Please share this information with family or friends who do not have email or internet access.
If you, a family member, or friend would like to receive emails from the Agudah email reception@agudah.org. | | May 22, 2020- 28 Iyar 5780 News from the Agudah:
- Agudath Israel applauds the US Department of Justice for filing a religious discrimination lawsuit against Jackson Township. See below for more details.
- Bnos has launched a new program for the week leading up to the Shavuos, Bnos Chesed Week. Please see below for more information.
- Your sons will enjoy this week's Pirchei newsletters on Parshas Bamidbar. Click here for the Pirchei Weekly and here for the Pirchei Pages.
- Last night, our Project LEARN department hosted a webinar on Parenting Your Child With Special Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic with noted psychologist Dr. David Pelcovitz. You can watch a recording of the webinar here.
- On May 26th, PCS will be launching a remote Business Enrichment Course. Please see below for more information.
- The virtual Yarchei Kallah will be continuing next week on the topic of Talmud Torah. On Sunday, there will be shiurim from Rabbi Asher Weiss and Rabbi Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi. Please see below for the exact schedule. There are opportunities for donations and sponsorships for the Yarchei Kallah. Please email reception@agudah.org to have someone call you to discuss.
- Click here to view this week's Bnos Sefirah Hotline Newsletter which has exciting activities and lessons for your girls.
- Lastly, more and more states are beginning to relax their lockdown requirements. We remind everyone that they should review the Agudah Guidelines for Reopening our Kehillos, available here.
| | Agudath Israel Applauds the US DOJ for Filing Religious Discrimination Lawsuit Against Jackson Township | | On Wednesday, May 20, 2020 the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Jackson Township, New Jersey alleging the township illegally discriminated against Orthodox Jews through zoning laws that restricted religious schools and outlawed dormitories, intending to keep Orthodox Jews from moving to Jackson.
The lawsuit charges that Jackson Township both passed and applied the ordinances in a manner that discriminated against the Orthodox Jewish community. Both ordinances expressly prohibit dormitories throughout Jackson, making it impossible for religious boarding schools such as Orthodox Jewish yeshivas to operate there, thus violating portions of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). Incidentally, the Agudah- led by its Washington director Rabbi Abba Cohen- was at the forefront of the effort to pass RLUIPA in 2000. The lawsuit pointed out that although Jackson passed these ordinances to prevent dormitories anywhere in Jackson, the planning board has since approved, without requiring a variance, the plans for two nonreligious projects with dormitory-type housing. Furthering the case against the embattled township are a host of anti-Semitic comments made by officials within the governing body of Jackson. The Department of Justice charged the ordinances were enacted "against a backdrop of extreme animus by some Jackson residents and township decision makers toward the Orthodox Jewish community and a movement by residents to keep Orthodox Jewish individuals from settling in Jackson." "Religious discrimination has no place in our society and runs counter to the founding principles of our nation," said Craig Carpenito, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. "No religious community should ever face unlawful barriers or be singled out for inferior treatment. This complaint reflects our continued commitment to combat discrimination and unequal treatment."
Echoing his statements was Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "Using zoning laws to target Orthodox Jewish individuals for intentional discrimination and exclude them from a community is illegal and utterly incompatible with this Nation's values," he said. Dreiband then warned other townships to take note: "Let me be clear. The Department of Justice will use the full force of its authority to stop such anti-Semitic conduct and prevent its recurrence."
Roman P. Storzer, attorney for Agudah in a parallel action challenging Jackson Township's laws and counsel in a number of similar lawsuits in central N.J., applauded the Department of Justice's involvement: "It is critical that these important rights, entrenched in the First Amendment and federal law, continue to be protected wherever they are threatened."
Rabbi Avi Schnall, Director of Agudah's New Jersey Office was particularly grateful to the United States Department of Justice and Attorney General William Barr. "During Agudah's annual mission to Washington last year, we met with top officials in the Justice Department including Attorney General Barr," recalled Rabbi Schnall, "during the meeting, we raised concerns that as the tzibbur continues to grow and we move out of the predominantly frum enclaves, towns would hide behind zoning codes to keep us from settling in. The Attorney General, who has been an unrelenting fighter for religious liberties, assured us that his Justice Department would do everything it could to ensure American citizens are not 'zoned out' of neighborhoods because of their faith through its Religious Liberties Task Force. This lawsuit serves as a yet another shining example Attorney General Barr's commitment." Veteran activists within Agudath Israel pointed out that almost three decades ago, at the 1992 dinner, a young Attorney General named William Barr, then serving in his first stint as Attorney General under the George H.W. Bush administration was honored with the Humanitarian Award. The reason for the honor, as then-President Rabbi Moshe Sherer noted in his speech, was Attorney General Barr's decision to file a civil suit against Airmont for creating zoning laws with the intent to hamper the growth of the frum community in Monsey.
Close to 30 years later, the characters may have changed while the script stayed the same. Then, it was a village in upstate New York, today it is a township in central New Jersey. The intent, though, is all the same: To keep Orthodox Jews out. Through it all, Agudath Israel has been at the forefront of our community's needs, advocating at the highest levels of government and now, as then, Agudath Israel is grateful a man as committed to religious liberty as Attorney General William P. Barr is leading the United States Department of Justice. | | EVERYONE is so, so, so busy.
School from home. Work from home. Yom tov is coming. EVERYONE is living on top of each other, wishing for some private space, with no extra time. EVERYONE?
What about the elderly or at-risk? The people who are living alone? The seniors who haven't left their homes for two months? They're not at work, they're not at school, and they might have a lot of extra time on their hands.
It could be your Bubby, your Zaidy, a neighbor, an aunt, or a friend - there are people all around us who might be bored or lonely. There are people who would LOVE to get a friendly phone call and talk to a real, live person.
And that's the motivation behind Bnos Agudath Israel's newest program: Bnos Chesed Week! Starting this Thursday, May 21, girls in 2nd to 6th grade are invited to cheer up a friend or family member with a daily 5-minute phone call. Girls can log their time on a special form and then email it to Bnos to enter an exciting raffle!
This coming week is leading up to Shavuos, to Kabbalas HaTorah. Torah and chessed go hand in hand, so what better way to prepare for Shavuos than with a week of chessed? It's free, only takes five minutes a day, and you're making a huge difference in the life of someone you love. (Plus, you could win a raffle prize!)
What should you talk about? Really anything, but here are some ideas to get you started:
*How home school is going. Do you like it or not?
*Anything special that you're doing for Shavuos.
*A project or activity that your family did together. *Or ask about the other person's life – How do they spend their day? What was school like when they were young?
You may not be able to stop talking at five minutes! And, by the way, even if your Bubby isn't old or sick or lonely, she would STILL love for you to call!
Let's finish off sefirah and get the Torah with seven amazing days of chessed. Email Bnos@agudah.org or call 212-797-9000 ext. 330 to get your form, and get started calling. | | PCS Business Enrichment Course | | PCS Launching Business Enrichment Course!
Take Advantage of Your Free Time! Learn skills that will get you ahead! Gain valuable skills that will help you get a good job, become a valuable employee, and start your own business. PARTIAL LISTING of topics include: Marketing, E-commerce, Business Management, Business Administration, Sales, Project Management, Negotiation, Money Finance, Business Law, Accounting, Interviewing Skills, Presentations Skills, Business Plan, Investments, Management, Purchasing a Business, Real Estate, QuickBooks, Amazon Since 2005 many of the graduates of this course have gone on to prestigious positions in various companies and have established successful businesses. What employers are saying… "When I am interviewing a few candidates and I have to choose between the top two, I take the one that went to the Business Enrichment Course. Many other owners tell me the same thing. It makes a huge difference." -Ira Zlotowitz, founder and president of Eastern Union New! Remote classes! Last call! Course starting May 26th | | The virtual Yarchei Kallah continues this coming week on the topic of Talmud Torah. On Sunday, there will be a hachana shiur from Rabbi Shlomo Gottesman at 11:00 am EDT, a shiur from Rabbi Asher Weiss on Birchas HaTorah at 12:00 pm EDT, divrei chizuk from Rabbi Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi at 1:00 pm, and a chazarah shiur from Rabbi Shlomo Cynamon at 8:00 pm EDT.
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