The National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education is a multifaceted charity that protects, feeds, and educates thousands of children and families throughout the New York metro area and across the nation.
Our Story
Founded in 1940 by the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, of righteous memory, the NCFJE was one of the first Chabad-Lubavitch charities established in the United States. Its principal mission was to give Jewish public school students a free Jewish education through the Released Time Program, which at its height reached as many as ten thousand children every week.
Under the leadership of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, the NCFJE expanded its reach and strengthened its impact.
Soon after its founding, Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht was appointed to lead the organization and broaden the range and intensity of its activities. Many Released Time students came from homes facing economic and social hardship, and the NCFJE responded by creating a wide array of educational and humanitarian services.
The NCFJE established Camp Emunah in 1953, an overnight camp for Jewish girls that continues to serve generations of campers. It also opened Hadar Hatorah and the school known today as Machon L’Yahadus, the first yeshivas created specifically for baalei teshuvah, offering a place for sincere Jewish learning and growth.
The NCFJE became known for addressing the pressing challenges of each era. Its work included rescuing over one thousand Jewish children from Iran, establishing the Colony of Hope in Israel, and providing counseling and hotline services following the Crown Heights riots and the Brooklyn Bridge shootings.
Today, the NCFJE continues to operate the programs developed under Rabbi J. J. Hecht, providing fast, discreet, and dignified assistance to families throughout the Jewish community. Although much has changed since 1940, our mission remains the same: helping children and families through education and charity.
Our Founders
The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, of righteous memory
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory
Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht O.B.M.
Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht, known to all as Rabbi J.J., was a fourth-generation American Jew. He was the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s right-hand man, and a leading Chabad rabbi, educator, writer and radio commentator. He led the NCFJE and was the force that kept it running.
Watch Rabbi J.J. Hecht →
Rebbetzin Chave Hecht O.B.M.
In 1944, at 17, Chave Lasker volunteered to teach in the newly established Released Time Program, and for the next nearly eight decades she never stopped. A year later she married Rabbi J.J. Hecht. She raised ten children and adopted two more, founded Camp Emunah in 1953, and was still guiding its staff at 94. She passed away on February 8, 2022, at the age of 95.
Read her full story →What We Do
From Montauk to the Hudson Valley, NCFJE programs provide education, care, and vital social services to tens of thousands of people across New York State. Our work strengthens families, uplifts communities, and helps build a brighter Jewish future.
- Released Time Program of Greater New York
- Camp Emunah
- Hadar Hatorah
- Machon L’Yahadus
- The Rennert Jewish Summer Fellowship
- Chabad centers in the Hudson Valley, Kings and Nassau Counties
- Camp Shaloh
- Day camps in New York City
- Toys for Hospitalized Children
- Operation Survival
- T.A.G.
- Orphan, Poor & Sick Fund
- Keren Chave
- Pidyon Shevuyim Fund
- Lag B’Omer parades
- Holiday rallies
- Friday Food Bank
Leadership
Executive Committee
- Rabbi Sholem Ber Hecht, Chairman
- Rabbi Shlomo L. Abramowitz
- Rabbi Shimon Hecht
- Rabbi Moshe Hecht
- Rabbi Shloma Z. Hecht
- Rabbi Shimon Sabol
As of February 25, 2026
Board of Directors
- Rabbi Shlomo L. Abramowitz
- Eli Hecht
- Yossi Popack
- Dr. Steve Rubel
- Rabbi Moshe Hecht*
- Rabbi Shimon Hecht*
- Rabbi Shloma Z. Hecht*
- Rabbi Sholem Ber Hecht*
- Rabbi Shimon Sabol*
* Ex officio
Support the NCFJE
Your gift protects, feeds, and educates children and families across New York and the nation.
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