Albany Day
Last week for the first time since the pandemic, Agudah had an in person Albany Day. A delegation of Agudah staff and leadership was joined by leading community advocates and school officials. The group met with over a dozen Senators and members of the Assembly, as well as staff of the Governor. Issues discussed included security funding for yeshivas, child care, and others. Please click
here or see below for full details.
Meeting with Consul General
Last week Agudah leaders
met the new Israeli consul general from NY, Asaf Zamir, to discuss concerns of Diaspora Jews.
New Substantial Equivalency Regulations
This week the NYS board of regents released new regulations regarding substantial equivalency of instruction. Please click
here to see Agudah’s statement on these proposed regulations.
Purim Sensitivity Guidelines
Agudah, along with a number of other groups, released a statement to exercise sensitivity towards community and neighbors. This includes not using costumes that may be painful to other communities. Please click
here to see the full statement.
Ukraine Updates:
An Update on the Ukraine Crisis from the Vaad Hazalah for Ukrainian Jewry
Hear from Rabbi Moshe Fhima, Head of Yad Yisroel Pinsk, Belarus, who is leading the relief and rescue efforts on the ground.
Divrei chizuk will be given by Rabbi Shmuel Dishon, Menahel, Yeshivas Karlin-Stolin, Rabbi Malkiel Kotler, Rosh Yeshiva, Beis Medrash Govoha, Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, and Rabbi Zev Cohen, Rav, Adas Yeshurun, Chicago.
Rabbi Naftali Miller, Director of Development, Agudath Israel of America, will deliver an update on the fundraising efforts from the US.
Watch live today, at 3:00 PM EDT, at
Agudah.org/Ukraine or call 718.298.2077 x 52 to join by phone.
Take Action: Call on Biden Administration to Let Ukrainian Refugees Reunite with their U.S Families
We are all outraged by the Ukrainian crisis and the death and destruction that has come in its wake. Agudath Israel is doing what it can to provide humanitarian relief to the injured and displaced. We have raised millions of dollars for food, medicine, housing and other vital necessities, to be distributed throughout affected areas in Ukraine and neighboring countries. But there is more we can do!
Take action now and call on the Biden Administration to let Ukrainian refugees reunite with their U.S families. See below for more details.
Ukraine Emergency Fund
The need for funds to help people escape the Ukrainian war zone, and for food, lodging, and other necessities for refugees is mounting.
We are doing whatever is necessary, including privately airlifting food and medical supplies over enemy lines to those in immediate need, and opening warehouses in Poland.
You can donate by going to
agudah.org/Ukraine or by calling 929.529.0200. You can mail a check to Agudath Israel, attn: Ukraine Fund, 42 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004. We are working with trusted partners “on the ground” to make sure that all donations goes to this pressing need, including such items as food, medical needs, additional security, and evacuation and housing costs. Please contribute generously. Thank you. Click
here to donate
Agudath Israel takes this opportunity to wish and your family a most joyous Purim. A freilechen Purim!
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Back in Albany: Third Installment of Agudah Advocacy Brings Focus on Parents and Security
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(L-R) Chaskel Bennett, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Rabbi Moshe Melamed
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Meeting with Assemblymember Helene Weinstein
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Meeting with Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal
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Meeting with Assemblymember Steven Cymbrowitz
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Rabbi Yehoshua Pinkus, Director Yeshiva Services, Agudath Israel, with Assemblymember Michael Cusick
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Back L-R: Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Rabbi Eli Rabinowitz, Rabbi Moshe Melamed, Rabbi Joel Rosenfeld, Rabbi Ephraim Fink
Front L-R: Mr. Avrohom Weinstock, Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Rabbi Mordechai Biser, Rabbi Pinchas Avruch, Rabbi Yehoshua Pinkus, Mr. Leon Goldenberg
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Back L-R: Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Mr. Avrohom Weinstock, Rabbi Yehoshua Pinkus, Rabbi Eli Rabinowitz, Rabbi Moshe Melamed, Rabbi Joel Rosenfeld
Front L-R: Miss Atara Fialkoff, Miss Miri Szpilzinger, Mrs. Leah Steinberg, Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Rabbi Mordechai Biser, Rabbi Pinchas Avruch, Mr. Leon Goldenberg, Rabbi Ephraim Fink
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Photo Credits: Cindy Schultz
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Agudath Israel of America was one of the first groups statewide to be back in Albany for lobbying last week, just days after the Legislative Office Building opened to the public.
While Zoom advocacy has become accepted over the past two years (and certainly is more convenient than six hours of driving!) it is just not the same as face-to-face meetings. So, as soon as the Agudah received the go-ahead, the race was on to put together a delegation to relay the concerns of New York’s Orthodox Jewish community in person before the state budget was released. The delegation of Agudah staff and leadership was joined by leading community advocates and school officials.
During the busy day, the delegation met with Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, Senators Anna Kaplan, Simcha Felder, and Diane Savino, as well as Assemblymembers Michael Benedetto, Robert Carroll, Michael Cusick, Steven Cymbrowitz, Simcha Eichenstein, Daniel Rosenthal, Amy Paulin, and Helene Weinstein. There were also meetings with staff from Assemblymember Emily Gallagher’s office.
Additionally, the delegation met with staff of Governor Hochul, including Dan Fuller, Deputy Secretary for Education; Terrence O’Leary, Executive Deputy Commissioner, NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES); and Chattod Floyd, Deputy Secretary for Legislative Affairs. These meetings were coordinated by Jake Adler, Director of Jewish Affairs, and Eva Wyner, Deputy Director of Jewish Affairs.
Safety for Our Children:
Antisemitic violence continues to rise across the country. From the high-profile cases like attacks targeting Jews in Pittsburgh, PA; Poway, CA; Jersey City, NJ; Monsey, NY; and the recent hostage crisis in Colleyville, Texas, to the swastikas and senseless beatings in the streets. Ensuring our children’s safety in school by raising the level of funding for the Nonpublic School Safety Equipment grant (NPSE), is therefore one of the highest priorities for the Agudah. The NPSE program provides reimbursement for safety and security measures for nonpublic schools, and Agudah advocates asked the legislators to retain the line item in the budget which would raise NPSE funding from $15 million to $45 million, as well as to expand eligibility for usage to include critical capital repairs that enhance building safety.
This item was also raised extensively in the meetings with executive staff of the governor. Members of the delegation expressed appreciation to the governor for putting this item in her version of the budget, as Agudah had lobbied for several months ago, and stressed the importance of this funding being included in the final budget.
Fight Child Poverty for the State’s Youngest:
The Empire State Child Tax Credit was designed to combat child poverty for low- and middle-income parents. Paradoxically, the credit excludes children under the age of four, the age children are most likely to experience poverty; when the impact of child poverty is most egregious and can impede long-term development; and when parents have the most difficult time returning to work. A 50-state survey of child tax credits did not find a single other state that denied the benefit specifically to parents of younger children. Agudah delegates asked legislators to close this critical under-four loophole.
Other issues discussed with the legislators included a summer food funding increase, a revolving loan fund for special education providers, and immunization recordkeeping reimbursements.
“There is no substitute for the human connection, and with almost no one yet in Albany, we really got a lot of quality time with the legislators. Kudos to our advocacy team for mobilizing on a dime,” said Avrohom Weinstock, Agudah’s chief of staff. “It was great to be back in the person, walking the halls of the Capitol in Albany,” said Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Agudah’s director of New York government relations. “While we won’t know if we succeeded in accomplishing all of the items on the agenda, we already received positive feedback from multiple legislators, and have seen concrete results in the One House Budget released over the weekend after our visit.”
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Action Alert: Call on Biden Administration to Let Ukrainian Refugees Reunite with their U.S Families
Dear Agudah Activist:
We are all outraged by the Ukrainian crisis and the death and destruction that has come in its wake. Agudath Israel is doing what it can to provide humanitarian relief to the injured and displaced. We have raised millions of dollars for food, medicine, housing and other vital necessities, to be distributed throughout affected areas in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
But there is more we can do!
We can urge Congress to call upon the Biden Administration to take steps to ease the massive refugee crisis by expediting family reunification cases so that Ukrainians with family in the U.S. can arrive on these shores as quickly as possible. Family reunification is a central focus of American refugee policy.
There are two actions the Administration can take:
Lautenberg Amendment Cases — The Lautenberg Amendment eases the refugee process for religious minorities who have suffered historic persecution in their home countries – and, in Ukraine, Jews, Pentecostals, and others, are eligible. Many applications are already in the pipeline and should be expedited by allowing applicants to come to the U.S. and complete processing here or by allowing them to complete processing in refugee centers in Europe. The Administration should also do all within its power to expedite the process of newly-filed Lautenberg cases.
Immigrant Visa Applications – Another way the Biden Administration can bring relief to Ukrainians is to expedite pending immigrant visa applications and allow these applicants to enter the U.S. as refugees or parolees. Otherwise, this process could take months or even years of waiting! This has been done previously for other groups (Iraqis and Haitians) and the exigent circumstances facing Ukrainians warrant that it be done there as well.
We urge you to contact your Senators and Representatives as soon as possible to call upon the Biden Administration to take these critical steps that will bring relief to thousands who are suffering displacement. These are actions that do not require legislation and that the President can put into effect right away.
Thank you for your help!
Rabbi Abba Cohen
Vice President for Government Affairs
Washington Director
