Dear Community,
We hope that each of you are having an easy and meaningful Shiva Asar B'Tamuz. To enjoy a concise guide to the halachos of the Three Weeks, please click here.
By now, most day camps have already started. A big thank you and yasher koach to all the camp leaders throughout the city for implementing and executing well planned guidelines. Baruch Hashem, everything is going smoothly so far and we daven for everything to continue to go well and for all our children to have a great summer.
As the incidents of COVID-19 around the country are on a steep incline, we continue to monitor the intensity of this second wave and its impact on other communities. Baruch Hashem our community has not experienced this spike, and b'ezras Hashem with a combination of Siyata Dishmaya and our cautiousness, we hope and daven to be spared any future negative impact from the virus. We will continue to monitor local and national statistics and be in contact with medical professionals to provide you current information and updates.
Have a good Shabbos, | | If you did not receive this email directly and would like to receive it in the future, please click here. | | AGUDATH ISRAEL OF ILLINOIS COVID-19 UPDATES | |
What's the Agudah Been Up to Lately?
Ever since COVID-19 hit Chicago, Agudah has been up- there's been no time to sleep! Working with federal, state and local government on every area that touches on Jewish life. Here is a brief summary of some projects keeping us busy and some resources that can be helpful to you. | | LIBRARY Schools are closed. Hundreds of our community's families are confined to their homes. Thousands of children are in dire need of quality recreation. It was into this difficult situation that the library, since early May, stepped in and stepped up. For close to 40 years, the Antonia Spitzer Jewish Library has provided the greater Chicago Jewish community with the finest in quality Jewish reading material for all ages and on all subjects. To meet the needs of this uniquely challenging time, an ordering system was instituted which featured selecting books from our newly created online catalog, and curbside pickup. With each family allowed to take out 12 books ….. nearly a thousand books were made available weekly for curbside pickup. With the easing of the state's restrictions, the library recently switched to a by-appointment system, which has been very successful. The library schedule is as follows: Sunday: 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm Wednesday: 5:50 pm – 7:50 pm Friday: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
BUSING For the past few years, Agudath Israel has administered the state transportation grant and busing program for our community schools. While the rest of the world was hunkering down during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Agudah's legislative division was operating in overdrive and succeeded in securing the grant again for the 2020-21 school year. As the city and state restrictions stand, schools are undecided as to whether they will be offering transportation for the coming school year. On behalf of the schools, we have put together a survey to gauge community interest in a busing program. Please note that this is not a commitment that the transportation program will be in operation for next year – it is a streamlined process to procure the data that will enable each school to make their own decision.
SHULS As a member of the Mayor's Faith-Based Reopening Taskforce, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka has been collaborating with the Administration and other faith leaders in crafting guidance and policies for places of worship. Following their meeting on Thursday and some follow up, the new Phase 4 guidelines for places of worship was released and can be found here. We are working with the City on exploring additional plans to safely accommodate more mispallelim, especially for the upcoming Yomim Noraim.
YESHIVOS & SCHOOLS Our schools are planning for the next year and with their input, we have been representing their interests and needs before the Illinois State Board of Education and the City of Chicago as a member of the Mayor's School Reopening Task Force. The City is aiming to roll out their guidelines sometime next week. We continue to inform and advise schools on these developments and guide them on how to secure their fair share of Cares Act funding. Illinois has received $570 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding under the CARES Act. In addition, under the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER), the state is receiving an additional $108.4 million. GEER Funds are grants that governors can use at their discretion for educational needs, and it was unknown if our students and schools would be able to benefit from them. During a recent meeting with Illinois' Deputy Governor of Education, we were assured that of the portion allocated towards supporting K-12 students, private school students will have equitable participation.
| | ARE COVID-19 CASES GETTING BETTER IN CHICAGO? | | Baruch Hashem, the rates of new cases, positivity rates, hospitalizations, and COVID-19 deaths have continued to decline. Positivity rates in Chicago have remained below 5%. In zip codes 60645 and 60659, the positivity rate has dropped to approximately 3% and the numbers of new cases are at their lowest point since the beginning of the outbreak. Additionally, positivity rates in our zip codes are lower than the citywide rates for the first time in several months. Although cases in Chicago have decreased over the last few weeks, ongoing vigilance is vital to prevent a resurgence in our community as there have been concerning spikes in other states. Unfortunately, several Jewish communities around the country have already experienced a rise in cases directly related to travel from states experiencing new spikes. Some have unfortunately needed to close their day camps and renew restrictions. Continuing to take precautions on our part can help prevent a potential second wave in our community. To see the latest data, visit Chicago's new coronavirus data page.
| | State & City Where Are We Now & What Can We Expect? | | CHICAGO'S TRAVEL QUARANTINE ORDER Effective July 6, the City of Chicago imposed mandatory quarantines on travelers from states experiencing spikes. Those who have recently traveled to Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas or Utah should self-quarantine immediately until 14 days have elapsed since arriving in Chicago.
PIRCHEI DAY CAMP has implemented this policy. Anyone who has traveled to one of these high-risk states may not attend camp until after a 14-day quarantine with no symptoms.
| | What is the 2020 Census? The 2020 Census counts every person living in the United States and is conducted once every 10 years.
Why is it important for YOU to participate? The results from the Census affect district maps on the federal, state, and local levels, and higher Census participation gives us a more powerful voice in government.
It also impacts community funding. Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to hospitals, fire departments, roads, schools and other resources based on census data. In addition, as a result of Covid-19, many of our community members and institutions are relying on:
- UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
- SNAP
- CHIP
- MEDICAID
- MEDICARE
- PELL GRANTS
- SECTION 8
- TITLE I
and other programs that are directly impacted by the results of the Census! It is estimated that communities lose an estimated $20,000 per individual that is not counted. (For a family 7, that's $140,000!)
How do I participate in the 2020 Census? Each home should have received a short questionnaire in the mail. If you don't have the mailing which includes your Census ID number, you can still respond to the Census. The process takes less than 10 minutes to complete and can be completed online here. If you need assistance or don't have internet access, please call us at 773-279-8400 ext. 261. | | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS | | Guidance on Government Programs
| | UPDATED GUIDANCE
It can be challenging to keep up with all government financial aid programs and researching which ones you may be eligible for and what options work best. Details and information are constantly evolving and new programs are regularly being unveiled. To enable people to review all their potential options, we have updated all government financial aid information and consolidated it on our COVID response website: JewishChicago.info.
| UTILITY BILLING RELIEF PROGRAM
What is the Utility Billing Relief Program? Chicago recently launched the Utility Billing Relief program (UBR) to reduce the cost of water and sewer bills for Chicago's most vulnerable residents which prevents residents from having to make difficult choices between paying for utilities and paying for groceries and other essential items. What benefits can I receive? Recipients can save up to 50% on water, sewer and water-sewer tax. After successful completion of the first 12 months of the program (with no past due balances), previous unpaid balances will be forgiven.
Am I eligible? To be eligible for UBR, Homeowners must be eligible for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The UBR Program will not require documentation of residency and there will be no late payment penalties or debt collection activity.
How can I apply? If you need assistance or don't have internet access, please call us at 773-279-8400 ext. 261. | | If you missed last week's comprehensive update that contained additional relevant information, you can view it here. | | | | | | |
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