MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION

Financials

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

313 REGINA AVENUE, RAHWAY, NJ 07065-4854

In care of

% RABBI GEDALIAH ZLOTOWITZ

Principal officer (990 for 2025)

RABBI GEDALIAH ZLOTOWITZ, 313 REGINA AVENUE, RAHWAY, NJ 07065

Signed the 990

RABBI GEDALIAH ZLOTOWITZ, PRESIDENT

Phone

(718) 921-9000

Website

WWW.MESORAHHERITAGE.ORG

Return prepared by

PKF O'CONNOR DAVIES ADVISORY LLC

Mission

THE FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO RESEARCH, LOCATE, TRANSLATE, AND CREATE JEWISH RELIGIOUS, LITERARY, BIBLICAL, AND TALMUDIC WORKS FOR RELIGIOUS, SCHOLARLY AND CULTURAL PURPOSES FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

Program accomplishments

• THE MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION WAS CREATED TO RESPOND TO URGENT NEEDS THAT BECAME APPARENT IN THE POST-WORLD WAR II ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD. THESE NEEDS CONTINUE TO GROW, IN PART THANKS TO THE SCHOLARSHIP SPONSORED BY THE FOUNDATION. IN ADDITION, THE SUCCESSFUL WORK OF THE FOUNDATION HAS BROUGHT DEMANDS FROM SPEAKERS OF MODERN HEBREW, FRENCH, AND SPANISH TO MAKE FOUNDATION WORKS AVAILABLE IN THEIR LANGUAGES.THE NEEDS MET BY THE FOUNDATION ARE THREEFOLD: (I) A LARGE JEWISH PUBLIC, INCLUDING THOSE WITH A YESHIVAH EDUCATION, FIND IT DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO STUDY CLASSIC JEWISH TEXTS IN THE ORIGINAL ANCIENT HEBREW OR ARAMAIC; AND (II) THERE IS A GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WISH TO STUDY THE JEWISH CLASSICS, BUT HAVE LITTLE OR NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE LANGUAGES IN WHICH THEY WERE WRITTEN. EVEN PEOPLE WHO SPEAK MODERN HEBREW FLUENTLY ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH BIBLICAL AND RABBINIC HEBREW OR ARAMAIC, THE LANGUAGE OF TALMUDIC TIMES AND MUCH POST-TALMUDIC LITERATURE. MODERN HEBREW IS MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THE HEBREW OF 15 CENTURIES AGO, AND ARAMAIC IS A FOREIGN, VIRTUALLY EXTINCT, LANGUAGE. (III) THERE IS A NEED FOR ORIGINAL WORKS BASED ON THE CLASSICS AND WORKS ON SUCH SUBJECTS AS JEWISH LAW AS IT APPLIES TO MODERN DEVELOPMENTS, THEOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL TEXTS, AND SIMILAR PROJECTS THAT SHED LIGHT ON TRADITIONAL JEWISH AND TALMUDIC SCHOLARSHIP AND PRACTICE. THE MISSION OF THE MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION IS TO SELECT APPROPRIATE CLASSIC JEWISH WORKS OF RELIGION, LAW, LITURGY, CULTURE, AND SCHOLARSHIP THAT HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN UNAVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, OR THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AVAILABLE WITH A THOROUGH ELUCIDATION IN THE MODERN IDIOM. THE FOUNDATION ENGAGES HIGHLY QUALIFIED SCHOLARS TO TRANSLATE, ELUCIDATE, EDIT, AND PREPARE THE WORKS FOR PUBLICATION. OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE THESE WORKS ACCESSIBLE TO SCHOLARS, STUDENTS, AND LAYMEN IN A FORM THAT IS AUTHORITATIVE AND ACCURATE, WITH LITERARY GRACE, AND PLEASING AESTHETICS.ORIGINALLY THE FOUNDATION PRODUCED THESE WORKS IN ENGLISH, BUT IT HAS SINCE EXPANDED TO MODERN HEBREW, FRENCH AND SPANISH. THE FOUNDATION ALSO COMMISSIONS, IN ENGLISH AND OTHER LANGUAGES, ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS OF JEWISH SCHOLARSHIP, LAW, ETHICS, LITURGY, AND HISTORY.TO FULFILL ITS MISSION AND GOALS, THE FOUNDATION ENGAGES SCHOLARS AND EDITORS, 90-150 AT ANY GIVEN TIME, TO RESEARCH, WRITE, AND PREPARE THE WORKS FOR PUBLICATION. THE FOUNDATION'S CROWN JEWELS ARE THE COMPLETE 73-VOLUME ENGLISH AND HEBREW ELUCIDATIONS OF THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. THE LATE LORD IMMANUEL JAKOBOVITS, CHIEF RABBI OF THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH, DESCRIBED THESE EDITIONS OF THE TALMUD AS "THE GREATEST PUBLISHING PROJECT ACROSS THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF JEWISH HISTORY." CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS IS A FRENCH-LANGUAGE ELUCIDATION OF THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. ANOTHER MAJOR INDEED HISTORIC PROJECT IS THE 51-VOLUME ELUCIDATIONS, IN BOTH ENGLISH AND MODERN HEBREW, OF THE JERUSALEM TALMUD. THIS SEMINAL WORK, WHICH HAS BEEN VIRTUALLY A SEALED BOOK FOR NEARLY 1,800 YEARS, HAS NOW BECOME ACCESSIBLE TO MODERN READERS, TO LAY AND SCHOLARLY ACCLAIM.THE FOUNDATION'S VOLUMES OF THE TALMUD HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO ENGAGE IN DAILY STUDY. ON NEW YEARS DAY 2020, 110,000 PEOPLE FILLED METLIFE STADIUM AND BARCLAYS CENTER TO CELEBRATE THE COMPLETION OF DAF YOMI, THE SEVEN-AND-A-HALF-YEAR CYCLE OF DAILY TALMUD STUDY. ORGANIZERS OF THE EVENT CREDITED THE FOUNDATION FOR ENABLING MOST OF THE ATTENDEES TO STUDY AND UNDERSTAND THE TALMUD, AND TO BE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS, INSTEAD OF MERELY SPECTATORS. ALSO COMPLETED ARE ENGLISH AND HEBREW ELUCIDATIONS OF THE MISHNAH, WHICH IS THE BASIS OF THE TALMUD.THE FOUNDATION'S WORKS INCLUDE TRANSLATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS OF THE SABBATH, FESTIVAL, AND WEEKDAY PRAYER BOOKS IN HEBREW, ENGLISH, AND SPANISH AND ALSO IN TRANSLITERATED AND INTERLINEAR VERSIONS. THESE PRAYER BOOKS HAVE BECOME STANDARD IN SYNAGOGUES ALL OVER THE WORLD. THE FOUNDATION'S EDITIONS OF THE CHUMASH, THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES, IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH, AND MODERN HEBREW VERSIONS, ARE ENORMOUSLY POPULAR AND ARE EXPOSING NEW POPULATIONS TO THE FOUNDATION'S WORK. THE FOUNDATION HAS ENABLED THE PUBLICATION OF MANY VOLUMES OF SCRIPTURES, WITH TRANSLATION AND COMMENTARY, THAT ARE POPULAR IN SCHOOLS, HOMES, AND SYNAGOGUES. INDEED, THEY HAVE BECOME THE STANDARD IN MOST SYNAGOGUES. ALL 24 BOOKS OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES HAVE BEEN COMPLETED WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED ARRAY OF CLASSIC COMMENTARIES. THE FOUNDATION HAS ALSO PREPARED A ONE-VOLUME ENGLISH TRANSLATION, WITH NOTES, OF THE ENTIRE 24 BOOKS OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES.OTHER MAJOR CLASSICS, NEVER BEFORE PRESENTED SO THOROUGHLY IN ENGLISH, ARE MULTI-VOLUME TREATMENTS OF MIDRASH RABBAH, SEFER HACHINUCH, AND KITZUR SHULCHAN ARUCH, AND RAMBAN ON CHUMASH. SEVERAL NEW PROJECTS ARE UNDERWAY AND OTHERS ARE IN THE PIPELINE. DURING THE LOCKDOWN IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE FOUNDATION GAVE PERMISSION TO DOWNLOAD NUMEROUS TEXTS TO ENABLE SCHOOLS AND SYNAGOGUES TO ENHANCE THEIR VIRTUAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS. IN THE COMING WEEKA WORK BEGINS ON A 17 VOLUME SPANISH EDITION OF THE MISHNAH.THE FOUNDATION HAS GIVEN PERMISSION, FREE OF CHARGE, TO A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION TO PUBLISH BRAILLE EDITIONS OF FOUNDATION BOOKS. WE FEEL PRIVILEGED TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE TO A COMMUNITY THAT CURRENTLY HAS NO ACCESS TO SUCH CLASSIC WORKS. IN RECENT YEARS THE FOUNDATION PRODUCED UNPRECEDENTED DIGITAL APPS FOR THE ENTIRE TALMUD AND THE DAILY SIDDUR/PRAYER BOOK AND A HOST OF OTHER WORKS. IT IS CURRENTLY FINALIZING AN APP FOR THE ENTIRE HEBREW SCRIPTURES AS WELL AS APPS FOR MANY OF ITS OTHER CLASSIC WORKS. THANKS TO THESE DIGITAL APPS, ONE CAN ACCESS MORE THAN A MILLION CROSS-REFERENCES SPANNING 2,000 YEARS OF HEBREW, ARAMAIC, AND ENGLISH SCHOLARSHIP, WITH JUST THE TAP OF A FINGER. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE FOUNDATION'S USE OF STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY TO ADVANCE ITS MISSION OF MAKING SCHOLARLY WORKS EVEN MORE ACCESSIBLE TO LAYMEN, STUDENTS, AND SCHOLARS. THE MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION HAS ENABLED THE PUBLICATION OF SEVERAL HUNDRED CLASSIC TITLES WHOSE IMPACT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A REVOLUTION IN JEWISH AND SCHOLARLY LIFE. WHILE THE FOUNDATION IS PROUD OF ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE, AND AUSPICIOUS THOUGH THEY ARE, IT IS STILL ONLY THE BEGINNING, FOR THE WORK CONTINUES! AS WE WRITE, TEAMS OF ACCOMPLISHED SCHOLARS AND EDITORS ARE HARD AT WORK ON MORE ANCIENT AND MODERN JUDAICA CLASSICS.
  Expenses $13,633,565

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

IRS record

EIN

11-2981112

Tax-exempt status

501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization

Foundation status

Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))

Donations deductible (Pub 78)

Public charity, 50% deduction limit

Exempt since

1994

Accounting year ends

December

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Category (NTEE)

Arts, culture and humanities (A75Z)

Assets (IRS master file)

$25,076,795

Income (IRS master file)

$24,654,012

Filing history

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 11-2981112).

Questions about MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION

What is the EIN of MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION?

The employer identification number (EIN) of MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION is 11-2981112.

Is MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1994.

Are donations to MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION tax-deductible?

Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).

Which annual return does MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION file?

Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.

When is the next return of MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION due?

The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION last file with the IRS?

The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2025.

Who is the principal officer of MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 names RABBI GEDALIAH ZLOTOWITZ.

Who are the officers and directors of MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 13 people; 7 received compensation from the organization, the highest $162,872 (MORDECHAI SONNENSCHEIN, EDITOR).

How much revenue does MESORAH HERITAGE FOUNDATION have?

On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $17,321,141, expenses of $15,247,900 and total assets of $25,076,795 at year end.

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