There was a time, not too long ago the very notion that a considerable number of Jewish kids, raised in caring frum homes, would become alienated from their Jewish identity and drop out of the community was simply unthinkable. And it was unimaginable that Jewish boys and girls would turn to alcohol and chemical substance abuse.

Today, we know differently. This calamitous phenomenon affecting our youth has become the focus of Rabbanim and Gedolim throughout the world. Parents, mechanchim and mental health professionals grapple to identify causes and find solutions to these complex and perplexing problems. Answers are hard to come by, but we are certain of one terrible fact: our children are engaging in dangerous and deviant behaviors that are putting their lives at risk. We need immediate and effective intervention – and we need it now.

Project Extreme took up the challenge of working with alienated Jewish youth. Project Extreme’s roots go back to 2000, when Rabbi A.Y. Weinberg, son of Rav Motel Weinberg, ZT”L, then director of the NCSY for the Greater Midwest region, was asked to run an outdoor summer program for 22 teenage boys.

From those modest beginnings, Project Extreme has evolved into a national force providing a full range of comprehensive intervention, counseling, camping and funding for teens-at-risk, their families and their communities throughout the U.S., Canada, England and Israel.

Rabbi Weinberg explains: “We have a straightforward objective: to bring these children back from the brink, reintegrate them into Jewish life and instill in them a renewed pride in their Yiddishkeit. The teens that are referred, ages 14-18, are an international mix and represent the entire spectrum of the Jewish community. They are referred to us by principals, teachers, therapists, and family friends. Our positive, focused, goal-oriented approach and highly specialized staff enables us to reconnect with these precious souls who have been turned off by past experiences. We recognize that these teens feel that they have been rejected and closed out of the system, but we also know that they desperately want to come back.”

Project Extreme works successfully with these youth, accepting them into an atmosphere that is non-judgmental and non-threatening, and where they are encouraged to explore their issues. What will eventually move these children to change, says Rabbi Weinberg, is the quality of relationships they form with staff/mentors and with their fellow campers. For this reason Project Extreme takes meticulous care in choosing a staff that is unequalled in their commitment, warmth and expertise.

Project Extreme has the goal of placing each of its teens in an appropriate school or remedial institution. Some need rehab, others will reenter yeshivas, still others need a job, and Project Extreme facilitates the transition. This is where Project Extreme transcends the regular “intervention program” with their meticulous follow up and tracking of each teen.

For example, the teens who attend Project Extreme’s nationally acclaimed Camp Extreme are paired with a counselor who maintains regular contact with each of the campers, through Shabbatons, Yom-Tov programs, and regular phone meetings. The counselor becomes the teen’s confidante, advocating for the necessary placements, whether its yeshiva, therapy, or job placement.

The Mashgiach, Rav Matisiyahu Salomon, Shlita, recently wrote, “We need to be matzil these neshamos and through Project Extreme we will return them to chaim.”

Despite his many success stories, Rabbi Weinberg remains realistic. He knows that it’s impossible to solve the world’s problems in a moment, and he doesn’t begin to dream that he can change his participants’ lives in one summer. “We’re not going to heal them,” he points out. “What we do best is to help them turn the corner, change their outlook on life, and guide them to the best school or program that is ideal for them.

His biggest challenge, Weinberg says, is money. The four-week camp and follow-up costs $5,000 per person, and about half is subsidized for many of the campers from charitable donations.

Motzei Shabbos, January 28th, Rabbi Avrohom Moshe Muller is hosting a fundraising Melava Malka, with a rare speaking appearance by Rabbi Dr. Avrohom Twerski. Rabbi Muller invites the entire community to his home, 1 Brittany Court, to be m’shtatef in the vital work of Project Extreme.