Strengthening Torah Life. Advocating for the Community. Serving Each Individual. | | January 11, 2022 - 9 Shevat 5782 News from the Agudah:
- We are greatly saddened at news of the petirah of Rebbetzin Temi Kamenetsky A'H, wife of the Philadelphia Rosh Hayeshiva and Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky. May the entire esteemed family receive nechamos besoche avlei Tziyon v'Yerushalayim.
- Education assistance in New Jersey? With funds going directly to the parents? See below for the new program for Lakewood parents, and, with Hashem's help, to other localities as well.
- The Daf Yomi Commission is celebrating Daf Yomi's Siyum on Megillah this Wednesday evening - see below for details of the fascinating program.
- Today is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Eliezer Silver ZT"L, one of the founders of Agudas Yisroel of America, among his many other achievements. Rabbi Silver was well-known for his battles to strengthen kashrus observance. See below for a particular document he wrote that, when we read between the lines, speaks to the challenges rabbanim of that era faced.
- Bnos Agudas Yisroel just held an inspiring teleconference for Bnos advisors. See below to learn more about it.
- Attention Monsey residents: Yahalom, Agudah's resource center for parents of children with special needs, is holding its inaugural event for the Monsey area, on January 17th. Please see below for registration information and more information about the program.
- Yarchei Kallah will continue this week on Iyunim B'hilchos Shabbos. See below for this week's schedule and how to join.
| | Rebbetzin Temi Kamenetsky A"H | | NJ Office of Agudath Israel Announces Historic Educational Assistance Program for Lakewood Residents | | Earlier today, Rabbi Avi Schnall, director of Agudath Israel's New Jersey office, unveiled a first-of-its-kind Educational Assistance Program for Lakewood, New Jersey, residents. The Educational Assistance Program (EAP) is a grant for educational costs available to Lakewood residents who have been adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and meet income eligibility requirements. This grant is the first of its kind in the State of New Jersey, in which government funding will be available for private school tuition, amongst other educational uses. The grant is sponsored by the Lakewood Township through the American Rescue Plan of 2021, and is being administered through the New Jersey office of Agudath Israel.
The EAP grant was proposed to the Lakewood Township by the New Jersey office of the Agudah when the ARP was signed into law. "From the day that we approached Mayor Ray Coles and the members of the Lakewood Township Committee and proposed this grant, they have been eager and excited to move ahead with this project," said Rabbi Schnall, "and we, along with the recipients of this grant and the entire Lakewood are grateful to Mayor Coles, Deputy Mayor Miller, Committeeman Lichtenstein, Committeeman Ackerman, and Committeeman D'Elia for their leadership," he said.
Rabbi Schnall also noted the significance of the grant. "The New Jersey office has engaged governing bodies to access funding for our schools since its inception. Now, for the first time ever in the history of the Garden State, there will be real money being allocated to families for educational expenses," he said, adding, "We are proud that Agudath Israel will be administering this important grant."
The grant is available to Lakewood residents whose 2020 income was lower than $198,000 for a married couple (or $99,000 for an individual), and who were adversely impacted financially by the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrable by a lower adjusted gross income in 2020 than in 2019. The eligibility limit is raised $10,000 for every qualifying dependent. (Thus, a jointly filing couple with five dependents will be eligible if their 2020 adjusted gross income does not exceed $258,000.00). Grants will be a minimum of $2,500 and will be awarded directly to families. Lakewood residents can apply for the grant at: www.agudah.org/EAP. Applicants will be asked to fill out information and submit a copy of their 2019 and 2020 tax returns, as well as an outstanding bill for educational expenses. If the number of applicants exceeds available funds, a lottery will be employed to determine winners.
For those without internet access, the New Jersey office of Agudath Israel of America has set up self-serve laptops at its offices at 930-B East County Line Road in Lakewood NJ, 08701, for applicants to submit applications. The office will be open from 10 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Thursday, and 10 AM to 1 PM on Fridays. If you need different hours, please call the New Jersey office at 732-806-9019, and we will do our best to accommodate.
The New Jersey Agudah is currently in talk with other municipal governments to bring the EAP to their cities, and we will publicize details if and when other such programs are finalized.
| | Siyum on Meseches Megillah | | This Wednesday, January 12th, Shevat 10, at 9:00 PM ET, the Daf Yomi Commission of Agudas Yisroel of America in conjunction with Agudath Israel of Illinois will bring together Lomdei HaDaf and their friends and families for a fascinating live broadcast of the Siyum on Megillah.
The program will begin with divrei chizuk ve'hisorerus from Rabbi Henoch Plotnick, Rosh Mesivta Yeshivas Kesser Torah and Rav Emeritus of Congregation Beis Tefillah, Chicago, followed by a fascinating halacha lema'aseh presentation on recently learned hilchos krias hatorah delivered by Rabbi Mordechai Fishman, Rav of Ze'irei Agudath Yisrael of Passaic and author of Sefer Otzar Hakriah. To conclude the siyum, Rabbi Dovid Zucker, Rosh Kollel, Chicago Community Kollel, who will introduce the new masechta, Moed Kattan, and expound on the important halachos and the kedusha of Chol Hamoed.
| | Rabbi Eliezer Silver on Kashrus in Kansas City | | Back in 1993, Rabbi Moshe Kolodny, archivist at the Agudah's National Orthodox Jewish Archives, was able to obtain many original documents from the estate of Rav Eliezer Silver ZT"L. Ravi Silver, Rav in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a tireless champion of Torah values and practice, and a particular area of focus for him was kashrus. He engaged in many battles over kashrus, specifically standards for shechitah, and the document above attests to that. In it, Rav Silver lays out the agreement he helped devise between the butchers, shochatim, and rabbanim of Kansas City. It is apparent from the details (and from other documents in the Agudah's archives) that this was a long and hard campaign, only culminating in this success after much effort.
Today, on Rav Silver's yahrtzeit, we're happy to be able to share this document with you. Please click the image above to view a larger copy. | | Appreciating our Advisors | | "We're all busy and juggling a million things," says Mrs. Sara Yehudis Goldstein. "We need a dose of chizuk to remind ourselves why what we do is so important. Being acknowledged energizes us in our avodas hakodesh."
Mrs. Goldstein is a Monsey Bnos advisor who coordinates 20 local branches and more than 100 leaders. She was one of 200+ advisors who joined Bnos last Thursday for an evening of inspiration and networking. Bnos advisors are the ladies who work behind the scenes. They find Bnos leaders, organize events, and liaise with the Bnos National Office.
Any flyer, any event, or any "regular" Shabbos afternoon Bnos session only happens because an Advisor put in many, many hours of preparation. They're the hidden engine behind any Bnos activity. "When you come back from an event, you're on a high," explains Mrs. Goldstein. "But organizing the event isn't always fun or glamorous,"
This is why Bnos hosted Thursday's event, especially for advisors. Advisors often work on many fronts, including their families, jobs, and Bnos commitments. It was time to appreciate their efforts!
Mrs. Tehilla Gailer, founder of WINGS in Lakewood, spoke first. She encouraged the advisors to recognize that what they're doing is priceless! They're giving on an extraordinary level, making a difference in the lives of so many girls.
Next was Mrs. Nechama Denbo, a mechanaches from Los Angeles. She spoke from a practical perspective about balancing the klal and your family. Mrs. Denbo emphasized the importance of delegating and involving other community members. Everything shouldn't rest solely on the advisor's shoulders!
"It's so important for Bnos to show hakaras hatov to our hard-working advisors," adds Mrs. Chana Baila Hass, National Director of Bnos. "And it's equally important for the advisors to get together and connect with the national Bnos office. We always need to remember that we're working as a team."
Have you thanked your Bnos Advisor lately? Please take a moment to show your appreciation and make her day. | | The shiurim will continue this week with the access information as follows: | | | | | | |
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