Thursday, August 20, 2020

Fwd: News From Agudas Yisroel - 30 Av 5780/August 20, 2020


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From: Agudath Israel of America <news@agudah.org>
Date: Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 6:02 PM
Subject: News From Agudas Yisroel - 30 Av 5780/August 20, 2020
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>


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August 20, 2020 - 30 Av 5780
News from the Agudah:

  • We've received inquiries as to why there was no News from Agudah emails yesterday and the day before. The reason, simply, is that it is a slow news season, what with legislative sessions in recess, bein hazmanim, and the summer months. We try very hard not to spam you with uninformative or unnecessary emails. We look forward to bringing you regular Agudah updates as we enter the busy time of Elul and the Yomim Noraim and wish everyone a gutten chodesh.

  • Rabbi Labish Becker, executive director of Agudath Israel, was a talmid of Rav Chaim Dov Keller ZT"L in Telshe Yeshiva. Please see below for a moving hesped that he wrote.

  • Agudath Israel's Torah Projects celebrates a successful season of the Summer of Torah lecture series- more below.

  • Lastly, did you fill out the census yet? It is critical for our communities to do so, and as an incentive, Agudath Israel, in conjunction with BPJCC, is conducting a raffle for every household that completes the Census to be entered into a raffle to win $2,500 cash. You can enter even if you already filled it out! See below for details regarding how to enter the raffle. 
Thoughts and Zichronos Upon the Petira of My Rebbi, HaRav Chaim Dov Keller ZT"L
By: Rabbi Labish Becker

The news came like a thunderbolt! We had all been davening for weeks and months for the Rosh Yeshiva, Horav Chaim Dov Keller zt"l, to recover and return to his shtender. But, it was not to be. As Talmidim whose weltanschauung was greatly shaped by the Rosh Yeshiva we are left to contemplate his greatness and his influence on us and all of Klal Yisroel. 

I had the Zechus of attending Telshe Yeshiva in the late 1960's and early 1970's. It was a time when we all strove for growth in Limud HaTorah. It was also a time of great upheaval in the world. The Rosh Yeshiva, Horav Chaim Dov, in addition to saying outstanding Shiurim, where he helped us understand every nuance in the Gemara, also gave exceptional and much looked forward to Shmuezin where he gave us Daas Torah. He helped us look at the world around us allowing us to see it through a Torah lens. On a personal level the Rosh Yeshiva was extremely accessible to each and every one of us giving us not only general but individual Hadracha in so many different ways. He had endless patience to talk to us and showed incredible interest in our every issue. 

Years later, when I began working for Agudas Yisroel of America I was privileged to once again hear his incredible clarity of thought and Daas Torah. He spoke many times at Agudah conventions and was one of the most sought after and highly anticipated speakers. He had an incredible wealth of Torah knowledge as well as a wide-ranging grasp of the greater world around us. His oratorical skills and profound Torah insights captivated audiences year after year. Rabbi Keller was a gifted writer whose many insightful articles in the Jewish Observer are as relevant today as when he wrote them. He was truly the quintessential voice of Daas Torah rooted deeply in the words of his Rebbeim, Reb Elya Meir Bloch and Reb Chaim Mordechai Katz zt"l and the Telzer tradition. 

There was much Hadracha that I received from the Rosh Yeshiva that is too personal to share. However, there is one that is instructive of his grasp of Daas Torah which taught me a lesson that I will never forget. It was in the early 1970's in the period between the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. The Israeli air force up until that time had been supplied mainly by the French, who sold them Mirage jets which helped Israel maintain its aerial superiority and was very vital to its security. Due to various factors, the Prime Minister of France, George Pompidou, wanted to discontinue the sale of those jets. Prime Minister Pompidou was going to be visiting Chicago. The local Jewish community used this opportunity to mount a massive protest against the French government. Among the groups that the organizers reached out to in the Orthodox community was Telshe Yeshiva. The Yeshiva demurred as participating in demonstrations was not the accepted Hadracha in the Frum community.  

Being a young, impressionable Bochur, I felt strongly that it was important for the Yeshiva to join in this important demonstration, and beseeched the Roshei Yeshiva that they should change their minds. Of course, they did not, but the Rosh Yeshiva gave me individual permission to attend if I wanted to. I did indeed attend that demonstration at the hotel where the Prime Minister would be staying in downtown Chicago. I arrived at the demonstration where hundreds of protestors were chanting, "Boo! Boo! Pomidou!" and other anti-French slogans. Before long the Prime Minister arrived, exited his limousine and walked to enter his hotel. One of the protestors ran over to him, somehow eluding security and spat on him! The Prime Minister became so furious that he was heard yelling that he would never ever sell jets to Israel. 

It was a profound lesson that I learned. A demonstration, no matter how well intentioned, can be ruined by the irresponsible actions of just a single individual. When Gedolei Yisroel are reluctant to authorize participation with other groups we must follow their words with pure Emunas Chachomim. It was an insightful lesson for life that has often guided me in my work for Agudas Yisroel.  

It is my fervent hope that so much of his Torah and Daas Torah will be made available for the Tzibbur who have so much to gain from him.  Yehei Zichro Boruch.   
Agudath Israel's Torah Projects Celebrates a Successful Season of the Summer of Torah Women's Lecture Series
For over three decades, the Agudath Israel's Summer of Torah women's lecture series has been an integral part of the summer season. The biweekly shiurim are held at the Regency Estates in Woodridge, New York, and have drawn crowds of women, who come to expand both their social and hashkafic horizons.  

As one participant explained, "The Summer of Torah lecture series is the highlight of my summer. It allows me to connect with like-minded women who wish to carry this inspiration through to the rest of the year." 

The event focuses on uniting women with the goal of enhancing their lives with Torah and inspiration. This year, due to the threat of COVID-19, Torah Projects focused on uniting the women virtually by livestreaming the speeches for those who were unable to attend the socially distanced sessions in the Regency.  

Over 5,000 women tuned in, via livestream and in-person, to enhance their summer with lectures by Rabbi Yehuda Yona Rubinstein, Mrs. Chani Juravel, Mrs. Esther Wein, and Rabbi Jonathan Rietti. The lectures carried the theme of relationships, with emphasis placed on bein adam l'chaveiro and elevating our everyday relationships to create the ultimate relationship with Hashem.  

While the set-up may not have been the standard, this year's Summer of Torah displayed the commitment these women have to Yiddishkeit and that despite all the uncertainty facing the world today, the focus should always be self-improvement.  

Torah Projects is indebted to Mrs. Faigy Ackerman, the program coordinator and the rest of the committee as well as the team of volunteers in the Regency that worked each week on setup and on site logistics. We are very grateful as well to Torah Anytime for their efforts in arranging the livestream thereby enabling many more to benefit from the program.

Click here to watch the playback of these speeches.  
Complete the 2020 Census and Get a Chance to Win $2500
2020 is the year of the census.  
 
Every ten years the United States Government is tasked with counting every single U.S citizen. While this may seem like needless red tape, the census is actually a crucial event that can greatly impact our community's growth and prosperity. Over the next ten years, the Federal Government will determine its aid packages directly based on the results of the census. Many of the programs that people rely on - Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), Pell Grants and more - are distributed to communities in accordance with their size, as recorded in census data. 
 
Agudath Israel of America encourages every household to participate and cooperate with the United States Census Bureau. Filling out the census only takes a few minutes and those moments can direct millions of dollars in Federal Aid, over the next ten years, to your community. 
 
Another critical point where the census impacts our community is in political representation. The number of representatives our community has in the state and federal governments is based on census data. When people don't fill out the census, the result is that the community has less political representation for their needs. 
 
This month, Agudath Israel of America, in conjunction with the Boro Park JCC, is proud to present an additional incentive for census participation. Each household that completes the census will be entered into a raffle to win $2,500. Simply send a screenshot that you completed the census to census@agudah.org and your family will be included in the pot.    
 
If you have already completed the census - no worries! Just complete the form on www.Agudah.org/census and you will be included as well.  
 
The census can be completed at my2020census.gov or by calling 212.797.9000, extension 218. 
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