Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Fwd: News From Agudah 28 Teves 5784, January 9, 2024

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From: The Agudah <news@agudah.org>
Date: Tue, Jan 9, 2024, 5:30 PM
Subject: News From Agudah 28 Teves 5784, January 9, 2024
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>

January 9, 2024 - 28 Teves 5784

In today's News from the Agudah: Report from last week's Yeshiva Summit; big news about school lunch in New Jersey; Bnos Tu B'shvat Berachos contest starts in two days; Mishna Rishona dedication; a letter from Rav Eliyahu Meir Bloch in honor of his yahrtzeit; and a mother's perspective on special needs.

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OnPoint: Fifth Yeshiva Summit Offers Focused and Fundamental Guidance to NY Administrators

Rabbi Reuven Feinstein, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva of Staten Island

NYC Mayor Eric AdamsRabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Executive Vice President, Agudath Israel of America

NYC Mayor Eric Adams

Mr. Daniel Kaminetsky, General Counsel, Agudath Israel of America

Group view

Attendees conversing

Close to 500 attendees representing 160 schools across New York State gathered last week for the 5th annual Yeshiva Summit. The Yeshiva Summit, a project of Agudath Israel of America's Yeshiva Services department, is part of Agudah's mission of advocating for schools across the spectrum of Torah Jewry. Participants spent a full day hearing from community leaders, elected officials, and experts in their respective fields about a variety of topics directly impacting New York State yeshivas. The summit also offered participants significant networking opportunities as well as the ability to meet with more than 40 on-site vendors representing a variety of businesses and services that service schools.

Titled OnPoint, the 2024 summit focused on forging ahead in a difficult environment, directly addressing security, educational, and funding issues, as well as other growing challenges. In his opening remarks, Rabbi Yehoshua Pinkus, director of Agudah's Yeshiva Services Department, added that one of the main purposes of the summit was to equip yeshivos with the information they need to make informed decisions under the guidance of each school's rabbinic leadership.

Click here or see below for more

New Jersey Legislature Passes Expanded Free Lunch Program Advocated for by Agudath Israel

Yesterday, the New Jersey Senate passed legislation which will expand access to free school meals in both public and nonpublic schools that participate in the federal National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

However, the bill as introduced would have excluded children who attend nonpublic schools from being included in the expansion.

As a result of the advocacy of Agudath Israel's New Jersey office, the bill's sponsors have now amended the bill to include nonpublic school children as well.

Click here or see below for more

Attention All Girls: Bnos Tu B'shvat Berachos Contest

From Rosh Chodesh Shevat through Tu B'Shevat (January 11, 2023 – January 25, 2023). Every time you say a bracha out loud have an adult fill in the box on the Brachos chart. When someone answers Amen to your bracha have an adult fill it in on your Amen chart.

When your charts are completed send it in to bnos@agudah.org or call 212- 797-9000 ext: 353 to be entered into two separate raffles to win an amazing prize! Best of all, think of all the zechusim you have generated for yourself and Klal Yisroel.

Click here for the full file

For more information: CBHass@agudah.org

Mishna Rishona dedication

Today`s Mishna Rishona has been generously dedicated by the Arons family as zchus לרפואה שלימה דוד בן שרה בילה

Do want the zchus of dedicating more than 1000 mishnayos being learned? Do you have a Yartzeit coming up, or any other occasion? Dedicate Mishna Rishona for a Day - more than 1000 mishnayos! dedications start from $360.

Email: mslevine@agudah.org Call: 845-304-7781

Yahrtzeit of R' Eliyahu Meir Bloch ZT'L

Today, Tuesday, 28 Teves, marks the 69^th yahrtzeit of Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah Rav Eliyahu Meir Bloch ztl. Rav Bloch was born and raised in Telshe, Lithuania, and served as one of the Roshei Yeshiva. During the Holocaust, Rav Bloch emigrated to America with other Rabbanim from Telshe and relocated in Cleveland, where he served as Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe Cleveland and was a tremendous influence on the Jewish community.

In 1952, Rav Bloch suffered an illness, and Mike Tress sent him well-wishes on behalf of the entire Agudah. This is the letter Rav Bloch wrote in response, thanking Mike Tress and Dr. Yitzchok Levine for their wishes, saying that he is doing better but still needs more recuperation. Rav Bloch also writes that he is anticipating taking part in Agudah's work for the Klal.

Click here to view the full letter

Convention Women's Session: A Mother's Perspective on Special Needs: What We Wish the World Would Know

Click here to watch Thursday night's post keynote session with Mrs. Brenda Katina

OnPoint: Fifth Yeshiva Summit Offers Focused and Fundamental Guidance to NY Administrators continued:

Attendees at this year's Yeshiva Summit were privileged to hear divrei chizuk from Rabbi Reuven Feinstein, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva of Staten Island, and participate in a question-and-answer session about some of the most pressing issues that yeshivas are facing today.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined the attendees and spoke out strongly about the need to fight antisemitism and to defend our Yeshivas as they face a "full frontal assault." Mayor Adams said, "I know how well our Yeshivas are doing. I see the scholars, I see the greatness of those who have gone through the system."

Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY 11) also addressed the summit, saying that attendees could help make school choice a reality in New York State and across the country by asking their members of Congress to co-sponsor the Educational Choice for Children Act. The Act is a federal proposal that would provide $10 billion in scholarships for students. Agudah is a founding member of the Invest in Education Coalition that is advocating for this bill and has been helping secure co-sponsors. (You can take action to support this bill by clicking here.)

"Every year, we see hundreds of administrators, from across the spectrum of yeshivos, who are committed to learning how to do everything right in running their schools," said Rabbi Yehoshua Pinkus. "We are so impressed by the achdus, eagerness to learn, and dedication that we see from every attendee, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to assist these institutions at the Yeshiva Summit and throughout the rest of the year."

"One thing that is very clear from the Yeshiva Summit is that the Agudah is there to serve our needs," said Rabbi Dovid Stein, Administrator, Yeshiva Karlin Stolin. "They tell us what our options are, and support and guide us on the decisions we make along with our daas Torah."

"The Yeshiva Summit is one of the most important events of the year for New York yeshivos and is attended by yeshiva administrators from the broad spectrum of Torah Jewry" said Rabbi Tzvi Liberman, Assistant Administrator of Yeshivas Vyelipol. "The sessions are informative and ensure that we are aware of all the opportunities that are available for our schools and that we are educated about all the rules and regulations that we need to know to ensure that our Yeshivos run smoothly."

New Jersey Legislature Passes Expanded Free Lunch Program Advocated for by Agudath Israel, continued:

This means that the state will cover the cost for significantly more students to participate in the breakfast and lunch programs, enabling many more yeshivas and day schools to participate in the program and provide free breakfast and lunch to thousands of children across the state who are not currently receiving a free nutritious meal.

In addition, because of the increased cost of kosher food, many schools that do have children that are eligible for the Federal School Lunch Program do not provide this service because there are not enough children to make the program financially feasible, resulting in the most needy children not receiving lunches or breakfast.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the sponsors of this bill for recognizing the importance of including nonpublic schools in this legislation. Ensuring that all students, regardless of the school they attend, have access to proper nutrition is a commendable and inclusive approach," said Rabbi Shlomo Schorr, who serves as the Director of Legislative Affairs for Agudath Israel of America's New Jersey office, in his testimony before the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee last week.

"By extending the benefits of the free lunch program to nonpublic schools, we acknowledge the diversity of our educational landscape and the shared responsibility to care for every child in our state," Rabbi Schorr added.

The bill now heads to the Governor for his signature.