The annual Agudah Washington mission could not have come at a more crucial time this year. Amid the war in Israel and the skyrocketing antisemitism around the country, it was vital for the Agudah leadership and supporters to speak with legislators and advocate for the Jewish People.
Rabbi Yossi Kaplan, Director of Agudah of Colorado, joined almost seventy delegates in Washington, D.C. for a two-day advocacy trip to the Capitol. Following the year’s legislative agenda, the meeting topics centered around the war in Israel, releasing the hostages, combatting the rise in antisemitism, and increasing funding to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), among other issues.
At the opening dinner, the delegates were treated to remarks from Assistant Secretary of Education Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke, and Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Counterterrorism, Threat Prevention, and Law Enforcement Jeohn Favors.
The next day, as part of the schedule, the trip delegates split into smaller groups to speak with their state representatives in Congress. The Colorado delegation met with Senator Michael Bennet’s Chief of Staff Amy Friedman, Congressman Jason Crow, Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo’s staff members, and Congresswoman Brittany Peterson’s staff members.
The group then joined back together for a Senate luncheon, where they were treated to warm remarks by Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Richard Blumenthal (C-CT), Cory Booker (C-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Fetterman (D-PA), James Lankford (R-OK), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Rick Scott (R-FL), all of whom expressed their solidarity with American Jewry and their support of Israel. After the luncheon, the group met with senior administration officials in the White House including State Department Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Aaron Keyak, Domestic Policy Advisor to President Biden Neera Tanden, and White House National Security Communications Advisor Admiral John Kirby.