Its activities include the administration and certification of kashrut; support for a broad range of religious educational institutions and projects; lobbying the American government on various issues of importance to religious Jews (and occasionally, on matters related to Israel).[2] It also incorporates NCSY (National Conference of Synagogue Youth) which offers social, educational and outreach programming in hundreds of communities.[31] Young Israel (The National Council of Young Israel) founded in 1912, serves as the national coordinating agency for nearly 150 Orthodox congregations; the goal of NCYI is "to broaden the appeal of the traditional community synagogue as the central address for Jewish communal life by providing educational, religious, social, spiritual and communal programming".[32]