June 8, 2021
Dear Community,
It's been a while! While the last 15 months may have demanded an enormous investment of time and resources into new and unexpected projects and initiatives, our focus has not been diverted from our core mission and existing projects and programs. Baruch Hashem, significant progress has been made in our advocacy department, several conferences and conventions are on the calendar, Pirchei and Bnos are going strong, the camping department is in full throttle and so much more is planned for the near future.
With so much happening, it is a great time for us to keep you up-to-date. Please read this email in its entirety as it contains a comprehensive update of many important communal matters and information.
We have been so impressed and proud of our community over the last year. The hundreds of volunteers and the sense of community that we have seen makes us even more confident that together there are no limits to what we can accomplish. As always, please feel free to reach out to us directly if there is any way that we can help serve you, your family, or your organization. That is truly what we are here for.
With wishes for an enjoyable and relaxing Summer. Sincerely, | | Rabbi Yitzchok Ehrman YEhrman@AgudahIL.org | | Rabbi Yaakov Robinson YRobinson@AgudahIL.org | | Rabbi Shlomo Soroka SSoroka@@AgudahIL.org | | P.S. SAVE THE DATES!
- December 21-22- The hugely popular Business Halacha Summit is back! Join us an exciting and informative opportunity to explore contemporary issues in business halacha.
- December 23-26- The much anticipated Midwest Agudah Convention is coming. We may have missed a year, but preparation is already underway and it promises to be one the best conventions ever.
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Agudath Israel of Illinois recently notched a string of legislative victories during Illinois' legislative session, which concluded on June 1. Our director of government affairs, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, did some live vlogging during the final two days which you can watch here. Here's a short recap of our legislative agenda and how we did. - Scholarship Tax Credit Program: Illinois' legislature rejected the proposed cuts and even extended the program for another year. In his proposed budget, the Governor slashed the tax credit for donors from 75% to 40%, but suggested allowing an additional benefit of allowing a federal deduction. Allowing a federal deduction is something AIOI has advocated for, even prior to the program becoming law, but we were strongly opposed to the cut which would have effectively terminated the program. An equally serious threat to the program was the looming sunset provision that automatically repealed the program in 2023. AIOI's goals, in order of priority, were to maintain the value of the credit, to extend the sunset, and to make an allowance for taking a federal deduction. AIOI and our coalition allies were successful with our top two priorities in keeping the 75% credit and securing a one-year extension. Read more here.
- Redistricting: Adjustments were made in the final map to accommodate the Orthodox community's request to be kept together. There was widespread concern that the political voice of the Orthodox Jewish community could be effectively silenced should our neighborhoods be carved up across multiple districts through this once-in-a-decade process. AIOI was largely successful in the effort to ensure our community remains politically relevant and vibrant. Read more here.
- Busing: $2.273 million was allocated for AIOI's school transportation grant. Although the community has received this grant almost annually for over a decade, it is an appropriation AIOI needs to fight for every year and was not included in the Governor's proposed budget. Funding levels have remained static at $1.173 million for nearly a decade while costs and school enrollment have doubled. Not only was the grant included in the budget but was nearly doubled to $2.273 million. Read more here.
- Capital projects: Millions of dollars for Jewish organizations' capital projects are included in the budget. AIOI will continue to work with our legislators to secure the funding as bonds are issued and revenues are allocated.
- House Bill 2789 was an effort by the teachers' unions to give the elected Regional Superintendents the authority to oversee private schools' pandemic-related health compliance and potentially force schools into remote instruction if complaints are filed. Our schools have been offering in-person instruction in a safe and compliant matter and coordinating with local departments of health, not another political entity or bureaucratic agency with no expertise in public health. AIOI opposed this bill and, despite gaining momentum, fierce opposition by AIOI and its allies caused it to stall in the Senate.
- Senate Bill 818 contains educational curriculum mandates that are incompatible with Orthodox Jewish values. AIOI's efforts to have the bill amended to exclude private schools were successful.
| | IMPORTANT STC INFORMATION | |
STC UPDATE: With threats to the program no longer a concern for the current tax and schools year, Illinois taxpayers should take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. While millions of dollars have already been allocated towards the scholarships of hundreds of students for the upcoming school year, only a small percentage of the demand has been met thus far. More than $19.5 million was donated to Agudah schools last year, funding nearly 1,400 scholarships for students attending yeshivos and Jewish day schools in Chicago.
You can only participate if you have a MyTax account, which is easy to create but can take up to two weeks to get processed. Creating the account is free, safe, and does not obligate you to contribute anything.
If you need any assistance, please call us at 773-279-8400 or contact your school's STC coordinator. | |
P-EBT
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, students who normally get free or reduced price school meals at school may be eligible for a program to help your family buy groceries. This program is called Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT). For each day that eligible schoolchildren lack access to an in-school lunch, P-EBT provides eligible families with $6.82 in benefits per student, per day. These benefits are provided on a card that can be used like a debit card to purchase food at any grocery store that accepts EBT cards. Stores that accept EBT cards include Kol Tuv Kosher Foods, Sarah's Tent (formerly Hungarian Kosher Foods), Tel Aviv Kosher Bakery, and Romanian Kosher Sausage. This program is available for all students currently in schools that were enrolled in the school lunch program under the NSLP as of February of 2020 school. These include:
- Cheder Lubavitch Boys
- Cheder Lubavitch Girls
- Joan Dachs Bais Yaakov
- Yeshiva Tiferes Tzvi
- Yeshiva Ohr Boruch
| | Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB)
About EBB: The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
Who Is Eligible for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?
A household is eligible if a member of the household meets one of the criteria below: - Has an income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, or Lifeline;
- Approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision in the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year;
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
- Experienced a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since February 29, 2020 and the household had a total income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider's existing low-income or COVID-19 program.
How to Apply
There are three ways for eligible households to apply: - Contact your preferred participating broadband provider directly to learn about their application process.
- Go to GetEmergencyBroadband.org to apply online and to find participating providers near you.
- Call 833-511-0311 for a mail-in application, and return it along with copies of documents showing proof of eligibility to:
Emergency Broadband Support Center P.O. Box 7081 London, KY 40742
After receiving an eligibility determination, households can contact their preferred service provider to select an Emergency Broadband Benefit eligible service plan. | | COMMUNITY VACCINE ALLIANCE CLINIC | | Hundreds of volunteers retuned to the Community Vaccine Alliance clinic on Sunday, May 23 for an evening of celebration. Volunteers were thanked for their selfless dedication over the last few months and some individuals were recognized for their heroic efforts in administering over 10,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Aldermen Samantha Nugent and Debra Silverstein read a City Council Resolution they sponsored lauding Agudath Israel, Hatzalah Chicago, Refuah311 and all the volunteers for the extraordinary accomplishment.
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