for the past seventy years, young men (and women) have travelled throughout New York city to give free Jewish schooling to public school children.

The Released Time Program, a division of the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education (NCFJE), was instituted in the 1940’s by the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef I. Schneerson. In the early years of the program, when the children who attended were from a few dozen predominantly Jewish public schools, attendance was at 12,000.

In the years to come, the current Rebbe would describe the Released Time Program as “Hatzalos nefashos mamash,” and would advise that Shluchim who sought to appoint a new Shliach in their town, should first look for those who were involved in Released Time as bochurim.

This year the Released Time program, under the direction of Rabbi Shazak Zirkind, includes over a thousand children from a record 84 schools from around the five boroughs and long Island.

There are currently a record 204 Released Time instructors, as well.

COLlive photographer Yossi Percia joined for a visit to a school that last year had only 1 student in the program. This year there are over 40.