Mark Wildes: Is Modern Orthodox Outreach the Way Forward? [Denominations 3/4]

18Forty Podcast

18Forty

Judaism, Religion & Spirituality

4.7 • 704 Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2026

⏱️ 80 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Mark Wildes, founder and director of Manhattan Jewish Experience, about Modern Orthodox outreach.

In this episode we discuss:

Why aren’t more aspiring rabbis attracted to kiruv?
How can we help people make the transition from outreach programs to the “real world”?
How can we make the case for Shabbos for the masses?

Tune in to hear a conversation about the “non-professional kiruv” of the Modern Orthodox community.

Interview begins at 22:45.

Rabbi Mark Wildes was ordained from Yeshiva University, but before becoming a rabbi, he received a JD from the Cardozo School of Law and a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University. Since founding MJE 20 years ago, Rabbi Wildes has become one of America’s most inspirational and dynamic Jewish educators. He lives with his wife Jill and their children Yosef, Ezra, Judah and Avigayil on the Upper West Side where they maintain a warm and welcoming home for all.

References:

Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life by Charlie Kirk

The Lonely Man of Faith by Joseph B. Soloveitchik

This Is My God by Herman Wouk

“Is Modern Orthodox Kiruv Possible?” by Steven Gotlib

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi friends and welcome to the 1840 podcast where each month we explore different topic balancing modern sensibilities with traditional
0:21.6	sensitivities to give you new approaches to timeless Jewish ideas. I'm your host,
0:26.7	Havid Bischephchen, and today we are exploring the topic of modern orthodoxy and Kiraev Jewish
0:32.6	outreach. This podcast is part of a larger exploration of those big, juicy Jewish ideas. So be sure to check
0:39.2	out 1840.org. That's 1-8-F-O-R-T-Y dot org, where you can also find videos, articles, recommended
0:44.9	readings, and weekly emails. The question of modern orthodoxy and Kyrov is a difficult question
0:52.9	because it really is a question that begins with terminology.
0:57.2	What exactly do we mean by modern orthodox and what exactly do we mean by Kirov?
1:02.5	And over here, I'll just speak, you know, kind of colloquially.
1:06.3	The modern orthodox world communally is a very porous community. It does not have very firm boundaries
1:14.2	of what you would consider modern orthodox versus not modern orthodox. So the first part of
1:19.5	our question, we are left with a lot of ambiguities of how should we define modern orthodoxy.
1:24.8	I'll be honest. Just when I say that question, I get tired, I get
1:28.4	exhausted. I do not enjoy conversations about kind of defining communal boundaries. I think all
1:35.5	communal boundaries are somewhat porous. One kind of bleeds into the next and it's very hard to
1:41.4	find like where's the exact slice, where's the exact line that you go from
1:47.0	yeshiva community to modern orthodox community, yeshiva person to my like I just don't think in
1:51.7	those terms. I think there are kind of maybe examples that are easier to categorize and you can stay
1:56.0	with those. But I don't like really spending time in those differences, though I think colloquially, we understand that different communities have different cultures.
2:05.1	The second part of the question I think is also tricky, which is what exactly is considered Jewish outreach?
2:11.1	There is a professional world known as professional Jewish outreach, where people, as a part of their career, spend time bringing
2:20.0	Judaism to others. In some communities, this is called adult education, which is such an unattractive
	...

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