About JOI

JOI is like visiting family — we welcome you into our home and feed you heart and soul. We offer up fun and laughs, inspiration and newly acquired knowledge. And like all good Jewish family, we send you home with leftovers: some food for thought that makes you want to visit again! The Jewish Outreach Initiative's goal is to provide authentic Jewish experiences and learning opportunities for people of all backgrounds in a meaningful and engaging way, allowing all Jews to access the profound treasure that is their Jewish heritage. Our mission is to respond to the call of Jews in the 21st century, many of whom do not feel connected in a classic synagogue setting.

No, we are not a synagogue. No membership required here, and no fixed seats. JOI is your place to build a Jewish community without the trappings of your Bubby's shul. While praying in shul is important, it is only part of one of the 613 mitzvot (ways to connect spiritually). JOI is here to provide authentic ways to connect to the other 612½ parts of Judaism. If you are looking for a shul, The Shul at Aish of the Rockies offers a full-service synagogue.

All you need to join JOI is show up! We have a lot to learn from your questions and you will surely learn a lot from our answers. It's by learning that we change our actions, and it's changing our actions that makes us better people. Most people that come to JOI don't consider themselves religious.

We look to strengthen the Jewish family, whatever your unique Jewish family looks like. We welcome interfaith couples and provide the education they are seeking to decide how they will choose to raise their family.

Long story short: Aish of the Rockies is the parent entity with several verticals (think Alphabet with Google, YouTube, Waze, etc.). These verticals include the Shul and JOI. Both programs operate independent of each other and there is no expectation that JOI participants become part of the Shul synagogue community. Long story, long: Over 30 years ago Rabbi Yaakov Meyer started the Jewish Experience, an outreach project of Yeshiva Toras Chaim. That program eventually relocated to Southeast Denver and became known as the Southeast Center for Judaism. Rabbi Meyer decided to associate with Aish, a worldwide leader in Jewish education and outreach — and so Aish Denver was born. As Aish Denver grew, its High Holiday experiences were so successful that members asked for weekly services, and over time the synagogue became the most prominent part of the organization. Its own wild success became a hindrance to Aish meeting its true mission of sharing the beauty and relevance of Judaism with Jews from all backgrounds — a synagogue was not the place to do Jewish outreach. In 2011, Rabbi Meyer had the foresight to create a unique platform to engage the next generation in meaningful Jewish experiences: the Jewish Outreach Initiative was born. JOI operated beyond the formal walls of any building, holding classes at the JCC, in parks, and in people's homes and offices. In 2017 JOI set a goal to make our big programs larger while creating more intimate opportunities for connection: large-scale holiday and Shabbat events attracting over 500 people each — and to deepen our impact, the JOI Hub opened in 2018 as a Jewish home away from home. In the first year of this pilot, JOI's reach increased over 68%, engaging over 1,500 people, 718 of whom were new to JOI. In 2021, after 25 years, the organization rebranded: 'Aish of the Rockies' replaced 'The Southeast Center for Judaism' as the parent entity, the synagogue is now known simply as 'The Shul,' and JOI is proud to be part of the worldwide Aish movement.