Behind the Scenes

So much of what our state directors do, happens behind the scenes and away from the cameras.

This week, our Illinois director of government affairs, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, took his WhatsApp contacts along with him as he traveled to Springfield for the final 36 hours of the legislative session. Posting status updates throughout the day (and late at night), Rabbi Soroka gave the play-play of the dramatic conclusion to many months of advocacy efforts led by Agudah and others. Click on the image above to watch a video recap of those last hours and see below for the first of several upcoming articles highlighting Agudah’s accomplishments in Illinois.

Rabbi Yitz Frank did not record his statehouse visits these past few weeks, but I encourage you to watch his brief video update or the longer discussion we recorded together (both videos are available here). If Ohio’s Senate proposals hold until the end of their budget process, families will see an approximately 25% increase to their tuition voucher amounts, more students will be eligible for scholarships, and a new sixth school choice program will be launched in the state. The actual list of positive Senate changes Agudah focused on had more than 30 items!

None of it it would have been possible without an engaged community and it starts with strong voter turnout. The New York City Mayoral primary race is heating up and Agudah is trying to educate voters on the new “ranked choice” system. See our excellent video below that explains this new way of voting.

Finally, if you haven’t already done so, please ask Congress to take action against antisemitism. Click here to learn more and take action.