Strengthening Torah Life. Advocating for the Community. Serving Each Individual. | | April 27, 2021 - 15 Iyar 5781 News from the Agudah:
- Agudath Israel applauds New Jersey Attorney General Grewal for filing a discrimination lawsuit against Jackson Township, New Jersey. See below for more information.
- A group of Orthodox students recently reached out to the Agudah Legal department regarding a conflict: their college graduation was being scheduled for Shavuos. See below to find out how the issue was resolved.
- Two exciting Bnos Programs this week! See below for more info including details about the upcoming pre-Lag Baomer event.
- The Iyunim B'hilchos Shabbos will continue this week. See below for this week's schedule.
| | Agudath Israel Applauds New Jersey Attorney General Grewal for Filing Discrimination Lawsuit Against Jackson Township | | Rabbi Avi Schnall, director of Agudath Israel's New Jersey Office, with New Jersey Attorney General Grubir S. Grewal. | | New Jersey Attorney General Grubir S. Grewal announced today that his department has filed a lawsuit against Jackson Township, New Jersey, alleging Jackson Township has engaged in a litany of illegal, discriminatory practices against Orthodox Jews. Among them are: enacting zoning laws that restricted yeshivos and outlawed dormitories, discriminatory targeting for surveillance homes of Orthodox Jews suspected of hosting minyanim, discriminatorily interpreting land use laws to inhibit the building of sukkahs, and enacting zoning ordinances that ban the creation of eruvim.
In a particularly strong statement, the Attorney General noted the animosity some residents of Jackson have expressed towards Orthodox Jews, and made it clear that elected officials cannot allow hateful rhetoric to drive public policy. "We've filed this lawsuit because bias and hate have no home in New Jersey, and we will not allow some vocal residents' intolerance to drive local government decisions. Like all public servants, municipal officials have a duty to uphold the law, not weaponize it against specific groups because of what they believe or how they worship. Today's lawsuit should send that message to anyone in New Jersey who needs to hear it," said Attorney General Grewal in a statement.
New Jersey's lawsuit against Jackson Township comes after Agudath Israel's lawsuit against Jackson alleging the township engaged in discriminatory behavior against Orthodox Jews, as well as following a federal lawsuit by the United States Department of Justice alleging the embattled township violated RLUIPA, a federal law prohibiting zoning boards from implementing any land use regulation that imposes a substantial burden on the religious exercise of individuals. Rabbi Avi Schnall, director of Agudath Israel's New Jersey Office, commended Attorney General Grewal for filing the lawsuit. "We applaud the Attorney General for taking this bold action which sends a clear message to public officials that discriminatory behavior has no place in New Jersey," said Rabbi Schnall. He added, "We are hopeful that township officials will respond to these lawsuits in a positive way and immediately reverse these discriminatory practices, replacing them with encouraging and positive messages to the Orthodox population within Jackson." | | Sara,* an Orthodox Jewish student attending college in New York State, recently reached out to Agudah Legal for assistance. She – and some thirty other Orthodox Jewish students at her school – would not be able to attend their graduation. Her college had scheduled its graduation ceremony for Shavuos. After four years of hard work towards their degrees, with the last year made tremendously difficulty with the COVID-19 pandemic, this was a bitter pill to swallow. So Sara turned to the Agudah.
Agudah's attorneys advised Sara that while there is a state law that requires colleges to accommodate students whose religious observance prevents them from taking exams and classes on religious hiolidays, there is no state law that requires colleges to accommodate religious observance with regard to graduation ceremonies, but offered to still try to help. Agudah Legal sent a letter to the college president, explaining the issues and requesting that the graduation date be changed in order to enable all students, including Orthodox Jewish students, to attend their graduation ceremony. We are happy to report that the college did the right thing, and moved the ceremony to accommodate all the celebrants! Agudah Legal can be reached at law@agudah.org.
*Name has been changed | | Two Exciting Bnos Programs This Week! | | It's almost the end of the year, but Bnos Agudas Yisroel isn't slowing down!
Here are two exciting programs happening this week for girls in grades 1 – 8:
1. Be a Part of the Bnos 49:
Chessed. Hakaras hatov. Shmiras halashon. Simcha. This year's Bnos Sefira contest encourages girls to practice one middah each week. To participate, you fill in a chart, checking off each time you use that week's middah.
If you need some motivation during the week, call the Bnos Hotline and listen to that week's Sefira program. You'll hear an inspiring story and suggestions for practicing the middah. Dial 720-721-4724 and choose Option 13.
At the end of 4 weeks, you can email your completed chart to cbhass@agudah.org. You'll be entered into a raffle for an amazing prize!
The 4-week contest started on April 13th, but feel free to jump in any time. After all, it's always a good week to work on our middos! And it's always a good time to call the Bnos Hotline. The Hotline still has stories, parsha riddles, Tehillim contest and more every week.
2. Light up your Lag Baomer with our pre-Lag Baomer event:
Here's some news that hot off the press. We're all fired up for our virtual pre-Lag Baomer event! Girls in grades 1-8, come join us this Thursday, April 29, at 6:30 PM EST.
Rabbi Mayer Erps will be our guest storyteller. He'll fire up your imaginations with a Lag Baomer tale. Then comes an exciting Bnos trivia game. Players will be burning with curiosity as they call in their answers to win points for their city.
Call 425-436-6277, PIN 244274# to join the fun on Thursday night. | | The shiurim will continue this week with the access information as follows: | | | | | | |
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