Draft:CKids International
{{Short description|Youth-education division of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement}}
{{Draft topics|philosophy-and-religion|education}}
{{AfC topic|other}}
{{AfC submission|||ts=20250430212326|u=Allenmal83|ns=2}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = CKids International
| full_name = Chabad Children's Network
| abbreviation = CKids
| type = Religious nonprofit
| purpose = Jewish children’s education and outreach
| headquarters = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
| leader_title = Chairman
| leader_name = Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky
| key_people = Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky (chairman); Rabbi Zalman Loewenthal (director)
| parent_organization= Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch
}}
CKids International (the Chabad Children’s Network) is the youth-education arm of the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, it provides supplementary Hebrew-school classes, after-school clubs, summer camps, and the annual JewQ International Torah Championship. Programs target children who do not attend Jewish day schools and aim to strengthen Jewish knowledge and identity.
History
CKids International was formed in the late 2010s under Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, with Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky overseeing its growth. It unified dozens of local Chabad Hebrew-school programs and, in 2018–19, introduced the JewQ International Torah Championship to engage pupils through competitive quizzing. By 2023 more than 3,500 children from 230 communities on six continents were enrolled in JewQ.
Programs
=Hebrew-school network=
CKids partners with local Chabad centres to run more than 700 Hebrew schools that serve pupils enrolled in secular schools.
Classes meet weekly and emphasise Hebrew literacy, Jewish history and hands-on holiday projects. Each spring the division hosts the CKids International Shabbaton in Brooklyn, New York; the 2025 weekend drew “more than 1,000” children and parents and was billed as “the largest summit of Hebrew-school families in the world.”
=JewQ International Torah Championship=
Introduced in 2018, JewQ is a quiz-bowl competition that motivates 4th- to 7th-grade Hebrew-school pupils to study Jewish knowledge independently.
Local and regional exams select finalists who compete on stage during the Shabbaton.
In 2025 the programme reached 4,200 contestants from 250 communities in 26 countries; 63 pupils advanced to the world final.
Regional champions took place across the globe including in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, and Australia, which highlighted the competition’s role in fostering Jewish pride amid rising antisemitism.
=Camps=
CKids oversees the CKids Gan Israel camping network—day camps in dozens of cities and overnight camps in Florida, Wisconsin and Denmark—that blends outdoor fun with immersive Jewish life.
A US $2.5 million grant announced in 2022 is underwriting new overnight sites and scholarships “to change the face of Jewish camping for decades.” Reports note that many campers arrive from small or isolated Jewish communities and experience full-time Jewish living for the first time at camp.
=Clubs=
=After-school programmes=
CKids After-School programmes operate at local Chabad centres and typically serve children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Weekday sessions combine Hebrew-reading practice, Jewish-holiday lessons, values-based curriculum, homework support and recreational activities.
In October 2024 the first CKids After-School site launched in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, offering transport from local public schools and extended-day care; the pilot expanded in February 2025 after strong uptake.
That same year CKids International announced plans for 100 additional after-school programmes across ten countries and fifteen U.S. states. The initiative—marking 30 years since the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe—adds STEM, robotics, drama and sports to its core Hebrew-literacy and bar/bat-mitzvah preparation modules, all delivered without synagogue-membership requirements.
=Online learning=
During the Covid-19 shutdowns in 2020, CKids created a virtual Hebrew school that logged “tens of thousands” of student sessions within its first weeks.
Building on that success, the division introduced “Hebrew School 3.0” in 2024: short, arts-driven terms and hybrid lessons tailored to communities with declining enrolment or long travel distances.
Reach and impact
As of 2025 CKids reported engaging about 125,000 children in 2,500 classrooms across more than 700 communities worldwide.
Educators say the programmes reduce isolation for Jewish pupils in public schools and foster resilience amid rising antisemitism. Parents likewise report increased engagement and pride in their children after participation.
References
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