YEAR IN AGUDATH ktrah ,sudt OF AMERICA REVIEW vehrntc 2014 v"ga, – s"ga, TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

4 RABBINIC LEADERSHIP

5 LAY LEADERSHIP

6 PROJECTS & DAF YOMI COMMISSION

8 YOUTH DIVISIONS

10 ADVOCACY

16 ANNUAL EVENTS

18 SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

22 SERVICES

24 COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

25 AGUDAH WOMEN OF AMERICA

26 RESOURCE DIRECTORY

2 YEAR IN REVIEW MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

DEAR FRIEND OF AGUDATH ISRAEL:

We are proud to present this pictorial summary of some of the activities and accomplishments of Agudath Israel of America over the course of the past 12 months.

As you can see from the pages that follow, Agudath Israel, through our national office and regional offices around the country, is involved in a myriad of activities and projects affecting virtually every aspect of contemporary Jewish life, and stands at the forefront of responsible activism on behalf of the Torah community.

But it would be a mistake to focus exclusively on the projects and day-to-day accomplishments of our organization. That would be like focusing on the trees and losing sight of the forest. The simple truth is that the whole of Agudath Israel is greater – much greater! – than the sum of its individual parts.

Agudath Israel stands for something very special: the coming together as a mass movement of diverse segments of Torah Jewry, a mighty ko’ach ha’rabim under the leadership of Gedolei Yisroel. That is what defines Agudath Israel and animates every aspect of the work we do.

So as you leaf through the pages of this booklet, we hope you take pride in the projects and tremendous achievements of Agudath Israel of America – and even more so, in the ko’ach ha’rabim that makes all of this possible, of which you are an integral part.

Thank you for your ongoing friendship and support.

Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel Shlomo Gertzulin Rabbi Labish Becker Executive Vice President Executive Vice President for Executive Director Finance and Administration

3 RABBINIC LEADERSHIP

AGUDATH ISRAEL has served as the the fiscal viability of our educational system, premier umbrella organization for the Orthodox providing adult educational programming, Jewish community for over 100 years. Its mission assisting the underprivileged in our community, has been encapsulated by the slogan “shouldering organizing after school activities for Jewish youth responsibility.” Addressing the multifaceted needs and advocating for the rights of the special needs of Klal Yisroel which range from protecting the population, Agudah is at the forefront of efforts to rights of to practice religion freely, ensuring serve the needs of the growing Jewish population.

Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah meeting at Agudath Israel of America Headquarters

Through its nine regional offices, Agudath Israel Agudah activities, ensuring that the highest maintains a strong presence in communities standards of ethics and integrity are maintained. nationwide advocating for the local interest of its They also guide Agudath Israel through many constituents. issues that arise on the local, national and international scene. The Conference of The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, which is Synagogue Rabbonim, consisting of over 200 comprised of senior Roshei Yeshiva and rabbinic nationwide, provides a united front for personalities, is the foundation of the Agudah religious and spiritual guidance in local movement. This rabbinical board oversees communities across the country.

4 YEAR IN REVIEW Conference of Midwest Rabbonim 5th Annual Conference, Chicago, IL

THE BOARD OF are the lay bodies that oversee the activities of Agudath Israel of America. These groups meet on a TRUSTEES, NATIONAL regular basis to hear reports about, and give input to, OFFICERS AND VAAD the different activities of Agudath Israel. Members of various committees work with individual divisions of HANHALAH Agudath Israel to ensure that they perform effectively.

Agudath Israel of America Board of Trustees Meeting LAY LEADERSHIP

5 TORAH PROJECTS & DAF YOMI COMMISSION

Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon speaking at 26th Nationwide Yom Iyun, Passaic, NJ

6 YEAR IN REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

• Distributed 15,000 Daf Yomi bookmark calendars as well as the Daf Plus Newsletters and Resource Directory to Lomdei HaDaf throughout the country

• Published Daf Yomi Directory highlighting 39 Daf Yomi locations in the Catskills

• Daf Yomi Publicity campaigns announcing the beginning of every Masechta were advertised in 5 languages

• Worldwide Daf Yomi Siyumim were hosted by various Daf Yomi chaburos across the continent and broadcast in close to 100 communities at the conclusion of almost every Daf Yomi Masechta

• 3,500 people participated in a series of Aseres Yimei Teshuva & Pre-Pesach Conference Calls

• 27 communities across the , and Mexico participated in a Nationwide Selichos Yom Iyun Broadcast

• 1,400 women participated in a Summer of Torah, a 5 part series of inspirational lectures given in the Catskills

• 50 Halacha Le'Maseh Shiurim were organized throughout the year

• 36 Shiurim dedicated to promoting a deeper understanding of the Daf Yomi Sugya were organized

• More than 250 participants traveled to Yerushalayim for the 14th Annual Yerushalayim Yarchei Kallah learning program and hundreds other joined in local Yarchei Kallah programs throughout the year

• 200 Rabbonim from across the United States and Canada belong to the Agudath Israel Conference of Synagogue Rabbonim, participating in conference calls to discuss issues impacting the tzibur

• More than 1,000 people participated in Shabbos of Chizuk Program in Atlanta, GA, Cincinnati, OH, and Miami, FL 7 YOUTH DIVISIONS

PIRCHEI AGUDATH ISRAEL learning more than 4,000 mishnayos each in preparation of their Bar Mitzva • Pirchei Agudas Yisroel provided after school programming for elementary aged yeshiva • 125 Pirchei branches nationwide featured students in 100 branches across the United father/son learning programs, bein hazemanim States and around the world trips, youth minyanim and local Pirchei centers

• The Pirchei National Hasmodo program • Pirchei provided development and program garnered tens of thousands of hours of support to affiliates in Europe and Israel voluntary learning during Yom Tov with close to 2,000 participants BNOS AGUDATH ISRAEL

• The Pirchei Weekly is distributed to over 10,000 • The Bnos Shabbos Groups program, consisting print readers and to thousands more worldwide of over 200 advisors, 1,000 leaders and 5,000 via email members, brought elementary school girls • Over 900 boys participated in the Pirchei together with role models for an Kesser Mishnayos Program oneg Shabbos each week

• Siyumei Mishnayos attracted 3,000 boys from • Bnos hosted leadership training and appreciation over 15 cities across the United States and Canada events for 300 branch and group leaders from 38 cities in the United States and Canada • 50 boys completed a six year course of study,

Pirchei Agudas Yisroel Bar Mitzva Siyum

8 YEAR IN REVIEW 51st Annual Pirchei Siyum Mishnayos

National Bnos Agudas Yisroel Camp Agudah New York Leadership Convention

BNOS ONE-ON-ONE AGUDATH ISRAEL SUMMER CAMPS

• Bnos One on One paired 800 big and little sisters Camps Agudah, Machane Ephraim, Bnos, from communities across the United States Bnoseinu, Chayl Miriam, and Agudah Toronto

• Bnos One on One hosted 16 professional • The East Coast network of Agudath Israel of training and appreciation events for big sisters America camps accommodated capacity crowds this past summer, serving over 2,500 campers • Bnos One on One continued its national development efforts, expanding its program to Toronto and Miami in addition to Baltimore, MIDWEST SUMMER CAMPS Brooklyn, Five Towns, Lakewood, Los Angeles Agudah Midwest Boys / Girls, Bnos Ma’arava, and Monsey SPARK for Teens, Pirchei Day Camp, B’nos Day Camp, Munchkins Day Camp, and Camp Nageela BNOS BIKUR CHOLIM Midwest

• Participants of the Bnos Bikur Cholim program • The Agudah Midwest network of camps served prepared and delivered 3,000 mishloach manos close to 2,000 campers packages to nursing home residents 9 ADVOCACY

AGUDATH ISRAEL’S GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT Agudath Israel of Illinois Annual Mission to Springfield, IL

SCHOOL CHOICE: N increased the value of each individual LEGISLATIVE BREAKTHROUGHS scholarship

• $22 million generated this year through school N created an education savings account voucher and scholarship tax credit programs program for students with disabilities supported by Agudath Israel in AZ, FL, GA, IN, • Ohio: Successfully lobbied to allow high school OH, PA, RI, WI, and VA students to receive a voucher if they are • Led statehouse missions and participated in assigned to a public school with low graduation rallies in Albany, NY, Annapolis, MD, Atlanta, GA, rates. Estimated net impact on Jewish day Harrisburg, PA, Indianapolis, IN, Nashville, TN, school families is more than $1 million annually Springfield, IL, and Tallahassee, FL starting in 2016-2017.

• Florida: Together with a coalition successfully • Several areas in Cleveland Heights and advocated for an expansion of the Florida University Heights became eligible to receive scholarship tax credit program which: tuition vouchers. This will likely generate an additional $500,000 in scholarship funding per N eliminated the “prior-year public school year for Cleveland families choosing Jewish day attendance” requirement schools for the 2015-2016 school year. N expanded the program to middle-income families

10 YEAR IN REVIEW SCHOOL CHOICE: have significant repercussions for Orthodox IN THE NEWS Jews involved in cases before rabbinical courts. New York State Supreme Court justices will • Published letters to the editor and op-eds on decide the application of an old statute the topic of school choice in the Columbus prohibiting judicial proceedings on Sundays. Dispatch, Memphis Hebrew Watchman, , Ohio Gadfly and other publications RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: • Israel: Agudath Israel of California successfully IN THE LEGISLATURE lobbied the University of California to prohibit • Ohio: Testified in support of the Ohio Religious their institutions from participating in the Freedom Restoration Act and participated in academic boycott of Israel several interested party meetings on the topic • Agudath Israel of Maryland was involved in a • Pennsylvania: Worked to change a bill in similar, successful effort Harrisburg that attempted to significantly amend the state’s anatomical gift laws RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: AUTOPSY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: • California: Successfully intervened to amend EDUCATION a bill to protect the religious rights of those • Worked together with the opposed to unnecessary autopsy Project to have the New York State Education • Maryland: Agudath Israel’s Maryland Director Department change the date of the new was officially named the Liaison/Chaplain of Algebra Regents from Shavuos to Erev Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Shavuos Developed protocols with the medical examiner • Successfully reached out to the College Board and prevented numerous autopsies. to request a second alternate date for the October 2014 PSAT (the non-Shabbos alternate RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: date they originally provided fell out on IN THE COURTS Hoshana Rabba) • Joined Nefesh, an international association of Orthodox Jewish mental health professionals, END-OF-LIFE in an amicus curiae brief challenging a New • Ohio: Worked to modify MOLST (Medical Orders Jersey law that prohibits therapists from using for Life Sustaining Treatment) legislation to “gender orientation change efforts” with minors maintain the strength of health care power of • Following a lawsuit filed by Agudath Israel and attorney forms, such as the Halachic Living Will, others, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the and to protect a patient’s desire to be treated Second Circuit issued a unanimous decision to in accordance with his or her religious beliefs overturn a lower court’s ruling on New York • New Jersey: Worked to prevent the passage of City’s regulation on metzitzah b’peh a physician-assisted suicide bill • Filed an amicus curiae brief in a case that could

11 SPECIAL EDUCATION: • $1 million in text book and construction grants were allocated to Jewish day schools • New York: Played a key role in a major breakthrough for parents of students with special needs. The City of New York pledged to: NONPUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCACY: TRANSPORTATION N Expedite parents’ private school tuition • Illinois: Secured $1.6 million busing grant reimbursement • Maryland: Worked with the Maryland Transit N Refrain from re-litigating settled cases Administration to expand a service that unless there is a change in the child’s IEP accommodates Baltimore N Limit parents’ obligation to present full students documentation of their child’s case to only • Together with a group of nonpublic school once every three years. leaders and Montgomery County Officials • Following the intervention of Agudath Israel, initiated a new pilot program to provide yellow NYC private schools can now offer special school busing to several Silver Spring-area day education services when public schools are not schools at a subsidized rate in session, such as legal holidays or before public schools begin, as long as they follow a NONPUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCACY: 180-day school calendar TEXTBOOKS, NURSING, OTHER SERVICES • Through lobbying, Agudath Israel enabled • The 2014-15 New Jersey state budget added special needs students in New York to have 15 nearly $5 million in funding for nonpublic Special Education Teacher Support Services schools, with $2.4 million allocated for (SETSS/P3) sessions per week allowing children technology initiatives and $2.5 million with severe disabilities the opportunity to earmarked for nursing services. Both increases remain in mainstream classrooms were supported by Agudath Israel. • California: Conducted a series of meetings with • Crisis in New Jersey: During the funding crisis in the Los Angeles Unified School District to Lakewood, Agudath Israel’s New Jersey develop a special education program for director, met repeatedly with local and state yeshiva students in the Los Angeles area officials to resolve the issues of withheld funding for remedial services, textbooks, and NONPUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCACY: nurses in private schools, affecting over 25,000 • Agudath Israel of Illinois successfully launched students. a school lunch program in Chicago • Ohio: Approximately $70 per student in • Maryland: Initiated a task force to ensure additional auxiliary services funds will be state- funded construction grants for nonpublic available, thanks to legislative action that schools were crafted in a manner of greatest repealed a clause slipped into a bill the benefit to eligible schools previous year.

12 YEAR IN REVIEW • Successfully lobbied to exempt nonpublic GOVERNMENT: schools from onerous graduation requirements • Agudah leadership met with statewide and and to block a state-mandated “third grade local candidates in numerous states reading guarantee,” together with coalition partners. Senate President Keith Faber • Launched strong voter registration drives and appointed Rabbi Yitz Frank, Agudath Israel’s successful “get out the vote” efforts in Ohio director, to the Nonpublic Schools Maryland, Ohio, and Illinois Graduation Requirements Committee.

• UPK: Participated in intense negotiations with SECURITY INITIATIVE: the staff of Mayor Bill de Blasio regarding his • Agudath Israel worked together with plan to provide Universal Pre-K (UPK) Assemblyman Dov Hikind, to initiate and opportunities for tens of thousands of administer the Leiby Kletzky Security Initiative additional four year old children. These Grant. 80 four-directional security cameras negotiations resulted in the Mayor’s office were installed throughout Boro Park and issuing guidelines for the full-day UPK program Midwood to deter criminal acts and aid in which allowed some yeshivos to participate. apprehending criminals. Further urging resulted in the Mayor’s office issuing an RFP for half-day programming.

Providence Hebrew Day School students perform at Rhode Island Statehouse during National School Choice Week

ADVOCACY

13 ADVOCACY

Senator Cory Booker (D- NJ) greeting Rabbi Avi Agudath Israel Albany Mission with Schnall, NJ Director on a visit to Lakewood NJ NY State Senator Dean Skelos

Rabbi Abba Cohen addressing Agudath Israel Washington Delegation WASHINGTON: INTERNATIONAL

• Explained Israel’s security needs during its action in Gaza and advocated for supplemental Iron Dome funding

• Expressed concern and the need to enhance Capitol Hill awareness regarding the surge of global anti- Semitism

• Clarified the implications of restrictions on circumcision and kosher slaughter for European Jewry

• Boosted protection of Jewish cemeteries abroad against desecration

• Advocated for the security and rights of Jewish schools in the Former Soviet Union

14 YEAR IIN REVIIEW WASHINGTON: be forced to provide benefits that violate their NATIONAL beliefs

• Lobbied for the inclusion of, and easy access to, • Opposed efforts to weaken the RFRA law and religious child care and pre-K providers the strong religious protections it provides

• Lobbied to strengthen the federal nonprofit • Offered solutions on how to strengthen the security, school safety, disaster relief and federal “comp time for religious observance” law emergency preparedness programs for • Worked to develop and disseminate official synagogues, schools and community centers procedures for the entry and handling of • Lobbied for maintaining a robust “charitable lulavim , esrogim and matzoh deduction” and other education-related tax • Advocated for greater religious accommodation benefits in the military in regard to kosher food and • Lobbied for the protection of Title I remedial religiously-appropriate grooming and attire education program to prevent actions that • Met with Department of Education to ensure would block the equitable participation of that the federal school lunch program nonpublic schools accommodates kashrus requirements and that federally-assisted food pantries will have WASHINGTON: greater access to kosher foods RELIGIOUS FREEDOM • Advocated for health and safety procedures for • Lobbied the Administration and Congress to the appropriate processing of poultry after protect religious organizations’ right to hire in kapporos, thus making available thousands of conformance with their religious mission and not chickens to charitable institutions

15 ANNUAL EVENTS

Novominsker speaking at Agudath Israel Midwest Convention

Rabbi giving at 14th Annual Yarchei Kallah

Legislative Round Table

16 YEAR IN REVIEW Agudath Israel Regional Directors Meeting at 92nd Annual Convention

Atzeres Tefila with 50,000 Participants

Israeli Shmittah observing Farmer speaking at keynote session at 92nd Annual Convention

Emergency Washington Mission Combatting Anti-semitism

17 SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

Community Services Board of Directors Meeting

COMMUNITY SERVICES • COPE’s CPA Track Program culminates in a Bachelor’s of Science degree, enabling • Through its relationship with United Way, graduates to sit for the CPA exam. More than Agudath Israel brought in more than $60,000 100 students were enrolled this year of funding to programs this year and over $2 million since its inception, • Over 85% of COPE graduates find jobs providing weekly food packages to needy • Initiated VITA program in partnership with the individuals in Borough Park, Flatbush, Queens, IRS which offers free federal and state income and Far Rockaway tax return preparation for low- to moderate- income individuals and families SOCIAL SERVICES • Professional Career Services (PCS), with offices • COPE Institute’s Junior Accounting Program, in New York and New Jersey, matched many job recommended for 21 credits by the American seekers with employers Council on Education and Thomas Edison State College, enrolled 155 students (nearly 2,000 • Southern Brooklyn Community Organization since inception) (SBCO) and the Ocean Parkway Community

18 YEAR IN REVIEW Development Corporation (OPCD) helped • Launched a 24 Hour hotline resulting in a provide affordable housing to low and significant increase in calls moderate income families, the elderly and • Between June 2014 and November 2014, over 400 disabled in Borough Park and Kensington. 300 families called Chayim Aruchim for assistance average served per year • Received 84 calls regarding DNR (Do Not • SBCO commenced construction on the Culver Resuscitate) and DNI (Do Not Intubate), 64 calls Affordable Housing Project located on 37th from individuals in need of assistance Street, between 12th & 13th Avenue navigating negotiations with hospitals, 28 calls • Fresh Start Training Program provided regarding the do’s and don’ts of inserting a peg computer and job readiness workshops and and dozens of calls related to brain-death, support for women facing financial dialysis, hospice, IV hydration, medication, pain responsibilities due to family crises found medication, pressers, surgical procedures, etc. themselves faced with new financial • Launched a discharge service in October 2014 responsibilities to help hospital patients find appropriate • Customized job skills training include computer rehabilitation facilities upon discharge skills in typing, Word and Excel, and Home Care • Over 40 Rabbonim in the Midwest participated training in a three part video conference series • Senior Citizen Centers in Borough Park, addressing important medical halachic issues Flatbush and Washington Heights offered hundreds of elderly senior citizens free kosher ZICHRON KEDOSHIM hot lunches daily as well as a wide range of • This year, Zichron Kedoshim retrieved over 25,000 social services names from Pages of Testimony, school projects, • Adult Education and Literacy Services provided shul plaques, archival documents and books assistance to over 350 immigrants per year, bringing them to employment level through LEGAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT instruction in language, reading and writing • Agudath Israel’s Legal Support Services LLC is a • Agudist Benevolent Society provided network of 200 lawyers who volunteer their time bereavement and burial services to members and skills to assist in cases that meet the throughout the country organization’s criteria. These include custody • Overseas Passover Campaign helped provide battles between spouses of different levels of matzoh, wine and other Passover food items to religious observance, immigration-related problems, thousands of Jewish families in Eastern Europe Shabbos and Yom Tov observance issues, and zoning issues affecting yeshivos and shuls.

CHAYIM ARUCHIM • Helped finalize the regulations for the New York • The Center for Culturally Sensitive Advocacy State Tuition Assistance Program to enable and Counseling assists those facing difficult yeshiva gedolah students to benefit from the challenges in the health care system, program which provides up to $5,000 in yearly specifically in end-of-life situations scholarship assistance to needy students.

19 SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

• Helped numerous students receive accommodation CONSTITUENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT for their religious needs • Responded to approximately 800 calls a • Helped numerous employees threatened with month, providing callers with referrals, the loss of their jobs due to absence for information, or direct assistance tailored to religious reasons their concerns

• Helped numerous patients in hospitals receive • Provided free legal assistance to employees or appropriate medical treatment and end of life students experiencing religious discrimination care in accordance with halacha at work or at school

• Successfully lobbied the New York State • Helped clients obtain kosher food in the Legislature to amend the Palliative Care Act to hospital and arranged shofar blowing for the require that treatment options as well as homebound palliative care options be presented to terminally ill patients and their families

20 YEAR IN REVIEW • Represented clients with religious observance • Referred clients to organizations providing issues in housing areas (such as automatic business counseling, interest free loans, electric lights in public spaces on Shabbos) financial assistance and physician referrals

• Advised /shuls on parsonage, • Referred clients to lawyers on a wide variety of incorporation, tax and zoning issues issues

• Assisted clients in applying for government • Assisted with end of life issues, provided benefits programs including Medicaid, information on hospice care, DNR’s, and free Medicare, Social Security, SSI, food stamps, and Halachic burials for the indigent and acquiring birth certificates disseminated Halachic Medical Directives to individuals, chaplains, and rabbis • Provided assistance in applying for financial emergency aid to prevent eviction • Provided free legal assistance to help constituents preserve the life of critically ill • Offered employment assistance including a free loved ones when hospitals wanted to stop resume writing service, referrals to GED and treatment or withdraw life support professional training courses, and referrals to Professional Career Services and other • Provided free legal assistance to help organizations which help people find employment constituents prevent the cremation of a loved one

Annual Legislative Breakfast

21 YESHIVA SERVICES

DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION YESHIVA SERVICES DIVISION AFFAIRS /PROJECT LEARN • Hosted webinars for 125 yeshiva principals and • Over the past several years, Project Learn has administrators across the country dealing with worked with New York City to change the the Affordable Care Act and how it relates to approval procedure for special education yeshivos as employers tuition reimbursements, bringing in hundreds of • Hosted a Back-to-School webinar for 75 thousands of dollars for financially burdened principals and administrators from across New families and easing the overall process for York State which included new immunization parents reporting requirements, changes in the Federal • Helped parents navigate the Committee on E-Rate program (which provides reimbursement Special Education (CSE) process in order to get to schools and libraries for phone and internet the placement or services their children need to related expenses), and the Common Core succeed Curriculum and Assessments

• Director of Project LEARN, served as expediter • Held two workshops on the Federal E-Rate of the certification process for New York State Program, one for beginners and one for more service providers working in nonpublic schools. experienced school administrators

• Director of Project LEARN was appointed Co- • Hosted annual New Schools Workshop for all Chair of the New York City Nonpublic School newly opened yeshivos and newly hired Subcommittee for Special Education. yeshiva administrators and principals

New York State Bus Grant

22 YEAR IN REVI EW Torah Day School of Atlanta students meet with Senator Jason Carter at the Statehouse

• Disseminated 80 communications to yeshivos • Helped increase the number of participating throughout the country informing schools yeshivos in the city from 30 to 130 about funding opportunities, legal obligations • In other funding streams, New York City and other important information yeshivos received: • Helped facilitate yeshiva participation in a N more than $2 million in Title I professional brand new New York State Security Equipment development Grant program which allocates $9.70 per enrolled child for security enhancements to N approximately $1.3 million in Title IIA enhance safety in schools. Yeshivos across the professional development state were eligible to receive $1.5 million in N approximately $5.2 million in Title III funding under this new program. funds to provide services to Limited • Yeshivos in New York State received close to English Proficient students and their $40 million in mandated services and CAP teachers funding and approximately $12.4 million in N more than $21 million to schools for late textbook aid, library materials aid, software aid afternoon bus service and computer hardware aid funds

• Continued long-standing efforts to increase the participation of yeshivos in New York City in the Federal Title I Program. This program allows nonpublic school students to receive supplemental educational services in literacy, mathematics and English as a second language. 23 COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

THE PUBLIC • conveys the views of Torah Jewry to government, legislatures, and the world at large AFFAIRS • Fielded hundreds of phone calls from media outlets DEPARTMENT worldwide conveying the authentic Torah view on important contemporary issues

• Worked to create an accurate and positive portrayal of Agudath Israel in the media and the community at large through hundreds of press releases, statements and articles about the work of Agudath Israel

• Published the Weekly Window, an email newsletter reaching more than ten thousand people that reported the activities of the Government Affairs department throughout the country

• Sponsored the National Orthodox Jewish Archives, a unique repository of historical documents, publications and photographs relating to the growth of Orthodox Jewry in the United States and the history of Agudath Israel on an international scope

Yourconvention.org

Rabbi Avi Shafran Get out the vote campaign speaking at Convention session on the public image of the Orthodox Jew

24 YEAR IN REVIEW Dr. Aviva Biberfeld addressing women at 92nd Annual Convention

N’SHEI • Several thousand women attended classes and shiurim in the New York Metropolitan Area with many more in other areas AGUDAS • N’shei C.A.R.E.S. assisted women at Maimonides Medical Center with 130 YISROEL doula and post-partum volunteers

• Keren Yesomim, Hachnossas Kallah and Nizkakim Vecholim funds helped over 400 families this year

• Launched HaSeviva program to provide support for frum women in the business and professional world

• The Miriam Borchardt Camp Scholarship Fund awarded stipends to many families enabling children to attend a frum camp of their choice

Summer of Torah Lecture Series in Catskill Mountains

AGUDAH WOMEN OF AMERICA

25 RESOURCE DIRECTORY

NATIONAL RESOURCE DIRECTORY

AGUDATH ISRAEL OF AMERICA 212-797-9000

REGIONAL OFFICES: Office of State Relations 513-530-1364 Arizona 480-467-4593 California 310-659-8152 Florida 305-532-2500 Illinois 773-279-8400 Maryland/ Mid Atlantic 410-484-3632 New 617-566-4420 New Jersey 732-415-6380 Ohio 216-455-1111 Texas 972-404-8980 Washington 202-835-0414 Ontario 416-256-3890 Quebec 514-699-4881 United Kingdom 011-44-796-647-6694 Global Relief and Rescue ext. 251

TORAH EDUCATION PROGRAMS Conference of Synagogue Rabbonim ext. 270 Daf Yomi Commission ext. 266 Torah Projects Commission ext. 267 Midwest Conference of Synagogue Rabbonim 773-279-8400

YOUTH SERVICES Bnos Agudath Israel ext. 275 Pirchei Agudath Israel ext. 274 Zeirei Agudath Israel ext. 272

CAMPS Camps Agudah, Machane Ephraim, Bnos, Bnoseinu and Chayl Miriam 212-797-8172 26 YEAR IN REVIEW Camp Agudah Toronto 416-781-7101 Camp Agudah Midwest Boys / Girls, Bnos Ma’arava, SPARK for Teens, Pirchei Day Camp, B’nos Day Camp, Munchkins Day Camp 773-279-8400 Camp Nageela Midwest 773-604-4400

COMMUNICATION Office of Communication ext. 311 Office of Public Affairs ext. 229 Orthodox Jewish Archives ext. 384

YESHIVA SERVICES Education Affairs 212-797-7386 Special Education Affairs ext. 326

CONSTITUENT SERVICES Agudah Women 212-363-8940 Agudist Benevolent Society 718-436-1458 Chayim Aruchim 347-633-0487 Chevra Oseh Chesed ext. 274 Community Services ext. 321 Constituent & Legal Services ext. 335 Simchas Chava ext. 251 Zichron Kedoshim ext. 217

SENIOR CITIZEN CENTERS Borough Park Senior Citizen Center 718-854-7430 Brookdale Senior Citizen Center of Flatbush 718-434-8670 Moriah Older Adult Luncheon Club 212-923-5715

SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICES COPE Employment and Training 212-809-5935 ext. 301 COPE Institute and COPE Education Services 718-506-0500 Fresh Start Training Program 718-506-0500 ext. 219 Professional Career Services (PCS) PCS-New York 718-436-1900 PCS-New Jersey 732-367-4178 Southern Brooklyn Community Organization (SBCO) 718-435-1300

*Extensions correspond to the main line 212-797-9000 27 TABLE OF CONTENTS

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