Looking ahead

News & Information for the Weeks of

August 31st - September 17th, 2020

Looking Ahead

Rabbi A.D. Motzen

National Director of State Relations

As the Jewish year 5780 comes to a close, I was going to include a short recap of some of the positive highlights, but my colleague Rabbi Naftali Miller beat me to it and included many of our advocacy activities in his email yesterday. We pray that 5781 will bring healing, prosperity, and redemption!

Thank you to the 12,785 donors who helped us raise nearly $5.2 million during our recent “You are Vital” campaign. Whether you gave $10 or $100,000, each donation strengthened our ability to better serve you and your community.

Of course it’s not too late to contribute and help us accomplish even more together. You can also go our website to watch the new Agudah music video “A Single Address” featuring Yitzy Waldner and download it for free.

One of the things that makes Agudath Israel unique is that it is led by a rabbinic board made up of Torah Sages from a broad spectrum of communities. While we are still reeling from the loss of the Rosh Agudas Yisroel, the Novominsker Rebbe Rabbi Yaakov Perlow zt”l just a few months ago, we are excited about the addition of six new members to the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah – the Council of Torah Sages. The expanded Moetzes recently convened for the first time and issued this statement with reflections, guidance, and blessings in advance of the new year.

The Senate Republicans recently offered a coronavirus relief package that failed to obtain the 60 votes necessary to proceed, but was a statement about what policies are important to the Republican caucus and the Administration. The Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act included several important provisions that Agudah has worked on over the last few months including billions of dollars for students choosing nonpublic schools.

The bill contained many policies and relief programs including a new scholarship tax credit program (up to $5 billion per year for two years), a one-time grant for scholarship organizations, COVID relief for private schools, an increase in the charitable deduction, and a second round of PPP loans with new provisions to the program. While the bill didn’t move forward, we are greatly encouraged by the fact that it contained such robust support for school choice and nonpublic school students. Agudath Israel will continue to work with the Administration and other allies to advance some of these policies in any future stimulus deal.

In disappointing news, three separate courts sided against the US Department of Education’s Interim Final Rule that attempted to give nonpublic school students an equitable share of CARES Act relief funds. Agudath Israel had joined with other groups in an amicus brief. Unfortunately, the D.C. District Court granted summary judgment against the Department and vacated the rule.

Agudath Israel welcomed the announcement of an agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel brokered by the US. (See our statement on our website). We were honored to attend the White House Abraham Accords signing ceremony this week.

Mr. Sol (Shlomo) Werdiger, chairman of Agudath Israel's Board of Trustees, Mitch (Moyshe) Silk Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Markets, and Joe Lieberman, former United States Senator at the White House signing ceremony for new accords between Israel and two Gulf nations, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Not pictured: Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudah's Vice President for Government Affairs.

The photo on the left was taken last week when Mr. Sol Werdiger, Chairman of Agudath Israel of America's Board of Trustees, and Rabbi Aaron Kotler, President and CEO of Beth Medrash Govoha, presented a shofar to Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi, Consul General of Japan in New York, in appreciation of the heroism of Japanese diplomats during World War II. The actions of these diplomats saved countless Jewish lives in the midst of the Holocaust.

(L-R) Mr. Sol Werdiger, Chairman of Agudath Israel of America's Board of Trustees; Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi, Consul General of Japan in New York; Rabbi Aaron Kotler, President and CEO of Beth Medrash Govoha.

With the announcement by Mrs. Deborah Zachai that she plans to retire at the end of the year, Agudah is proud to welcome Rabbi Yehoshua Pinkus as the organization’s new Director of Yeshiva Services. See here to read about Rabbi Pinkus and his vision for the future.

With 46 days until the 2020 elections and registration deadlines looming in most states, we encourage everyone to register to vote or update your voter registration to your current address. Many states, such as New York have expanded absentee voting to all voters and some, like New Jersey, made registration available online.

US citizens studying or living abroad can request an absentee ballot (and register to vote) here (https://www.fvap.gov/citizen-voter).

Last chance! Agudath Israel of America, in conjunction with the Boro Park JCC, is proud to present an additional incentive for census participation. Each household that completes the census will be entered into a raffle to win $2,500. Simply send a screenshot that you completed the census to census@agudah.org and your family will be included in the pot.

If you have already completed the census - no worries! Just complete the form on www.Agudah.org/census and you will be included as well.

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Agudath Israel of America's division of government affairs is engaged in advocacy and legislative outreach activities on the local, state, and federal levels. In so doing, Agudath Israel seeks to protect the rights and advance the interests of observant Jews and their growing network of educational and religious institutions; and to offer a uniquely Orthodox Jewish perspective on contemporary issues of public concern.

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