Monday, March 27, 2023

Fwd: News From Agudas Yisroel 5 Nissan 5783/March 27, 2023

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Agudath Israel of America <news@agudah.org>
Date: Mon, Mar 27, 2023, 5:10 PM
Subject: News From Agudas Yisroel 5 Nissan 5783/March 27, 2023
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>

Strengthening Torah Life. Advocating for the Community. Serving Each Individual.

March 27, 2023 - 5 Nissan 5783

News from the Agudah:

$8,000 for each child. Today Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill making Universal School Choice a reality in Florida. See below for more details and to hear from Rabbi Moshe Matz who attended the bill signing.

Last week Illinois Governor J.B Pritzker announced that $20 million from the Illinois At-risk Nonprofit Security Grant Program was awarded to vulnerable institutions, a program for which Agudah of Illinois advocated for. See below for more details.

Attention Bnos girls and ladies: Please see below for two exciting programs; a conference tonight at 9:00 PM EST, and a contest for the month of Nissan.

$8,000 for Every Child: Agudath Israel Applauds Governor Ron DeSantis for Making Universal School Choice a Reality in Florida

Rabbi Moshe Matz, Executive Director of Agudath Israel's Florida Office, with Governor Ron DeSantis at the bill signing.

Starting this coming school year, Florida students in K-12 schools will be eligible to receive approximately $8,000 to use towards tuition and other educational expenses, with no income eligibility requirements.

This expansion revolutionizes the school choice movement, not just in Florida, but across the country. Agudath Israel of America's Florida office is grateful to Governor Ron DeSantis and to all of the legislators that took this bold step in paving the highway of opportunity and success for all our children.

"It was an honor to be with Governor Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders at the signing of this historic bill," said Rabbi Moshe Matz, executive director of Agudath Israel's Florida office. "Agudath Israel has had the privilege of working with a dedicated school choice coalition in Florida for more than twenty years. So many people helped along the way, but no one deserves more thanks than the parents who shared their stories, marched to Tallahassee, and have waited so long for this day."

"Florida is just an example of what can be accomplished across the country," said Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Agudath Israel of America's national director of government affairs. "Our Agudah directors have been at the forefront of the school choice movement on the state and federal levels and we look forward to working with coalition partners, elected officials, and families to ensure that every parent in every state has the opportunity to choose the educational setting that best meets the need of their child."

Illinois Awards $20 Million in Nonprofit Security Grants

Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, director of government affairs for Agudath Israel of Illinois and Rabbi A.D. Motzen, national director of government affairs, Agudath Israel of America, with Governor J.B Pritzker

Agudath Israel of Illinois (AIOI) is pleased by Governor Pritzker's announcement that the $20 Million from the Illinois At-risk Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) has been awarded to vulnerable institutions. In 2017, following a wave of bomb threats to Jewish community centers, Jewish schools, and other antisemitic incidents, AIOI successfully advocated for an anti-terror security grant program. While the program was enacted into law, it was not funded until a $20 million appropriation was included in the state's Fiscal Year 2023 budget. Agudath Israel advocated for the appropriation along with a statewide coalition led by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF). Among the grantees were 34 Orthodox Jewish organizations awarded a total of nearly $6.63 million.

"We are extremely happy to see the results of many years of hard work," said Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, director of government affairs for Agudath Israel of Illinois. "This funding will go towards creating safer environments for the most vulnerable institutions in Illinois. We thank Governor Pritzker, bill sponsors Senator Ram Villivalam and Representative Bob Morgan, dozens of supportive legislators, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and the entire coalition for making this a reality."

Bnos

Attention Bnos girls grades 2-5: Help your mother for Pesach for 20 minutes each day of Chodesh Nissan until Pesach to be entered into an exciting raffle! Fill out the chart above each day and send it into bnos@agudah.org, or call in with your information to 212-797-9000 ext. 353.

For more information, please email CBHass@agudah.org.

Click here or the image above to download the chart.

Attention Ladies and High School Girls: Join Bnos Agudas Yisroel for words of inspiration and tefillah with Mrs. Chani Juravel tonight, March 27th at 9:00 PM EST to hear about preparing for Pesach with simcha and our role in b'zechus nashim tzidkaniyos. Call in to 425-436-6277 244274# to join.

Overseas Pesach Campaign

We hope all is well and your Pesach preparations are going smoothly. Please help make sure that Yidden across the globe can make their sedorim as well, by contributing to the Agudah's annual overseas Pesach campaign. Please click h ere to help.