KIRUV. IT'S A JOB FOR EVERYONE. INCLUDING YOU.

Decades ago, the Chofetz Chaim gave us a mission: to bring our brothers and sisters back to Torah. Today, with the fires of assimilation and intermarriage burning out of control, every Jew must heed his call. We must all put out the fire.

At the Knessia Gedolah of 1929, the Chofetz Chaim declared that every observant Jew has an obligation to reach out to his non-observant brethren, bringing them closer to Torah and Yiddishkeit. Today, with the fires of assimilation and intermarriage burning at the very fabric of our people, his mission has taken on even more urgency. We cannot rely on a few thousand "kiruv professionals" to save the millions at risk - we must each rise to the task.

Putting Out the Fire is a practical and readable guide to kiruv for the layperson. It shows us that kiruv isn't about deep philosophical arguments and brilliant scholarly analysis - it's about caring. It's about connection. It's about appreciating our Torah lives, and loving our fellow Jews enough to want to share our blessings.

Putting Out the Fire shows how all of us - homemakers, professionals, business people, kollel and college students - can do our part in reaching out to secular Jews, making a difference in their lives, and bringing them back where they belong.

The Chofetz Chaim's call to action almost a century ago is our rallying cry today: There is a fire raging that is destroying Klal Yisrael. We have to put it out!

What People Are Saying About Putting Out the Fire

"If ever the Jewish nation is going to truly care for every Jewish soul, the 'kiruv professional' will have to be increasingly joined by the enormous reservoirs of wisdom, caring, and resources which the broader Torah world can bring to the table. Here is a book that shows how."

Rabbi Avraham Edelstein, Director, Ner LeElef Kiruv Training Program

"Putting Out the Fire offers every caring Jew a menu of ways to partner with Hashem and ensure that no Jew will be left behind."

Rabbi Eli Gewirtz, National Director, Partners in Torah

"There are many reasons why we must help assimilated Klal Yisrael find their way back to the world of Torah. Primary among them is that standing by passively or, worse, closing the door to acheinu Bnei Yisrael, is cruel. Rabbi Aharon Ungar, by articulating one approach to the crisis of assimilation, has performed a tremendous kindness for us and for the millions we will assist, b'siyata d'Shmaya."

Rabbi Leib Kelemen, author, Permission to Believe and To Kindle a Soul

"Putting Out the Fire is a wonderful resource which explains how each of us can make a difference, even with a small amount of time."

Rabbi Doron Kornbluth, author, Why Marry Jewish? and Jewish Matters

"We have already been told by our gedolim that 'kiruv rechokim is the mission of our generation.' Catch the passion, and some practical advice, from this concise but excellent book by Aharon Ungar."

Rabbi Yitzchok Lowenbraun, National Director, Association of Jewish Outreach Professionals (AJOP)

"We will be defined by how we respond to the call of the day-the embrace of acheinu Bnei Yisrael. This outstanding book will assist us in properly answering our call."

Jeffery Seidel,Founder and Director of the Jewish Student Information Centers. Jerusalem, Israel

"We are doubly indebted to Reb Aharon Ungar. First, for having demonstrated so clearly the obligation each Jew owes to every other Jew to show him or her the light of Torah. But even more importantly, for having given us the confidence that we can do so and showing us the way."

Yonason Rosenblum, Director of Am Echad and author of Reb Yaakov