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.