“The Time is Now” to Prepare for This Year’s Agudah Convention: See Program Below

November 24, 2020

It was a vision that was truly 20/20.

With the pandemic hitting Klal Yisroel with a deadly fury, the Novominsker ztz’l penned a final letter to Klal Yisroel, his prescient words reminding us all that the time to strengthen ourselves in unity and dedicate ourselves to an existence of Torah and mitzvos was now. The Novominsker Rebbe’s words have sustained us and inspired us for nearly eight months and today they are the heart and soul of the 2020 Agudah Convention.

The convention, whose theme is “Davka Achshav: The Time is Now,” will be an all-remote event, accessible by phone and livestream. The convention will have prominent gedolim, rabbanim, roshei yeshiva and professionals addressing timely issues in Thursday night and Motzoei Shabbos sessions, with a special dedicated women’s track offering insights from respected leaders and personalities.

This year, the lobby may be empty and the meeting rooms may be dark, but the 2020 convention will inspire like never before. The time is now to shine away the darkness of COVID with the Novominsker’s vision as we fortify ourselves to face the challenges ahead, k’ish echad b’lev echad.

The live call-in number for the convention is 718-298-2077 (in Canada, 647-797-0056). See the image above for the extension list for individual sessions – the full list will also be available from this Thursday morning by calling 212-797-9000, extension 105. The convention program can be accessed by clicking here.

97 Years In, Agudah Convention Going Strong

November 24, 2020

The crowds flowing to the Agudah Convention’s sessions, shiurim, and keynotes yesterday and Friday bore witness to the drive that is apparent even today in the Agudah that Mike Tress founded. Mendel Tress, Motzoei Shabbos’s keynote chairman, and son of the Agudah hero R’ Elimelech Gavriel “Mike” Tress, put it best when he said, when it comes to Avodas Hashem, there is no room for any cheshbonos. Only do the Rtzon Hashem. “This was my father’s life’s mission, and this is what I believe he implanted in every fiber of Agudas Yisroel.” State of Klal Yisroel Today Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, Novominsker Rebbe and Rosh Agudas Yisroel, noted that in certain ways Klal Yisroel’s growth is phenomenal. “There are more bochurim and yungerleit learning in Lakewood today than in all the pre-war yeshivos of Lita put together.” This was echoed by Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff, Rav of Agudas Yisroel Bais Binyomin, in the Shabbos Mini-Keynote, who shared the podium with R’ Sholom Kamenetsky, Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, in a session chaired by Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Director of New York Government Relations for the Agudah. In that session, Rabbi Lieff noted that Klal Yisroel has grown, in both Gashmius and Ruchnius, It should fill us with pride to be ehrliche yidden, he said, and if we can show that pride in our homes and to our children, it will help us raise the next generation to even greater heights. But, as Rabbi Perlow added, there are also significant challenges. Chillul Shabbos, unfortunately, has become rampant in Eretz Yisroel, and he reminded those present that the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah recently proclaimed, in a Kol Korei, that we, here in the United States, need to be mechazeik in Shemiras Shabbos in response to this. Threats to the Klal There are other issues as well. Rabbi Berel Povarsky, Rosh Yeshiva Ponovezh, Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah b’Eretz Yisroel, described the financial straits that Chinuch Atzmai in Eretz Yisroel is experiencing, and the potential consequence of thousands of young children not being able to go to Yeshiva. He asked for help from b’nei Yisroel in America. And, in the same Motzoei Shabbos keynote session, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Executive Vice President, Agudath Israel of America, remarked that it’s not just anti- Semitism that is a danger to Klal Yisroel. Religion itself, and religious people, are suffering a tremendous decline in this country. But the klal faces threats on the individual level, too. Our teens face rejection more than ever before – whether from classmates, from schools, seminaries, in Shidduchim, or from bullying. “Rejection hurts, it hurts a lot,” said Matis Miller, LCSW, Founder, Director, and Supervisor of The Center for Cognitive & Behavioral Therapy of New Jersey, in a session titled, “Rejection Hurts: Prevention and Intervention.” If we want to fight the power of the street, said Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein, Menahel, Ohr Naava, we have to make sure to accept our children. That’s not always so easy, said Dr. Faye Zakheim, Ph.D., LCSW, Co-Chair United Task Force; Adjunct Assistant Professor, NYU Silver School of Social Work, as today, many times parents are afraid of children. In their session for women, “Since When Have Children Become the Parents,” she and Dr. Norman Blumenthal, Ph.D., OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services; Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, Yeshiva University, noted that the boundaries between children and their parents have become eroded, and they suggested ideas for closing the gap. Askanus Agudah’s work on the askanus level was also a focus at the convention. During the keynote session, a video highlighting some of the work of four of the regional offices of the Agudah in such areas as school choice funding and fighting anti-Semitic zoning laws, was shown. But some problems are more difficult and need a more holistic approach to combat. The Agudah’s new Shidduch initiative – the Compass Shidduch Network, was the subject of a Friday morning session, “Compass – the Next Steps: No Single Left Behind,” and was opened by Agudah’s CEO Shia Markowitz. He introduced Compass Shidduch Network’s new director, Rabbi Yechiel Rhine, who sketched out his vision of what needs to be changed in the Shidduch process. Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff, Rav, Agudath Israel Bais Binyomin, noted that we have to remember we’re not in the driver’s seat when it comes to Shidduchim, and Rabbi Benzion Kokis, Rav, Khal Zichron Mordechai, Monsey, discussed the problem he is seeing more lately: Connections between couples are becoming shallow – both in dating and married couples – partly because technology is making communication both more prevalent and more impersonal and able to be misinterpreted. Growing at the Convention We beat ourselves up, we don’t give ourselves credit, we don’t take risks because we’re afraid to fail – but if we were given talents by Hashem, said Rabbi Doniel Staum, LCSW, Principal, Ohr Naftoli, there’s a reason for that, and we have to make sure to use them. “No one will ever pay you what you’re worth. They’ll pay you what they think you’re worth, and that’s often based on how you present yourself.” His co-presenter, Alan Proctor, Regional Business Director, Madison Title Agency, in the session titled, “How to Make Friends and Influence People,” concurred. “Sometime one sentence can change the way we view something.” When we discuss stories, the theme of this year’s convention, invariably stories of our greats come up. In a fascinating session called, “Stories of Gedolim: The Writer’s Perspective,” two veteran storytellers, Rabbi Yisroel Besser, Editor, Mishpacha Magazine, and Rabbi Shmuel Bloom, Agudah’s Executive Vice-President Emeritus, and author of the recently published, “On the Shoulders of Giants,” discussed some of the thoughts that go into writing about Gedolim. A recent example of a question that concerned Rabbi Besser was whether to include a mention of a personal difficulty in the life of someone he was profiling. Upon consultation with the family, they made it clear that their father would have wanted people to be inspired by his example, to realize that it’s possible to go beyond personal difficulties and to ultimately find success. Lilmod U’lelamed Some of the Torah sessions over the last two days of the convention included a Yarchei Kallah Shiur b’inyanei Tefillah, delivered by Rabbi Yitzchak Lichtenstein, Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, as well as a Yarchei Kallah Shiur on the Halachic Aspects of Amirah L’akum, given by Rabbi Yerachmiel Fried, Rosh Kollel, Dallas Kollel-DATA. But Limud Torah as a hashkafic concept was also covered. The “lilmod” aspect was discussed in the “Ki Heim Chayeinu: Torah – The Elixir of Life” session, where Rabbi Yosef Ozeri, Rosh, Yeshivat Mekor Haim, and Rabbi Eliezer Gewirtzman, Member, Machon Chayim Aruchim, discussed the importance of learning. In Rabbi Ozeri’s words, “It’s an unfortunate misconception that a person could think, ‘I only learn two hours a day.’ We have to know that a balebas that learns is very choshuv in the eyes of Hashem.” U’lelamed: The second half of the phrase was elaborated on in “Learning and Earning: Opportunities for Harbatzas HaTorah for Balabatim” was the intriguing title of a session which was chaired by veteran Maggid Shiur Yossi Gleiberman, and included speakers Harry Rothenberg, Esq., Partner, The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP, Barry Lebowitz, Portfolio Manager, Millenium, and Rabbi Mayer Zuckerman, LCSW. But the biggest Torah topic discussed, was, of course, the upcoming Siyum HaShas: The Siyum HaShas A topic that was close to many speakers hearts was, unsurprisingly, the Siyum HaShas, which is happening one month from today. As Rabbi , Rosh Yeshiva, Mirrer Yeshiva, and Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, said in his keynote address on Motzoei Shabbos, “Hundreds of thousands of us will be shteiging because of the Siyum HaShas.” Rabbi Yaakov Perlow noted that same evening that Talmud torah d’rabim is being celebrated now in a way that was never celebrated before – something that the Agudah is very proud of, being the engine that is the driving force behind the Siyum HaShas. The Siyum HaShas is having a ripple effect in people’s lives. Rabbi Yechiel Spero, author of the Touched by a Story series, told of a daf yomi participant who is delaying a medical procedure until after the Siyum HaShas to make sure that he doesn’t miss a single daf before the Siyum. Friday and Shabbos of the convention were elevated experiences. The Convention closes on Sunday afternoon; until then, the Convention sessions will be livestreamed at www.agudahconvention.org, or available by dialing in to Torah Anytime – or you can come to the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, and join the crowd listening to leadership and guidance at the last day of the 97th National Convention of Agudas Yisroel.

Rabbi Yaakov Rabbi Hillel David Perlow Rabbi Elya Brudny Leading Tehillim

Rabbi Berel Rabbi Chaim Dovid Povarsky Rabbi Naftali Miller Zwiebel

Rabbi Moshe Rabbi Yechiel Spero Yehuda Gluck R’ Mendel Tress, Convention Chairman

Our Story: Agudah Impact Across the Nation

November 24, 2020 https://vimeo.com/376598996

As Shown at the Agudah Convention: Our Story: Impact Across the Nation

Watch the Agudah Convention 2019 – Photos and videos available at https://agudahconvention.org/.

Thursday Night Convention 2019 Highlights Video

November 24, 2020 https://vimeo.com/376343975

This video and other photos and videos are available for viewing at https://agudahconvention.org. Thursday Night at Agudah Convention 2019: Your Story is Still Being Written

November 24, 2020

If there was one thread that could draw all the 97th National Convention of Agudath Israel’s Thursday night sessions together, it was this simple message: You can do it. And, as elaborated on by the Rabbanim and leaders who participated in the evening’s sessions, you can make a much bigger impact than you thought you might.

The convention’s theme is “Stories. Yours. Theirs. Ours.” The stories of the Avos, as described by Rabbi , Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and Rosh HaYeshiva of Beis Medrash Govoha, teach us how to live our lives; the story of Agudas Yisroel of America is the epitome of hashgachah pratis, as noted by Convention Chairman Ronnie Wilheim; and the stories of individuals whose “small” act, said Rabbi Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, produced disproportionate results.

An example of this was brought home in a moving video detailing the story of Eliana Cohen. Eliana was 18 months old when she was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. Unlike many such diseases there was a medical treatment available. But it cost 2.2 million dollars, and would have to be administered in a time-frame that made it almost impossible to execute. As Rabbi Moshe Matz, Executive Director of Agudath Israel of Florida, said, while introducing Rabbi Ariel Cohen, Eliana’s father, “The story of the Cohen family is a tome that consists of many chapters.” One of those chapters, certainly, was the assistance Rabbi Matz and Agudath Israel of Florida were able to offer the Cohen family. “Thank you for being there for us, for making our story, your story,” said Rabbi Cohen, thanking Klal Yisroel for their assistance.

But there are other stories, too – the stories of the man on the street, his concerns and his troubles.

Children of aging parents must deal with many issues and fight the blasé attitudes toward life’s value prevalent today among many medical professionals. “Somebody has to be around all the time, 24/7,” said Rabbi Yisroel Mantel, Morah D’Asrah, Khal Adas Yeshurun, on caring for ill parents, while in the same session, titled, “Aging Parents: Important Issues Parents and Children Must Know,” Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, President, Chayim Aruchim, and Rabbi Eliezer Gewirtzman, Member, Machon Chayim Aruchim, spoke to the need for a person to know his rights in hospitals and to own the strength of their religious beliefs. The session, chaired by Rabbi Gedaliah Weinberger, Chairman of the Board, Chayim Aruchim, and Rivie Schwebel, Vice Chairman of the Board, Chayim Aruchim, also addressed practical halachic considerations of avoiding family conflicts over inheritance issues, as detailed by Rabbi Ari Marburger, Director, Business Halacha Institute.

Other practical questions that concern many in our community due to the popularity of e-commerce is the need for guidance on how to deal with Shabbos concerns for one’s business. In a Yarchei Kallah session titled “Business Halacha: Operating Businesses on Shabbos and More,” Rabbi Yosef Kushner, Dayan, Bais HaVaad of Lakewood, guided the attendees in how to set up their business in consonance with Hilchos Shabbos.

Addiction is a problem that too many in our community deal with, a nd in a panel discussion titled, “Lessons from Addiction: Real People. Real Stories. Real Impact,” Menachem Poznanski, LCSW, Director of The Living Room, and Moshe Frankel, CASAC, Clinical Case Manager at Amudim, along with Rabbi Zvi Gluck, Director at Amudim, and a panel of people impacted by addiction, discussed the sometimes tragic stories of addiction and what can be learned from them. It was there that another theme of the evening became apparent. The Power of One

What happens when one person tries to create change? Should they even try? In this year’s Leadership Lounge session, “Successfully Walking the Tightrope Between Life, Work and Family,” moderator Elchanan Schwarz LMHC, Director of Crisis Intervention, BINAH, asked this question to the panelists. According to Howard Tzvi Friedman, Chairman of the Board, Beis Medrash Govoha, who presented along with Rabbi Zvi Soroka, Rebbe, Yeshiva Darchei Torah, and Rabbi Naftali Miller, National Director of Development, Agudath Israel of America, “It doesn’t say anywhere that you have to be successful, just that you have to try.”

And this message was reiterated in many contexts:

Rabbi Yoir Adler, Rav, Bais Medrash Shoavei Mayim, during the keynote sessions, spoke of people whose accomplishments surprised even themselves: “We have the raw materials, the potential, the abilities, to shake heaven and earth, to inspire the masses, to accomplish things way beyond what we can imagine.”

This message was further enforced in a session titled, aptly, “The Power of One.” Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein, Menahel, Ohr Naava, began his presentation by noting how Torah Anytime, Agudah’s partner in livestreaming all the Convention’s sessions, began with a single person who saw a need and worked towards filling it. There were one hundred people in the room, said Rabbi Wallerstein, but another thousand watching remotely at the same time! His co-presenter at the session, Rabbi Yossi Bensoussan CASAC, Mashgiach Ruchani, Yeshiva High School of Cleveland, spoke to the ripple effect of reaching out – whether it’s kiruv kerovim or kiruv rechokim, showing a person that you really care, can make more of a difference in their life than you could have ever imagined.

Making Your Own Story

Over and over, the presenters stressed how important it is to reach out, to care for someone, to start writing a new chapter in your life: “You don’t have to be a shadchan to make a Shidduch!” said Rabbi Adler; “Your next door neighbor needs someone, there’s someone down the block – knock on the door!” was the way Rabbi Bender put it.

The latest session of the evening, ending after 11:30 pm, was the Q & A session with Rabbi Elya Brudny, Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and Rosh Yeshiva, Mirrer Yeshiva, and Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva of Greater Washington. The no-holds-barred session, titled, “I’m Asking for a Friend,” was moderated by Rabbi Yisroel Besser, Editor, Mishpacha Magazine, who presented real problems that people had submitted for this panel. What do we do about anti-Semitism? Rabbi Brudny noted that we need to remember that we’re in Galus and act appropriately. May one pretend to be “frummer” than one really is to get his or her children into a school with stricter policies? Besides for the issue of Geneivas Da’as that Rabbi Brudny noted, said Rabbi Lopiansky, don’t send your children to a school that has different standards than you adhere to at home. “When you are playing a game with the school, that chinuch is worth nothing. Send your kid somewhere else.”

The Stories Continue…

In an unscheduled address, Chairman of Agudah’s Board of Trustees, Shloime Werdiger, confirmed the rumors that had been published in online media outlets this week. “It has been reported that we‘re making a major announcement here tonight. We have Boruch Hashem secured the Barclays Center as an additional venue for the Siyum on January 1st. But the stadium is not the story. Tonight, we celebrate not the additional venue, but the reason we need one in the first place.”

The Agudah Convention continues today, with multiple sessions this Friday morning, addressing Shidduchim, teens, harbatzas Torah opportunities for baalebatim, relationships, and the challenges of contemporary chinuch. All the sessions are open to the public, free of charge, and can also be viewed at www.agudahconvention.org/live. Join us in Stamford at the Crowne Plaza hotel today, at the major keynote session on Motzai Shabbos, or at Sunday morning’s concluding sessions and keynote. Rabbi Malkiel Kotler Rabbi Malkiel Kotler Rabbi Yaakov and the Dais Bender

R’ Ariel Cohen with Shlomo Werdiger Rabbi Moshe Matz Ronnie Wilheim

Rabbi Moshe Rabbi Yoir Adler Yehuda Gluck Meeting of Pirchei Agudas Yisroel Branch Leaders Rabbi Moshe Matz, Agudah Live Hosts Agudah Live Hosts Rabbi Labish Becker Rabbi Shai Rabbi Shai and Rabbi Ephraim Markowitz and Markowitz and Levi Rabbi Avi Schnall Rabbi Avi Schnall with Guest Yitzy with Guest Zvi Hisiger Gluck

Leadership Lounge: Aging Parents: Successfully Mental Health Important Issues Walking the Session Parents and Tightrope Between Children Must Know Life, Work and Family

The Power of One Q&A: I’m Asking for Lessons from a Friend… Addiction: Real People. Real Stories. Real Impact

Rabbi Yosef Kushner on “Business Halacha: Operating Businesses on Shabbos and More”

These and other photos and videos can be viewed at https://agudahconvention.org. Photo Credits: Moshe Gershbaum and Moshe Bitton

The Story of My Life, the Story of Your Life, the Story of our Lives: The Agudah Convention 2019

November 24, 2020 The stories of our lives are different. They change every day. But we have commonalities – threads that intertwine between people, communities, and generations.

This year’s Agudah Convention, to be held lamed Cheshvan through gimmel Kisleiv, November 28th through December 1st, at the Crowne Plaza Stamford, will give people a chance to share those stories, telling and listening to the stories that guide our existence as am Yisroel.

Although there are no longer any hotel rooms left, the convention organizers stress that there are still many ways for people to participate. Convention Co- Chairman Ronnie Wilheim says, “The sessions carry no charge and are open to the public. Drive in to Stamford, or take the train, and you can enjoy the convention in person!”

There are also options for those whose schedules or locations don’t allow them to attend in person. “If you go towww.agudahconvention.org ,” says Convention Co-Chairman Ezra Zaafarani, “you can watch the livestream of the sessions as they happen. You can also call in to Torah Anytime’s phone line to listen over the phone. We want as many people to participate in the Convention as possibly can, to benefit from the words of our Rabbanim and leaders.”

The stories told at this year’s convention will span the gamut of the Orthodox Jewish experience in the United States. Although Sunday’s keynote sessions focuses on what some might call the “big” story, anti-Semitism, the other keynotes will elaborate on each person focusing on their own story, as well as the bigger story of the state of Klal Yisroel in America.

But aside from those, the sessions will focus on the stories that impact us every day. Teens. Addiction. Aging parents. Ki heim chayeinu – the Torah’s impact on our life. Stories of Gedolim. Stories of advocacy from Agudah’s government affairs team.

“There’s something for everyone at this year’s convention,” says Rabbi Labish Becker, Agudah’s Executive Director. “Personally, I can’t wait for it, and I’m sure that all who attend – whether in person or through the livestream or phone – will benefit too.”

Stories: This Years Agudah Convention Tells the Tale of Our People

November 24, 2020 Stories transmit our values and priorities from generation to generation – sh’al avicha v’yageidcha. There is no better place to hear these stories – or to tell them – than this year’s Agudah Convention.

Our Gedolim and Rabbanim will be joined by the attendees of the Convention this Shabbos, Parashas Toldos, November 28th through December 1st, at the beautiful Crowne Plaza in Stamford, Connecticut, to discuss the stories that we take part in every day: the story of Klal Yisroel, and the story of each individual.

“The Convention is open to the public,” says Rabbi Shai Markowitz, Director of the Lefkowitz Leadership Initiative, and convention coordinator. “Even people who can’t stay overnight can join us – with no charge – for any session by driving out to Stamford.”

The three keynote sessions – Thursday night, Motzai Shabbos, and Sunday morning – have traditionally been a venue for Rabbanim and community leaders to address some of the issues that are foremost in our minds. This year’s keynote speakers will include, among others, the Novominsker Rebbe, HaRav Yaakov Perlow, Rosh Agudas Yisroel; HaRav Malkiel Kotler, Chaver Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah and Rosh HaYeshiva of ; HaRav Elya Brudny, Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and Rosh Yeshiva; Mirrer Yeshiva; HaRav Berel Povarsky, Rosh HaYeshiva, Ponovezh Yeshiva; HaRav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva, Yeshiva Darchei Torah; HaRav Sholom Kamentsky, Rosh Yeshiva, Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia.

Among the other speakers at the keynote sessions will be Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, executive director of Agudas Yisroel; Rabbi Yair Adler, Rav, Bais Medrash Shoavei Mayim; Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Rabbi Avi Schnall, Director, Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office; and Rabbi Yechiel Spero, lecturer and author.

Rabbi Labish Becker, Executive Director of Agudas Yisroel encouraged people who couldn’t attend to tune into the livestream. “Whether by going to www.agudahconvention.org or by dialing in to Torah Anytime, it’s our intention that as many people who can, should be able to attend – if not in person, then virtually.

The topics addressed during the Convention will be wide-ranging. They will include such issues as balancing work, life, and family; Kibud Av V’eim for aging parents; every person’s potential for creating change; and lessons from addiction. Harbatzas Torah for Balabatim, the impact of rejection on children, positive relationships, and changing roles of parents and children in our generation will all be discussed, among the many other stories shared.

The Agudah is expecting this year’s convention to be sold out, as it was last year. “Nevertheless,” said Chairman of the Board of Trustees Shlomo Werdiger, “there are still a handful of rooms left. We encourage everyone to make their reservation now and not be disappointed.”

There are not many places where one can expect to meet Gedolim while waiting for the elevator, or hear from askonim about their plans for dealing with Klal Yisroel’s challenges. But at the Agudah Convention that will happen, as we share what is perhaps the greatest story of all time: The story of the Jewish people.

Photos, Video and Report: Taking Stock, Taking Action: The Agudah Convention

November 24, 2020 “If we were to immerse ourselves in everything that Agudas Yisroel stands for, we’d be better people!” This call to action, stated with feeling by HaRav Yaakov Perlow, Novominsker Rebbe and Rosh Agudas Yisroel, resonated among the packed crowd at last night’s Motzoei Shabbos keynote session of the Agudah Convention.

Mr. Shimon Lefkowitz, son of Agudah stalwart Rabbi Yisroel Lefkowitz z”l, and – together with the illustrious Lefkowitz family – supporter of the Lefkowitz Leadership Initiative – was this year’s convention chairman. “For the past few days,” he said, “we have been zocheh to a momentous knessiah l’sheim shamayim. The Agudah looks to the future, forward thinking and forward moving.” Mr. Lefkowitz asked the assembled to get involved: “Together let us be zocheh to continue the mission; together let us be zocheh to expand the Agudah and its important work for Klal Yisroel!”

Echoing the convention’s theme – Moving Forward – this year’s convention sessions focused on identifying, and solving, the threats Klal Yisroel faces. Some of our challenges are internal – and many of those, such as Chinuch, acting as Bnei Torah in the secular work environment, and exploring difficult family situations – were addressed in Shabbos’s sessions. The Friday night and Shabbos day sessions, full because of the convention’s sold-out crowd, spoke to those with an eye towards giving participants tools for dealing with them.

But other challenges facing Klal Yisroel come from the outside: The Kedushah of Eretz Yisroel is under threat. Society’s increasingly secular value system is seeping into our community. Speaking about the attacks on our Yeshiva system, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Executive Vice President of Agudath Israel, said in his Motzoei Shabbos keynote address: “Government is coming into yeshivos and saying, ‘Let’s look at your curriculum, let’s look at how you spend your day.’” As in previous years, the Agudah Convention leads directly to action, and moving forward, the Agudah already has plans in place for new initiatives inspired by this year’s convention.

[wonderplugin_gallery id=”196″]

A poignant and bittersweet moment of the Motzoei Shabbos program was a tribute to Rabbi Shlomo Gertzulin, Agudath Israel’s Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, on his upcoming retirement. Mr. Shlomo Werdiger, Chairman of Agudath Israel’s Board of Trustees, lauded Rabbi Gertzulin, saying that he never confined himself to the traditional job description of CFO in the 38 years he served in Agudah. After enumerating a long list of Agudah activities and accomplishments Rabbi Gertzulin is credited with, Mr. Werdiger and Rabbi Zwiebel presented Rabbi Gertzulin with a letter of appreciation written and signed by the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah.

It was a beautiful and inspirational Shabbos, graced with engaging sessions including an open Q & A session from HaRav , and many others. The Agudah encourages you to tune in to the convention sessions which are available at https://www.agudahconvention.org/live. To view past sessions and for more information about the Agudah Convention, please see https://www.agudahconvention.org/.