I am writing this message shortly after returning from a brief but intriguing visit to Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. Known in Jewish history as Pressburg, Bratislava is renowned as the home of the great scholar, the Chatam Sofer, who is buried there. The event that brought me to Bratislava was the Conference of European Rabbis, which had been scheduled to take place in Vienna but, because of the Haider controversy, was moved to Slovakia.

The international success of our program is something about which all our members and supporters can be proud. But for me, the ultimate magical accomplishment, which surpasses even our most optimistic dreams, is the knowledge that NJOP has actually reached 500,000 participants through its programs.

As many of you already know, when we started NJOP we hoped in our first year to teach 800 Jews to read Hebrew, but 5,000 responded instead! And here we are, only 12 years later, and we have reached 500,000 Jews. Its not only a milestone, it's a miracle!

There is no question that NJOP is on a roll, and we are continuing to gather steam. We believe that within the next five years we will, with G-d's help, reach another half million Jews, and that the second half million will take less than half the time that it took to reach the first half million!

Of course, it is hard for us to celebrate fully, knowing that we still have 3 ½ - 4 ½ million Jews who need to be reached, yet we certainly can be proud of this unprecedented success.

As we travel through Europe, Israel and other parts of the globe, and see signs of NJOP activities in so many places, we sometimes feel that NJOP is changing the world. The truth of the matter is that we are probably not changing the world, but for at least 500,000 Jews of North America -- we have changed the world. Sometimes, it was only a minor change - one class, one lecture. But in a considerable number of cases it has been a profound, "world" change, a change in values, observances, and life enhancing Jewish practices. It has been a change marking a full commitment to Judaism and to the Jewish people, a commitment which stands as a symbol of the remarkable renewal of Jewish life that is taking place in our times. Change or no change, I am confident in stating that there is probably not a single person who has experienced an NJOP program who has not felt more welcome in the Jewish community and more excited to be part of the Jewish people. That should give us all a well deserved feeling of accomplishment.

Of course, it is only through your support that these achievement are possible. So Mazal Tov, and Todah, Todah!

As if to confirm the Dinner theme of "Unity Through Education," 700 enthusiastic guests, comprising a mélange of NJOP supporters from every walk of Jewish life, came to the Waldorf-Astoria for the 6th Annual NJOP Dinner on February 7th. With music provided by the Neshama Orchestra and the Kleztraphobix Klezmer Band, the cocktail hour was a delightful time to meet, mingle and reflect upon the continuing growth of the National Jewish Outreach Program. The guests encountered a broad array of NJOP materials, including the wildly successful SHABBAT2000 Gift Boxes, computers playing NJOP's Virtual Shabbat CD-ROM, NJOP subway posters, and fanciful multicolored Year2000 Kippot.

The Grand Ballroom was breathtaking in its decor, and guests found their unique NJOP mousepad gift at their seats. With its attached clock and printed listing of Shabbat candle-lighting times for the coming year, the mousepad serves as both a reminder of and an invitation to NJOP's "Turn Friday Night Into Shabbat/Shabbat Across America/Canada" programs.

Dinner co-chair, Steven Adelsberg, welcomed the NJOP supporters, Manalapan New Jersey's Temple Shaari Emeth Cantor Wayne Siet offered a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and Hatikvah, and Dinner co-chair Simone Martel Levinson led the motzei.

In an entertaining innovation, the Kleztraphobix Klezmer Band escorted Rabbi Buchwald and each of the honorees to the stage as they were announced. Rabbi Buchwald introduced Tracy and Sander Gerber, both products of outreach, as prime examples of "the amazing graciousness, kindness, and generosity of people who've been touched by NJOP programs."

Next honored were Jamie and David Mitchell, whom Rabbi Buchwald noted as "unsurpassable ambassadors of Judaism." While on the surface they may look like the contented paradigm of America's best and brightest, "deep down in their hearts rage fires of fierce commitment to Jewish life." Rabbi Buchwald pointed out that David Mitchell's philanthropic nature is an inheritance from his late mother and his father, Jan Mitchell, who surprised his son and daughter-in-law by flying in from overseas to be with them at the Dinner.

Because of NJOP, David Mitchell pointed out, "hundreds of thousands of people enjoy the journey of learning about themselves as Jews." To inspire the forward growth of NJOP and its influence on North American Jewry, Jamie and David announced an innovative Mezuzah project. Any individual completing the Hebrew Reading Crash Course who does not have a Mezuzah in their home, will be offered a free Mezuzah and thus complete the transition of Judaism from the classroom into the home.

Jewish education is the essential component of Jewish outreach, and no one understands this more than Sylvia and Carl Freyer, recipients of this year's Special Service Award. They are the founders of the Jewish Youth Encounters Program which reaches out to unaffiliated Jewish students in elementary schools through supplementary programs and "Big Brothers/Big Sisters." During a stirring video presentation Carl Freyer explained how JYEP's "Big Siblings" help draw the entire family into the learning process.

The success of JYEP on the local level has encouraged the Freyers to offer JYEP's guidance and support to any community which would like to replicate their unique program. Sylvia Freyer explained that the success of the JYEP was based on accepting all students with joy and warmth, a value shared with NJOP programs. The Freyers expressed great pleasure at receiving the NJOP "Special Service Award," and this pleasure was enhanced by the presence of their Israeli daughters and granddaughters.

"Jewish heroism is often reflected in a decision that one makes in the privacy of one's own heart to help others..." said Rabbi Buchwald. In the past year, NJOP has had the honor and privilege of being supported by such a hero, Sam Domb.

"I share a piece of the American dream, [but] today I have a different kind of dream. I work to secure the survival of my people," Sam Domb said. He further underscored that from the darkness of history, the Jewish people have created the wonders of the future. Jews must understand that we must depend only upon ourselves for survival; and survival is in education. "We know how to make our children lawyers, doctors and stock analysts, but we are failing to teach them the meaning of Jewish survival."

In America, with all its freedom, Jews are being lost. There is a need and a demand for supporting NJOP, because the outreach programs have "the will, but not the wallet." As he drew to a conclusion, Sam Domb turned his piercing gaze to the audience and insisted, "The history that our children and grandchildren will read and study will be either about our own personal involvement or our total disregard... Victory for us is not everything, it is the only thing."

Following an elegant entrée, Karen Lehmann-Eisner brought the audience's attention back to the stage. Explaining the importance of a unified Jewish nation, she defined Rabbi Buchwald as "the embodiment of concern for K'lal Yisrael, by reaching out to them one Jew at a time."

Wrapping up the evening, Rabbi Buchwald rallied the audience by commending them for sharing his dreams and helping to build a Jewish future. Passionately, he listed NJOP's role call of success: More than 200,000 Jews have attended Turn Friday Night Into Shabbat/Shabbat Across America/Canada programs, 75,000 Jews have learned of their heritage at Crash Courses in Basic Judaism, and 140,000 have started reading Hebrew through the Crash Course in Hebrew Reading. With glowing eyes and a huge smile, Rabbi Buchwald described how NJOP supporters helped bring Jewish outreach into the 21st century by catching the millennial wave and sending 10,000 SHABBAT2000 Gift Boxes to Jews around the

The success of NJOP comes not only from Rabbi Buchwald, not only from the outstanding NJOP staff, but also from NJOP supporters who help make the dreams a reality. He took this opportunity to thank Renée and Steven Adelsberg, Karen Lehmann-Eisner and David Eisner, and Simone Martel Levinson, who chaired this year's Dinner. Acknowledgment was also given to the hardworking and dedicated staff of NJOP, with special recognition to Amy Warschawski, NJOP Special Programs Coordinator, who organized the Sixth Annual Dinner.

As the guests made their way from the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom, they proudly donned the blue and green Y2K Yarmulkas, held fast to their SHABBAT2000 Gift Boxes, and glanced at the Shabbat lighting times on their NJOP mousepads. The Dinner had been an evening of elegance and inspiration, highlighting the partnership between NJOP and its supporters in continuing the battle for Jewish survival.