Strengthening Torah Life. Advocating for the Community. Serving Each Individual. | | May 3, 2021 - 21 Iyar 5781 News from the Agudah:
- Let Judges Set Bail for Perpetrators of Hate Crimes: On May 1st, an individual was arrested, ending an 11-day crime spree, in which four synagogues and Jewish centers in Riverdale were vandalized, and siddurim were intentionally violated. He was charged with 42 alleged criminal counts - including multiple hate crimes. Under New York's new bail reform laws, this individual was released last night, and is now walking the streets, free to vandalize again. See below for more information.
- Agudah's New Jersey office is proud to present a new division - Yahalom: A resource center for special needs children and their families. See below for more information.
- On the occasion of the 23rd yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moshe Sherer z'l, President of Agudath Israel of America, we share a special memorial edition of the Jewish Observer, written upon his passing in 1989. See below to read.
- It is, perhaps, easier to get a measure of the great man Rabbi Sherer was, by watching him speak about one of the topics he was passionate about: Learning and supporting Torah. Click here to watch.
- "One thing is certain: Hasidic children receive meaningful educations... The rigor of a Talmudic education hones students' critical thinking... to a degree well beyond what most public schools offer." Click here to read an article written by Rabbi Avi Shafran, in the New York Daily News, in response to recent unfounded criticisms of the yeshiva education system.
- The Iyunim B'hilchos Shabbos will continue this week. See below for this week's schedule.
| | Agudath Israel: Let Judges Set Bail for Perpetrators of Hate Crimes | | Individual throwing objects at the windows of the Young Israel of Riverdale Synagogue.
Ending an 11-day crime spree, in which four synagogues and Jewish centers in Riverdale were vandalized, and siddurim (prayer books) were intentionally violated and destroyed, an individual was arrested on May 1st. He was charged with 42 alleged criminal counts - including multiple hate crimes - after eyewitnesses and video surveillance identified him as the perpetrator. Under New York's new bail reform laws, however, most offenses require a defendants' immediate release without bail while awaiting trial. Indeed, the alleged serial Riverdale perpetrator was released last night. Agudath Israel of America supported an exception to the bail reform laws in 2020 (S.7111 Gounardes / A.8944 Eichenstein), which stated that hate crimes would be offenses for which Judges have discretion to fix bail. While some exceptions to bail reform were subsequently made for violent crimes, non-violent hate crimes were not included, and the bill, as originally conceived, failed to pass. In the face of rising antisemitic hate crimes, and as this egregious case makes all too clear, Judges should be allowed to set bail for hate crimes. Those who target religious individuals and houses of worship should not walk freely while awaiting trial. Agudath Israel supports A.02603, sponsored by Assemblymember Simcha Eichenstein, and cosponsored by Assemblymembers Abbate, Brabenec, Buttenschon, Cymbrowitz, Fahy, Thiele, Woerner, Paulin, Rozic, and Rosenthal, which, once again, seeks to include hate crimes in offenses for which a judge has discretion to set bail. | | Yahalom: Agudath Israel's New NJ Resource Center for Special Needs Population: A Resource Center for Special Needs Children and their Families. | | New parents of special needs children are often thrust into an unfamiliar world. Suddenly, an avalanche of new financial, medical, educational and emotional concerns have to be tended to. Trying to navigate that new world on one's own can be a daunting task.
To help parents deal with that daunting task, Agudath Israel of America's New Jersey office, has established a new special needs division, Yahalom. Yahalom will help those parents obtain the appropriate resources by guiding, educating and empowering parents to ensure they have the help and support they need.
Yahalom is headed by Mrs. Chana Laniado, who has dealt with the special needs community for over a decade. To contact Mrs. Laniado, please call 848-285-8444 or email claniado@agudah.org.
Yahalom Founding Committee: Rabbi Avi Schnall, Mr. Moishe Netzer, Mr. Shloime Zeldes, Mr. Moshe Tress, Mr. Shmuli Werdiger. | | Click here or on the image below to read. | | The shiurim will continue this week with the access information as follows: | | | | | | |
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