Reaching Out

Reaching Out is the English name of a Chabad organization for prison inmates that helps every Jewish prisoner throughout the United States, as well as in other English-speaking countries such as England and South Africa.

The organization was established in 5746 (1986), when the chairman of the organization, Rabbi Shmuel Spritzer, was in a conversation with Rabbi Chodakov regarding a certain matter, and Rabbi Chodakov suggested that he establish a body that would care for Jewish prisoners. In response to his question, "Isn't there already such an organization?" he answered that the Rebbe told him that in the future they would need to take care of more prisoners since they are seeing that from year to year the number of Jewish prisoners is growing, and therefore there is room for two organizations. Besides that, those organizations don't operate in the name of Chabad, and you will operate in the name of Chabad.

Rabbi Spritzer took on the matter, with the assistance of additional activists, among them: R' Yaakov Ziskind and his wife, R' Ephraim Kol, and R' Zev Kadner. All are businesspeople who help without any intention of personal profit.

Today, Jews of all types are assisted by the organization: ordinary prisoners, lawyers, rabbis, and even Admorim (Hasidic leaders). Everyone has a listening ear, and the people of the organization try to do everything for them, and everything, of course, is free of charge.

Throughout all the years, the organization was under the supervision of Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Isaac Chodakov, the Rebbe's secretary.