Standing Up Once Again

News & Information for the Weeks of

May 16th - May 28th, 2021

Standing up Once Again

Over the last two weeks, we went from asking Congress to stand with Israel (thank you to the thousands of people who contacted Congress through our portal), to asking federal and local officials and community leaders to stand up against antisemitism. Using unrest in the Middle East as an excuse, Jews have been hunted, violently attacked, and harassed across the country. It must stop.

Over the last week, Agudath Israel leaders have met with White House officials, the New York City and Los Angeles mayors and top police brass in several cities (see articles and picture below), but there's a lot more that needs to be done. Please take a moment to take action below and contact your members of Congress. Stay tuned for additional steps Agudah will be taking to help combat this resurgence of antisemitism.

While most advocacy efforts this year have been through email and virtual meetings, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka of Agudath Israel of Illinois has been traveling to Springfield on a regular basis and bringing parents and other community leaders to meet with their elected officials. See below for a sneak preview of some of his recent efforts as the Illinois General Assembly enters its final days of the legislative session.

Agudath Israel of Ohio's Rabbi Yitz Frank testified before the Ohio Senate Finance Committee in support of several education issues important to our Jewish day school families (the hearing was on Shavuos so the testimony was submitted in writing). You can read the testimony here and we hope to have a favorable update in the next few weeks.

Agudah welcomed the introduction of a bipartisan resolution sponsored by U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK), co-founders and co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism. The resolution condemns recent antisemitic incidents in the United States and around the world, calls on leaders to denounce antisemitism and take specific steps to address it and prevent it.

In light of recent comments by a member of Congress, as part of a pattern of elected officials and others who have made similarly offensive remarks minimizing the Holocaust , Rabbi Abba Cohen Tweeted, "Holocaust comparisons are dangerously insidious, deeply offensive, grotesquely distorting and astoundingly ignorant. Equating yellow stars to COVID masks is mind-numbing."

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD ON ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE

There is no need to review here the horrors of what American Jews have been experiencing and witnessing in recent years and particularly these past few days. Wanton violence and hateful epithets have deeply wounded us, and some are fearful even to walk outside with their children. Why? Simply because they are Jewish.

We are thankful to President Biden and Vice President Harris, and many elected officials on both sides of the aisle, for speaking out and condemning these antisemitic attacks. Agudath Israel and other Jewish groups have reached out and met with White House officials and congressional leadership to discuss steps that can be taken to help address the problem.

To learn more about specific steps Agudah and other Jewish groups are asking Congress to take and to contact your member of Congress, click here.

At Agudah Request, NYC Mayor Convenes Emergency Meeting of Jewish Leaders Regarding Antisemitic Attacks

Agudath Israel of America has condemned, in the strongest possible terms, the senseless, antisemitic attacks against Jews in New York City, Los Angeles, and elsewhere around the country. The idea that unrest in the Middle East justifies gang violence and “Jew-hunting” is horrifying.

In New York City, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudah’s executive vice president, and Mr. Shlomo Werdiger, chairman of Agudah’s board of trustees, reached out to Mayor Bill de Blasio to request an urgent meeting to address this critical matter. Mr. de Blasio responded immediately and convened an emergency meeting of Jewish leaders at New York City Hall.

To continue reading click here.

Meeting with Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison. At the Table, Left to Right: Rabbi Moshe Indig, Satmar Community of Williamsburg; Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, NY Director of Government Relations, Agudath Israel of America; Rabbi Moshe Dovid Niederman, Executive Director, United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg; Mr. Chaskel Bennett, Member of the Board of Trustees, Agudath Israel of America; Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Executive Vice President, Agudath Israel of America; and Mr. Shlomo Werdiger, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Agudath Israel of America

Agudah in the News

Rabbi Avi Schnall was interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer about the lawsuits against Jackson Township, alleging it discriminated against the Orthodox Jewish community through targeted zoning ordinances and enforcement practices.

Rabbi Yeruchim Silber and Mr. Chaskel Bennett joined NY Councilman Kalman Yeger on Talkline with Zev Brenner to talk about the recent antisemitic attacks in New York City. Click here to listen.

Dr. Irving Lebovics, co-chairman of Am Echad, published an op-ed in the Jerusalem Post. Dr. Lebovics, who also serves as the chairman of Agudath Israel of California, was responding to the open letter signed by 100 progressive rabbinic and cantorial students while Hamas rockets were still falling on Tel Aviv, speaking out against Israel and calling its policies apartheid.

Intense Advocacy in Closing Days of Illinois General Assembly

Although the Capitol building is mostly off-limits to visitors, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, director of government affairs for Agudath Israel of Illinois, has visited Springfield multiple times in the last few weeks, often joined by parents and community leaders from Chicago. Aside from a successful effort to stop a harmful redistricting map proposal, Rabbi Soroka has been working around the clock with other allies to preserve and enhance the Invest in Kids Act scholarship tax credit program. Rabbi Soroka recently met with Governor Pritzker and all four legislative leaders and had robust conversations about these two issues.

Rabbi Shlomo Soroka and a group of parents from Chicago meet with Illinois State Rep. Bob Morgan in Springfield.

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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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