Jewish Spiritual Literacy Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Educational products and services, including seminars, printed materials, electronic materials, audio and visual materials.
- Income
- $132,317
- Spending
- $107,544
- Reserves
- 6.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 84%
- Highest pay
- $92,000, chairman
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 78% of charities in its peer group (religion, under $250k).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 6.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 19% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (5)
- $44,000 spent. TORAH HEALTH AND FITNESS - Launched last year, Torah Health and Fitness is a response to a growing awareness that the Jewish community has not paid enough attention to this mitzvah. We have the same health stats as the general public including tragic levels of preventable conditions such as diabetes and cardio-vascular disease. Our mission as the Jewish People is greatly handicapped because we are not meeting this challenge. In addition to medical knowledge we have 3,000 years of Torah wisdom on this subject, but until now it has been scattered across many books, most of which have never been translated. In partnership with doctors and dietitians, the program includes current medical information (with references to medical literature) on what is known about nutrition, exercise, weight loss and longevity. We know from ten years of R&D that this combination of Torah wisdom and medical knowledge can increase awareness of how vital and easy it is to eat and exercise (etc.) healthfully and to increase the holiness with which we treat our bodies, and thereby keep Jews out of the hospital, nursing homes, and wheelchairs for preventable reasons. While Jewishly-focused, our long-term goal is to help anyone of any background achieve improvements in health, wellbeing and longevity. The book (Body & Soul: The Torah Path to Health, Fitness and a Holy Life), the free resource website (https://torahhealth.org), and our numerous workshops, seminars and podcasts have helped thousands of readers make permanent improvements to their lives and wellbeing.
- $24,000 spent. JTI - JEWISH TEACHERS INSTITUTE - In its eighth year, this project to train and mentor teachers for Jewish day schools continued with a cohort of 7 teachers. The JTI "Boot Camp / Recharge" includes: model and practice a Harry Wong-informed classroom management method, simple concrete indicators of successful teaching (following Thomas Sergiovanni's and Elliot Eisner's models of professional standards), lesson planning and assessments, principles of visual and differentiated instruction and hands-on engagement, effective use of textbooks A/V resources and other technologies; with specific curricular support as well. All participants increased their knowledge and skills in one or more of the above categories. Reduced annual participation reflects success: JTI-trained teachers increased their classroom effectiveness and were more likely to continue teaching.
- $3,200 spent. EDUCATING EDUCATORS - We continued to expand the quantity and quality of the J-IDEA teacher training program's 10 major content categories: Jewish Holidays, Art of Amazement, Esoteric, Marriage, Ritual, Ethics, Meditation & Prayer, Texts, History and Miscellaneous. In addition, we directly trained and mentored a new cohort of educators, increasing their skills at implementing experiential learning, and their thousands of students. JSLI pedagogy provided them with fresh and innovative ways to motivate students in learning and develop their respect and love of Judaism.
- $5,100 spent. MEDIA DISTRIBUTION - Our worldwide book distribution continued, including the best-selling "Art of Amazement: Discover Judaism's Forgotten Spirituality" in two languages, the "Art of Amazement Haggada", and "Restoring the Kuzari;" plus the Bar Mitzvah Album, found at https://barmitzvahalbum.com. Thousands of visitors found quality books and toys via our searchable site, https://bestjewishbooks.com and thousands of new users are learning a daily nugget of Jewish wisdom and inspiration with our popular iPhone app - The Amazing Jewish Fact-a-Day Calendar.
- $24,000 spent. E-LEARNING - Our daily, weekly, and monthly video Torah classes continued, including "Zoom Talmud." Our weekly "Table Talk" entered its fifteenth year, bringing food for thought and discussion to thousands of Friday night dinner tables worldwide.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 2004.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.