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From: The Agudah <news@agudah.org>
Date: Mon, Jan 29, 2024, 5:48 PM
Subject: News From Agudah 19 Shevat 5784, January 29, 20249
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>

January 29, 2024 - 19 Shevat 5784

In today's News from Agudah: Agudah's statement on suspending funding to UNRWA; Georgia legislature adopts IHRA definition of antisemitism; Chicagoans: take action on proposed anti-Israel city council resolution; Missourians: take action to expand school choice in Missouri; spotlight on PCS; and Mishna Rishona.

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Agudath Israel Statement on the U.S. Suspension of Funding UNRWA

Agudath Israel of America hails the United States' bold decision to suspend funding to UNRWA over allegations that employees were involved in the brutal massacre of October 7.

These charges must be fully investigated and a full legal and criminal accounting must be made, in regard to both the employees and the agency itself.

UNRWA's anti-Israel bias has long been evident. The agency's unlawfully exceeding its mandate has also been a well-founded concern. These realities have already undermined UNRWA's credibility in the Israel-Palestinian crisis. But the idea of agency employees actually partnering with Hamas and being complicit in the bloodthirsty torture, murder and kidnapping of innocents, staggers the imagination.

If the charges turn out to be accurate, the world must finally recognize unequivocally that UNRWA has been a dangerous and destabilizing force in the region, and can play no productive part in its future.

Agudath Israel Applauds the Georgia Legislature for Passing HB 30 Adopting the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

Agudath Israel of America applauds the Georgia State Legislature for passing HB30, a bill which defines antisemitism according to the IHRA working definition .

The bill, which was spearheaded by Representative Esther Panitch (D-51) and Representative John Carson (R-46), passed both the Georgia State Senate and House today and now awaits the Governor's signature.

The IHRA working definition of antisemitism gives organizations and governments a baseline for identifying antisemitism. Notably, it provides concrete examples of antisemitic tropes that involve conspiracy theories, control, and dehumanization, among others. It also recognizes that ostensibly anti-Israel speech is often actually antisemitism and defines the acceptable limits of political discourse when it comes to Israeli and Jewish affairs.

"Agudath Israel is especially grateful to Representatives Panich and Carson for championing the bill last year and for continuing to advocate for it this year. We also thank Senate President Pro Tempore John Kennedy for sponsoring the bill in the Senate," said Rabbi Ari Weisenfeld, associate national director of state relations for Agudah Israel of America. "We encourage other states to follow Georgia's example."

Chicago Residents: Take Action Now to Oppose Anti-Israel City Council Resolution

Dear Chicago Agudah Activists:

The Chicago City Council is set to vote this Wednesday on a resolution that undermines the United States' support of Israel and attempts to take away Israel's autonomy to choose the most effective way to keep its citizens safe. The resolution, if passed as currently formulated, supports an earlier anti-Israel United Nations decision that the United States opposed. It also doesn't call for an unconditional release of all hostages.

Please fill out the form above so that Mayor Johnson and the Chicago City Council receive a clear message:

Chicago supports the security of the people of Israel
Chicago should take no part in one-sided pro-Hamas United Nations resolutions
The over 100 hostages in Gaza should be released now. No conditions, no hesitations.

Your voice matters. A clear message from thousands of Chicagoans will tell the City Council – and the entire city – that antisemitism, hate, and division have no place in our community.

Click here to take action

Ask the Senate to expand School Choice in Missouri!

Two bills are heading to the floor of the Missouri Senate and we need your help to ask your Senator to vote YES on both bills.

Senate Bill 727 will expand the current MO Scholars Scholarship tax credit program. It will significantly expand eligibility (see chart below), increase the overall tax credit cap, make the tax credit refundable, and increase the maximum scholarship amounts for lower income students and those with special needs. Senate Bill 729 is an individual tax credit for taxpayers who incur educational expenses including private school tuition. Please see below to send an email to your Senator.

Click here to take action

Spotlight on PCS

Professional Career Services (PCS) is a division of Agudah that provides career courses, job placement, and business consulting services for job seekers and business owners. PCS offers highly rated courses for men and women in a variety of competitive fields and provides consulting services to both new and existing businesses. PCS also makes objectively well-suited matches between individuals looking for a job with employers looking to hire. PCS has offices in Brooklyn in Lakewood.

When Chana* walked into the PCS office looking for a new job, she admitted very uncomfortably that she had gotten all her previous jobs through friends or neighbors. She was worried that her inexperience with interviews would prevent her from getting hired. Mrs. Faigy Ort, female placement director for PCS New Jersey, reassured Chana, telling her about another woman, Leah*, who had come into PCS with the same worry. When Leah left the PCS office, she went straight to an interview and was hired before she even went home.

Chana was amazed by Leah's story, but still dubious that she could be as lucky. Together Chana and Mrs. Ort selected three viable jobs from the available opportunities and sent Chana's resume to the employers, and Chana went on her way. Just a few hours later, Mrs. Ort's phone rang – it was Chana, who couldn't believe what had happened. When Chana left the PCS office, she went straight to an interview and was hired – before she even went home.

*Names have been changed

To contact PCS New Jersey, email nj@nj.pcsjobs.org or call 732.905.9700.

To contact PCS New York, email ny@ny.pcsjobs.org or call 718.436.1900.

Mishna Rishona Sponsor

Today's Mishna Rishona is sponsored by

Mr. and Mrs. Duvi Streicher.

To sponsor a day of Mishnayos, and have the z`chus of hundreds of children`s learning for a Yartzeit or for any occasion call 845.304.7781 or email mslevine@agudah.org.