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If you, a family member, or friend would like to receive emails from the Agudah email reception@agudah.org. | | July 6, 2020 - 14 Tamuz 5780 News from the Agudah:
- Agudath Israel welcomes the significant expansion of FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program which will include new areas and more institutions. See below for more information.
- After two months of constant growth and improvement, the Bnos Sefiras Haomer Shmiras Halashon Program has ended. The program ended with a grand finale on last week Tuesday. Please see below for more details.
- Last week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced new guidelines and orders for the reopening of schools this September, and Agudath Israel of Ohio commends the governor for the reopening guidelines. More information can be found below.
- Agudas Yisroel of Peterson Park in Chicago is continuing its series of shiurim by Rabbi Shmuel Fuerst, on halacha l'maaseh on sugyos from Daf Yomi. Tonigh't shiur will be on Hilchos Shaimos: what must be put in shaimos and what can be put in the garbage; frum newspapers, parsha sheets, school notes, etc. The shiur is at 8:00 pm EDT (7:00 am CDT). The call in number is (518) 425-1725.
- Agudath Israel's PCS of Lakewood if offering free consultations for small businesses in distress. Please see below for more information.
- Agudath Israel hosted a virtual event to update its Board of Trustees, National Officers, Vaad Hanhalah and nationwide contacts on the organization's efforts and activities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. See below for more details and for a recording of the event.
- Attention NJ residents: Tomorrow, July 7th, is the New Jersey 2020 primary elections. Please see below for an important message regarding voting.
- The Iyunim B'Hilchos Shabbos program continues tomorrow with a shiur from Rabbi Shraga Kallus on Iyunim B'Hilchos Eino Miskavein V'Psik Reisha at 12:00 pm EDT. Please see below for the full schedule.
| | Agudath Israel Welcomes Significant Expansion of FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program | | The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced the final allocations and awards for the FY2020 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). The announcement reflects the implementation of Congress's landmark FY2020 appropriations bill, which allocated a record $90 million dollars for the program – $50 million directed to specified "at risk" urban areas and $40 million to go to other locations. The announcement was shared with members of Congress and outlined the amounts going to each state and to the awarded nonprofits.
"It is very exciting and gratifying to see the expansion of the program – more funds, more locations, more security," noted Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israel of America's Vice President for Government Affairs and Washington Director. "Particularly at this time of unrest, with an uptick in anti-Semitic incidents, the program continues to be vitally important to the Jewish community."
NSGP was created in 2005 to address the various security threats facing nonprofits located in urban areas at high risk of terrorist attack. Its funding goes to procuring security enhancements and to hardening vulnerable targets. Agudath Israel has been among a small coalition of groups, led by the Jewish Federations of North America, that has been in the forefront of creating, extending and expanding the program.
One special feature of this year's allocation is the close to $2 million award that will go to nonprofits in Rockland County, New York. Originally, the grant was limited to specified urban areas only, causing the many other "at risk" communities to be left without security funding. Rockland County, for example, which was the scene of a brutal synagogue attack this past Chanukah, had been ineligible for NSGP, despite its vulnerability as having the largest Jewish population per capita of any county in the U.S.
Advocating for these communities became a priority for Agudath Israel and other groups and community activists, and in recent years they were included in the program. This relentless effort yielded further fruit in the FY2020 legislation and FEMA allocation, resulting in a record $40 million to go to these "non-urban, at-risk" communities, and eventually bringing 500 additional nonprofits into the program. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and longtime representative from Rockland County, played a key role in, and has been widely praised for, the expansion of the program, which will now include numerous institutions in Rockland County, as well as in locations around the country.
"All Americans deserve and have the right to live their lives without fear, and this is especially true in the Jewish community, where the threats and dangers are tangible," observed Rabbi Cohen. "We will continue to seek to bolster NSGP so that our synagogues, schools, camps, charities and social service agencies will be safe and secure for our families." | | Bnos Sefiras Haomer Shmiras Halashon Program Ends with Over Two Months of Constant Growth and Improvement | | Sefiras Haomer is a time for growth and inspiration. Unfortunately, in today's virtual world that inspiration can be hard to tap into. Which is why Mrs. Chana Baila Hass, Director of Bnos Agudath Israel, came up with a unique and interactive Shmiras Halashon sefirah program. "I wanted to give the girls a different experience" she said, "I didn't want the girls to just call in to a hotline and listen to a halachah; I wanted it to be captivating."
And captivating it was. The program was easy to follow, every day the girls called the hotline, listened to a halachah and story pertaining to Shmiras Halashon then filled out a quiz that enabled them to be entered in a raffle and win prizes. The hotline also gave the girls the ability to leave inspiring messages for each other and create a community like atmosphere. Simple and yet, as Mrs. Hass put it, "captivating." Bnos received so much positive feedback that they extended their program an additional month. Unfortunately, with the summer coming and each of the girls experiencing a different schedule, it was time for the program to be wrapped up. This past Tuesday, June 30th, the program ended with a grand finale. Over 1,000 girls tuned in to an inspiring event that taught them how to take what they learned and apply it to real life bein adam lchaveiro situations in camp and school.
Truthfully, grand finale is not the most accurate way to describe this event. According to Mrs. Hass, "We are not ending anything. True Bnos girls don't end their learning and are constantly on a road to growth. This particular sefirah program may be over, but the constant striving to be better to your peers will continue through the summer and beyond."
For more information about upcoming Bnos programs, contact Mrs. Hass at CBhass@agudah.org. | | Agudath Israel of Ohio Commends Governor DeWine for School Reopening Guidelines | | Yesterday, July 2nd, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced new guidelines and orders for the reopening of schools this September. At the press conference following the release of the guidelines the Governor made it clear that the state has "an obligation to educate our children and to keep them safe."
The Governor also stressed that the schools have the autonomy to adjust the guidelines to what works best for their environment while still ensuring a degree of safety to protect the students and staff. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Governor DeWine has made it clear that his goal is to reopen schools in a safe manner and that he will rely on school districts to determine the best way to do so. The flexibility the Governor provided today will enable children across the state to get the education they deserve and have sorely missed since the beginning of COVID-19.
Agudath Israel of Ohio commends the Governor for taking this important and balanced approach to reopening. According to Rabbi Yitz Frank, Executive Director of Agudath Israel of Ohio, "The Governor and his excellent policy staff have done a tremendous job of carefully navigating Ohio through the current pandemic while simultaneously collaborating with the Ohio Department of Education and other stakeholders, including Agudath Israel. We are grateful."
| | Agudath Israel's PCS Division is Offering Free Consultations for Lakewood Small Businesses | | Agudath Israel's PCS of Lakewood is offering free consultations for small businesses in distress. Many businesses have already benefited from the expert guidance of this initiative. The Chairmen of this program are Yossi Schuck, Partner, Bernath & Rosenberg, Elliot Zaks, Principal, Madison Title, and Shlomie Zeldes, CEO, Avacare Medical LLC.
As of now, these services are only available for Lakewood businesses.
Applications accepted via online form only. | | Agudath Israel Updates Leadership on Activities Since Siyum HaShas in Nationwide Video Conference | | Agudath Israel of America hosted a virtual event for its Board of Trustees, National Officers, Vaad Hanhalah and nationwide contacts. The purpose of the meeting was to update Agudath Israel's key contacts across the country on the efforts and successes the organization has had throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event, which featured Divrei Bracha from Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz, Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivas Beis Meir, also included presentations from directors of various Agudah divisions who reported on their activities. The session was chaired by Rabbi Labish Becker, Executive Director of Agudath Israel of America.
You can view the full recording of the event here. | | Important Message for New Jersey Residents | | Tomorrow, July 7th, there will be a hachanah shiur at 11:00 am EDT, a shiur from Rabbi Shraga Kallus at 12:00 pm EDT, and a chazarah shiur at 8:00 pm EDT.
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