In the third session of Agudath Israel of America’s 2024 Albany Days, Agudath Israel brought together a group of yeshiva leaders and community advocates to share the community’s concerns with New York State elected officials.

Following the October 7 Hamas massacre, antisemitism has risen at an alarming rate. New York State, the home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, has unfortunately borne the brunt of such attacks, with several attacks targeting Jews reported weekly. Many Jews feel unsafe to simply walk the streets of New York City with any visible signs of Jewishness and several Albany Day participants relayed incidents where they had been verbally accosted in New York City. At the forefront of Agudath Israel’s agenda is the doubling of the Nonpublic School Safety Equpment (NPSE) grant, which provides much needed security funding for schools. A highlight of the day was meeting with Deputy Senate Majority Leader Michael Gianaris (D-12) who is leading the effort in the Senate to double the NPSE allocation. Delegates also met with New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-35), who expressed her support for New York’s Orthodox Jewish community.

At a meeting with members of Governor Kathy Hochul’s staff, Agudath Israel expressed appreciation to the governor for allocating $239 million for Mandated Services Aid (MSA) in the 2024 budget. The largest source of nonpublic school funding in New York, MSA reimburses nonpublic schools for services mandated by the state, such as attendance and immunization recordkeeping.

Close to 40 Senators and Assemblymembers joined the delegation for lunch, hosted by Assemblymember David Weprin (D-24). Many of the legislators addressed the delegates, committing to support New York’s Jewish community during this difficult time. Mr. Chaskel Bennett, Agudath Israel board member, introduced Assemblymember Helene Weinstein (D-41), who just announced her intention to retire after representing the 41st district for over 40 years: “I have had the honor of working closely with Assemblywoman Weinstein on behalf of our growing community for well over twenty-five years. Few, if any, have served their constituents with more respect and effectiveness. Assemblywomen Weinstein has been and continues to be the benchmark for what an elected official should have; integrity, sensitivity, honesty, and humility.”

The delegates also met with Assemblymembers Michael Benedetto (D-82), Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-42), Alec Brook-Krasny (R-46), Lester Chang (R-49), Sarah Clark (D-136), William Colton (D-47), Brian Cunningham (D-43), Emily Gallagher (D-50), Alicia Hyndman (D-29), Nikki Lucas (D-60), Michael Novakhov (R-45), and Jo Anne Simon (D-52); Senators Samra Brouk (D-55), Iwen Chu (D-17), Simcha Felder (D-22), Brian Kavanagh (D-27), John Mannion (D-50), Kevin Parker (D-21), Roxanne Persaud (D-19), and Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-23); and staff of Senators Jamaal Bailey (D-36), Nathalia Fernandez (D-34), Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-47), Andrew Lanza (R-24), and Zellnor Myrie (D-20).

“In today’s world, our parents are particularly concerned about the safety and security of their children during their school hours. Agudath Israel is leading the charge in Albany to press our elected officials to increase funding for private school security needs,” said Rabbi Pinchas Avruch, Executive Director, RJJ of Staten Island. “It was my privilege to accompany the Agudah to Albany, to personally make the case to our elected officials that this funding is a top priority of their constituents.”

“Meeting with our dedicated legislators is an integral part of making sure our community’s voice is heard, and bringing constituents straight to the legislators makes every issue the table more relatable, humanized, and crucial,” said Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, director of New York government affairs. “We thank all our legislators for their time spent with us and we look forward to working with them further on issues facing the community.”

Photo Credits: Agudath Israel of America/ Moshe Gershbaum