Strengthening Torah Life. Advocating for the Community. Serving Each Individual. | | June 24, 2022 - 25 Sivan 5782 News from the Agudah:
- In case you missed it: This morning the Supreme Court released a historic decision overruling Roe v. Wade. Click here to read Agudah's statement.
- Earlier today the Senate passed a bill extending school meal waivers through this summer and the coming school year. See below for more details.
- With primary elections approaching, Agudath Israel of Illinois' Get Out The Vote campaign has been in full swing, educating the community about the importance of this election and strongly encouraging all to go vote. See below to read about the candidate forums AIOI held.
- After many months of intense advocacy by Agudath Israel of Illinois and its coalition partners, a bill to enhance Illinois' tax credit scholarship program was signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker. See below for more details.
- It's the end of the school year for Bnos, but that doesn't mean that Bnos is at an end. See below for a report on Bnos activities this year, as well as information about its summer programs.
- Substantial Equivalency in New York - where are we up to now? Click here for an article by Agudah Chief of Staff Avrohom Weinstock from this week's Hamodia Prime.
- Early voting in New York ends Sunday and Primary Day is June 28th. Go to Agudah.org/vote to find your polling location and more details.
- Mark your calendar! The annual women's Summer of Torah program is starting on Monday, July 11, and will continue for four weeks. See full schedule below.
- Bnos and Pirchei Newsletters: Download this week's Pirchei weekly by clicking here. Download the Bnos newsletter for this Shabbos here.
| | Agudath Israel Welcomes Passage of the Keep Kids Fed Act, Extending School Food Waivers | | Agudath Israel of America is hailing passage of the Keep Kids Fed Act, bipartisan legislation that will extend school meal waivers through this summer and the coming school year. Agudath Israel strongly supported the waiver program and its extension and worked closely with bill sponsors and allies to move the bill through Congress. The school waivers were put into effect during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist families who were reeling from its effects. The waivers, issued by the USDA, provided flexibility and greater relief in school nutrition programs, providing enhanced access to food for millions of children across the country. But, because Congress had not reauthorized the program, it was set to expire at the end of June. "Like other school communities, yeshiva and Jewish day school children were beneficiaries of this vital program, which proved to be a lifeline to parents struggling through the effects of the pandemic," said Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israel's vice president for government affairs and Washington director. "Food insecurity, combined with rising prices for food, gas and labor, continue to plague the nation and there was a compelling need to extend the waivers." The Keep Kids Fed Act aims to address these issues. Some highlights of the bill include extending meal flexibility through summer 2022, including options such as meal delivery and grab-and-go. It will also make it easier for schools during the coming academic year to deal with administrative and paperwork burdens. Notably, it will increase the reimbursement rate for breakfasts and lunches under the National School Lunch Program, as well as provide increased reimbursement for expenses of child care and home providers, to help offset increased costs and operating expenses.
It is important to note that states have the option of not applying for any or all of the available waivers. Earlier versions of the bill extended the ability to serve all students for free. The bill as passed, however, returned the categories to pre-pandemic requirements of free, reduced and paid lunches. This was a concession that disappointed sponsors and supporters of the bill, but one that was necessary to bring the legislation to the Senate floor for passage. "Agudath Israel expresses our thanks to Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and John Boozman (R-ARK), and Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Virginia Foxx (R-NC), for their leadership on this bill," noted Rabbi Cohen. "We will continue to work with them and the USDA in ensuring that the program will continue to be a lifeline to American school children and their families." | | Upcoming Elections and Candidate Forums | | With primary elections approaching, Agudath Israel of Illinois' (AIOI) Get Out The Vote campaign has been in full swing, educating the community about the importance of this election and strongly encouraging all to go vote. Oftentimes, however, people are confused as to which candidate they should choose. AIOI, which is a tax-exempt nonprofit, is prohibited from endorsing political parties or candidates, but it can facilitate forums for candidates to meet with various community leaders and activists. Over the last couple of weeks, AIOI hosted 16th House District candidate Kevin Olickal and the incumbent, State Representative Denyse Wang Stoneback. The forums gave the candidates and opportunity to share their positions on issues of importance to the community and gave community leaders the opportunity to ask questions and get clarity on where the candidates stand on our issues.
The topic that dominated both forums was the Invest in Kids Act Scholarship Tax Credit program (STC) and the looming sunset. The program is set to expire soon and unless the legislature votes to amend the sunset provision, this transformative program would be terminated. In addition to providing community leaders with the opportunity to learn more about the candidates, the forums also provided the candidates to learn more about the community and its priorities, helping shape their positions on issues that impact us most. | | Bill that Enhances Scholarship Tax Credit Program Signed by Governor | | After many months of intense advocacy by Agudath Israel of Illinois and its coalition partners, a bill to enhance Illinois' tax credit scholarship program was signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker. House Bill 4126, which was passed unanimously by the legislature in April, makes two important changes to the Invest in Kids Act, a scholarship program which has been transformative for tens of thousands of Illinois' students and specifically Chicago's Orthodox Jewish community. The tax credit-funded program has awarded over 30,000 scholarships, totaling over $257 million, to students in need since its inception, enabling families to choose the school that best serves their children's needs. While the program has been incredibly successful, demand continues to outpace supply, with over 170,000 applications since the program's inception. This bill provides stability to students already receiving the scholarship by placing them first in line for awards, so long as they remain eligible. This change helps ensure continuity for students and allows families to make critical and time-sensitive decisions. Another welcome change this bill provides is the ability for schools, together with scholarship organizations, to adjust the maximum scholarship amount, allowing a more efficient use of funds and enable more students to be awarded scholarships. "This is an important bill which has the potential to help thousands of Illinois students in the years to come," said Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, AIOI's director of government affairs. "We are working to ensure the program continues to serve the educational needs of students throughout the state, and this bill helps serve these children better." | | Every Age and Stage: Bnos 5782 in Review | | What a year! We're wrapping up the Bnos 5782 season, and there's hardly time to catch our breath. Bnos is busier than ever, serving frum girls from kindergarten through adulthood.
How? Fasten your seatbelts, and let's go on a whirlwind tour of Bnos 5782.
K-5 – To our youngest Bnosers, we provide fun with a purpose. Girls have a chance to shine in a relaxed, non-academic setting. This year's theme was "Come Grow with Us," and what a year of growth it was.
Bnosers attended Bnos Shabbos groups, called into the Bnos Hotline, sang the Bnos theme song, and read the weekly newsletter. They participated in tefilla, sefira, and chesed contests. There were local in-person membership events and national call-in events. We partnered with schools with Ki Heim Chayeinu's "Shabbos Malkisa" program, teaching the beauty of Shabbos. Bnosers even got their own Bnos membership cards!
Middle school - 6th-8th graders are no longer the forgotten middle child. With Tween Light's exciting debut, they now have programming tailored to their needs. Middle-schoolers enjoyed a tween-appropriate Shabbos afternoon curriculum, theme, and song. Tween Lighters also had their own hotline, penpals, and activities.
Bnos One on One isn't new, but it grew this year. Even more middle school Little Sisters were matched with high school Big Sisters. Besides each pair's weekly activities, there were also group events and activities.
High School (and up!) – Our oldest girls are looking for inspiration, direction, and a chance to start giving back to the klal. We prioritized our teens with programs addressing them from all angles. We had virtual speeches and tefilla gatherings throughout the year. Aseres Yemai Teshuvah, Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah, Taanis Esther, and Pesach were just some of the times we got together. There were often over 1000 girls on the line! Most precious was a session at the Agudah convention when we were privileged to hear from Rebbetzin Temi Kamenetsky, a"h.
We hosted live events and activities, too. Bnos Convention at Camp Malka in upstate New York drew 420 girls from 32 cities. Our high school Big Sisters did activities with their Little Sisters. And we also held a Big Sisters Appreciation Event.
We encouraged the girls to reach out to others through Bnos Bikur Cholim (BBC) programs. BBC's mishloach manos nursing home event involved 20+ schools, 3000 mishloach manos, and over 15 nursing homes. The "Adopt-A-Bubby" program and BBC Phone Pals have hundreds of participants. Our teen-friendly BBC Guide and live trainings taught the girls how to interact successfully with seniors.
Leaders and Advisors - This was an important focus of 5782! "We want to empower our leaders and advisors with the knowledge that they're part of a national team," says Mrs. Chana Baila Hass, national director of Bnos Agudas Yisroel. "We have many resources to support them, and we're creating even more."
We went all out to encourage and develop our leaders. There were networking experiences, trainings, and appreciation events. "Leaders to Leaders" penpals connected leaders in different cities. Through extensive guides and curriculums, we supported the girls in their avodas hakodesh.
What's next for Bnos? Summer Bnos Shabbos groups and BBC programs are in the works. And we already have big plans for next year, including Friday night and Sunday programming, leader's initiative.
"We're here to meet the needs of all Klal Yisroel's girls in the most up-to-date way possible," says Mrs. Hass. "We're also here to inspire and train our girls to be tomorrow's leaders. Bnos is THE address for girls who want to give back to our communities."
Would you like to get involved? Be a leader? Start a Bnos group? Call Bnos at 212 797 9000 ext. 330 or e-mail bnos@agudah.org. | | | | | | |
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