Strengthening Torah Life. Advocating for the Community. Serving Each Individual. | | August 4, 2021 - 26 Av 5781 News from the Agudah:
- Redistricting is a process that takes place every ten years which many fail to pay attention to. People don't realize that the process of drawing district lines is one that impacts the legislative process for years to come. See below for more details on Agudah's testimony on the redistricting process in New York, and to watch testimony from Rabbi Yeruchim Silber and Rabbi Shragi Greenbaum.
- Last week Dr. Irving Lebovics, chairman of Agudath Israel of California, spoke at a solidarity dinner hosted by Israeli Consul General of the Pacific Northwest Dr. Hillel Newman. See below for more details and pictures.
- In only six weeks Kiwi Kids Colorado has distributed over 50,000 kosher meals to local families. See below to read more.
- With great tza'ar, we regret to inform you of the petirah of Rabbi Osher Lemel (Oscar) Ehrenreich, longstanding Menahel of Bais Yaakov of Boro Park and universally acclaimed leader in the field of chinuch ha'banos in America. See below for more details about Rabbi Ehrenreich's relationship with the Agudah.
- We occasionally make mistakes in the News from the Agudah. But we know we can always count on you, our eagle-eyed readers, to keep us accurate. We thank you for letting us know that we inadvertently said that Senator Ben Cardin was from New York. He is, of course, from Maryland. We apologize for the mistake and we're glad to set the record straight!
| | We Are a Community of Interest: Agudath Israel Testifies at the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission Hearings | | Click here or on the image above to watch. | | Redistricting is a process that takes place every ten years which many fail to pay attention to. People don't realize that the process of drawing district lines is one that impacts the legislative process for years to come. In New York, the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission, which was formed as a result of a constitutional amendment approved by the voters in 2014, has begun to hold hearings to receive input from members of different communities, to make sure their input is considered, as the lines are redrawn. Agudah's main concern in the redistricting process is that Orthodox Jewish communities are kept together, as the boundaries of legislative districts can impact a community's influence. If a community is divided over a few districts they make up a smaller percentage of each district's electorate and their political significance is diminished. However, if a community is consolidated, they make up a more significant part of the district's electorate and their voice can become amplified. At the hearing which focused on Kings County, New York Director of Government Relations Rabbi Yeruchim Silber testified, urging the committee to consolidate the large Orthodox Jewish community in Kings County as it is a "community of interest" which, by law, has to be taken into consideration during the process of drawing the lines. "When it comes to electoral representation, we have been treated as anything but a community of interest... As a result of this marginalization, we have legislators who are not as familiar with these areas as they should be. They do not have their district offices in our communities, rarely visit, and ultimately are not able to provide the type of representation that this community should have," explained Rabbi Silber. Leon Goldenberg, a member of the Agudah Board of Trustees, also testified at the Brooklyn hearing telling the commission members that the Orthodox community is divided among so many districts that you "need a scorecard to see who's representing you." Additionally, Rabbi Shragi Greenbaum, director of Agudah's Rockland County Regional Office, testified at the hearing that focused on the Hudson Valley, asking for the Town of Ramapo – currently cut up into three separate assembly districts – to be consolidated. "I ask that the new district no longer be a disorganized jumble of communities with different interests. Rather, we appeal for a representative that is from the people, for the people, and is familiar with the community needs," concluded Rabbi Greenbaum. "The redistricting process is extremely important to our communities, and we would like to thank COJO of Flatbush, Boro Park JCC, Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition (FJCC), and the Sephardic Community Federation in New York City, and, in Rockland, the Monsey Outreach Center, for working with the Agudah in our efforts to make sure that our voices are heard during this important process," said Rabbi Silber. | | Dr. Irving Lebovics Attends Solidarity Dinner with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti | | Dr. Irving Lebovics, chairman of Agudath Israel of California, spoke at a solidarity dinner hosted by Israeli Consul General of the Pacific Northwest Dr. Hillel Newman
The dinner was attended by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti LAPD Chief Michel Moore Councilmember Paul Koretz UAE H.E. Consul General Hazza Alkaabi, State Senator Sydney Kamlager, as well as other elected officials, religious leaders, diplomats, law enforcement officials, and community leaders.
"The dinner was a great opportunity to meet and discuss different ideas on how to combat hate and promote solidarity. I was honored to have been part of such an event, and to support the good work of Israeli Consul General Newman," said Dr. Lebovics. | | Kiwi Kids Comes to Colorado | | As the summer comes to an end, Rabbi Yossi Kaplan, director of Agudath Israel of Colorado, is pleased to report that, Kiwi Kids, has opened up in Colorado with much success, and in a mere 6 weeks has distributed over 50,000 kosher meals to local families.
Kiwi Kids Colorado is a project of Agudath Israel of Colorado in partnership with Yeshiva Toras Chaim, Hillel Academy of Denver, Bais Yaakov of Denver and Agudath Israel of Illinois that offers weekly 7-day kosher breakfast and lunch boxes to all children, up to age eighteen, free of charge and without any income eligibility requirements.
While Kiwi Kids is a federally-funded program and has been successfully implemented in other states, bringing the program to Colorado came with many unique challenges on a logistical and community level. Agudah of Colorado worked with Rabbi Yitzchok Ehrman, CEO of Agudath Israel of Illinois/Kiwi Kids, and the Colorado Department of Education and collaborated with a local food bank over the course of many months to make this project work.
This is a huge step for Colorado Jewish schools and for the Jewish community as a whole. Kiwi Kids Colorado has a far-reaching impact beyond the beautiful boxes provided for people in need, in that it brings the community together, through volunteerism, inter-organizational collaboration and the way it includes local businesses in the program, such as in using Central Bag & Burlap to provide trucking and loading services. "The community has benefited so much from this program and is so grateful for all the work that the Agudah put into making the kiwi boxes a reality for us," said Mrs. Meira Zussman, one of the volunteers. "It has been a pleasure working with the rest of the volunteer team, who have spent countless hours working out all the many details and reviewing systems. The tremendous achdus this program brings to our community is a wonderful side benefit." "The Kiwi Kids food program has been a real boon to many of our community's families. The greatness of the program is that parents can pick up nutritional yet child-friendly food to feed their family easily and in a respectable manner," added Mordechai Hoffman, Executive Director of Hillel Academy. "COVID-19 has impacted people in many different ways. Families that were self-sufficient are now struggling to put food on the table. There are many levels of need that people have and we don't decide for them who is eligible and what their need is. It's open to all children 1-18. That's the way the federal government designed this program," says Rabbi Ehrman. "The fact of the matter is that when everyone is receiving a box – even the people who you think may not need it – that takes away the stigma, allowing people who are really struggling to preserve their dignity." This program also serves as a gateway to many other programs. There were many federal relief programs created or expanded during COVID-19 that participants of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) were eligible for. Unfortunately, none of our schools currently participate in NSLP due to complicated requirements, but with the Covid-19 waivers and more flexible rules the schools were able to take advantage of a federal food program for the first time in many years. Kiwi Kids has also paved the way for allowing Agudah of Colorado to utilize the connections that were made on the state level as they work towards their goal creating school food programs for the upcoming school year. | | Rabbi Osher Lemel (Oscar) Ehrenreich Z'L | | With great tza'ar, we regret to inform you of the petirah of Rabbi Osher Lemel (Oscar) Ehrenreich, longstanding Menahel of Bais Yaakov of Boro Park and universally acclaimed leader in the field of chinuch ha'banos in America.
Rabbi Ehrenreich was a close confidant of Agudas Yisrael president Rabbi Moshe Sherer, and worked closely with the leadership of Agudas Yisroel on a variety of projects including the founding of Ichud Mosdos Hachinuch of Brooklyn for special needs children in our community.
Some years back, when the Agudah presented a video clip at a US Department of Education conference portraying the historical growth of the Jewish school community in the United States, Rabbi Ehrenreich honored us by appearing in the video and sharing the remarkable growth of the institution he headed – at that point – for 63 years. He was a linchpin in the remarkable renaissance of Jewish education over the years and we wish his family and talmidos nechamos b'soch avlei Tziyon v'Yerushlayim.
Yehi zichro boruch. | | | | | | |
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