Agudath Israel Mourns the U.S. Servicemen and Other Innocents Killed in Kabul
August 27, 2021
Agudath Israel of America joins the rest of the nation in mourning the U.S. servicemen and other innocents killed in yesterday’s ruthless and contemptible suicide bombings in Kabul.
Our soldiers died in service to our country and its values — shielding civilians and assisting them to safety, even at the risk of their own lives. They were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, as they fulfilled their duty to “protect and defend.”
Innocent men, women and children were murdered while trying to flee a repressive regime that will not hesitate to brutally attack, murder and pillage, especially those who have supported and assisted the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
We pray for a speedy and smooth recovery to the injured. And we pray for calm and peace in Afghanistan, and for safety to those who remain there and to those who wish to leave.
Photo Credits: Shutterstock/W. Scott McGill Agudath Israel Welcomes Nomination of Dr. Deborah Lipstadt as U.S. Antisemitism Envoy
August 27, 2021
Agudath Israel of America welcomes President Biden’s nomination of Dr. Deborah Lipstadt as the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. The President made the announcement after weeks of speculation, and amid calls that the position needed to be filled without further delay.
“Dr. Lipstadt is a unique blend of scholar-activist,” observed Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israel’s Vice President of Government Affairs and Washington Director. “She is a prominent historian and thinker on the Holocaust and antisemitism and that puts her in a position of being able to turn her knowledge and understanding of these issues into informed and creative thinking about how best to fight this scourge, which is plaguing countries around the world.”
While the State Department has continued to be active on matters relating to antisemitism, the need for a top envoy at the helm of the effort is seen as critical. Agudath Israel joined other Jewish groups, and worked with leaders on Capitol Hill, to encourage a swift nomination, as well as supporting earlier congressional efforts to raise the prominence, influence, and funding of the position to ambassador-level.
“The fight against antisemitism is never-ending, and particularly critical at a time when we are witnessing open and increasing verbal and physical attacks against Jews in foreign countries. We urge expeditious Senate consideration, and we look forward to working closely and cooperatively with Dr. Lipstadt, as we have with all of her predecessors,” Rabbi Cohen concluded.
Photo Credits: Hadrian/Shutterstock.com
Agudath Israel Responds to Ben & Jerry’s Decision to Boycott Yehudah, Shomron and East Jerusalem and Urges States to Apply Anti-BDS Laws
August 27, 2021 The recent announcement by the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company that it would no longer sell its products in Yehudah, Shomron or East Jerusalem has brought the issue of BDS once again to the forefront of public discourse.
Agudath Israel is on longstanding record opposing BDS as a form of antisemitism. Agudah has advocated for anti-BDS laws across the United States, and has defended their constitutionality in courts of law.
This case illustrates why economic boycott against Israel is so objectionable, and why it is so important to stand firm against BDS. We urge all states that have anti-BDS laws to apply those laws as appropriate in this case. And we urge all states that have not as yet enacted anti-BDS laws to use this case as impetus to pass such legislation.
Antisemitism is a Unique Hatred and Evil: Agudath Israel Statement on Comments from Yair Lapid
August 27, 2021 There has been much discussion of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s speech before the 7th Global Forum on Combatting Anti-Semitism on July 14, in which he offered a new definition of antisemitism.
It is certainly true that slave traders who threw human beings into the ocean, and African tribes who slaughtered other tribes and Muslims who kill other Muslims are evildoers.
And that those who have hated and attacked and killed Jews over the centuries were and are evildoers too.
But to wrap all deranged murderers and haters into a neat malodorous package does a grave disservice to the most ancient, multifaceted and tenacious hatred, one that persists even into lives of Jews around the globe today. It does a grave disservice to history.
To note that antisemitism is unique and uniquely senseless and ugly is not to claim some sort of special treatment for Jews or to assert some Jewish racial superiority. It is simply to respect a historical, and lamentable, fact.
Agudath Israel Expresses Outrage at Curtis Sliwa Antisemitic Rant
August 27, 2021
Agudath Israel of America, like all New Yorkers of good will, is outraged at current mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa’s recently publicized rant against Hassidic Jews. Our outrage is accompanied by great surprise, considering how Mr. Sliwa and the Guardian Angels group he founded have shown great concern for the safety of Jews.
In his 2018 address to a Hudson Valley meeting for the Reform Party, Mr. Sliwa berated Hassidim, hurling age-old misrepresentations and distortions that those who hate Jews have used for centuries at contemporary Jewish residents of Hudson Valley counties, several of which have seen influxes of identifiable Orthodox Jews over recent years.
Among much other ugliness, he expressed disdain for Jews who donate to political candidates. And derided “able-bodied men who study Torah and Talmud all day while “all they do is make babies like there’s no tomorrow.”
Such Jews, he said, don’t vote like “normal Americans,” and have the audacity to access educational funding for their schools to which they are entitled.
Aside from the misleading nature of Mr. Sliwa’s accusations, with violent attacks on Jews, like those in Monsey, Pittsburgh and Jersey City, still in recent memory, words like his only add fuel to the fire of Jew-hatred.
Mr. Sliwa might find it helpful to speak to representatives of some of the Jews he so dislikes. Some education about Judaism’s priorities and how a true democracy functions would benefit him as he aims to lead a city known and celebrated for its ethnic and religious diversity. A repudiation of the offensive and fallacious words, and an apology – a sincere one – are in order.
At the end of his diatribe, the then-talk show host touted his Jewish connections, as if that in some way justified his bigoted words, and, in an attempt to head off criticism of his hateful words, asserted that “The moment you bring this to somebody’s attention, you’re called an antisemite.”
Mr. Sliwa, however, should know that when one parrots the traditional canards used by antisemites one is reasonably suspected of being among them.
Statement of Agudath Israel on Surfside Building Collapse Tragedy
August 27, 2021 We have all heard the devastating news of the 12-story condo that suddenly collapsed in Surfside, Florida this morning. Over a hundred individuals are still unaccounted for, rachmana litzlan.
This is a time for achdus and tefillah for the safety of those still trapped. Our hearts go out for those lost, injured, and for those still awaiting news of their relatives’ status. Agudath Israel joins the larger global community in standing with Surfside.
The following individuals require our tefillos:
Arie Leib ben Ita Chaim ben Sara Esther bas Linda Ita bas Miriam Leibel ben Feige Rivka Lein ben Ilana Malka bas Sara Rochel Moshe ben Shoshana Moshe ben Toba Ruth bas Sarah Tzvi Doniel ben Yehudis Yisroel Tzvi Yosef ben Toiba
The Shul of Bal Harbour, under the leadership of Rabbi Shalom Lipskar, has created a central fund to be disbursed as needed directly to the victims and their families at thechesedfund.com/shulofbalharbour/miamitragedy.
The Miami-Dade police department has requested that people aware of individuals unaccounted for or in need of more information about family members call 305-614-1819.
Agudath Israel of Florida, under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Matz, joins Agudath Israel of America in heartfelt appreciation to the Miami-Dade firefighters, police officers, first responders, volunteers, the Hatzalah of South Florida, and Chesed Shel Emes of Florida, who have been tirelessly working at the scene of the disaster. They also note and appreciate the actions of Governor Ron DeSantis, who immediately flew to Surfside to pledge his support and assistance to the community.
While the reasons for Hashem’s actions are sometimes beyond us, how we respond to them defines us.
Agudath Israel Statement on New York State Legislature Giving Veto Power to East Ramapo School Board Monitor
August 27, 2021 As the New York State legislative session came to a close at the end of last week, both the Senate and the Assembly passed legislation which would give veto power to the state appointed monitor of the East Ramapo school board. This is an approach Agudath Israel has long opposed: it overturns the will of the voters, giving the monitor the power to thwart the decisions of a democratically elected school board. In addition, this will not solve the underlying issues in the East Ramapo school district, as it does not deal with the root causes of the funding inequities fomented by a flawed state formula.
It is important to note that the rhetoric from some of those in favor of the monitor’s veto, particularly NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman, is outrageous and unbecoming. While good faith discussion and disagreement is healthy in a democracy, it is never acceptable to descend into inflammatory language. Falsely accusing the school board – consisting primarily of Orthodox Jewish members – of ‘Jim Crow’ style racial animus is especially offensive, especially given the recent rise in antisemitic hate crimes. Ms. Lieberman should apologize for those divisive remarks.
Over the last four years, the board has already made progress with the existing monitor structure, with the Commissioner of Education retaining direct oversight of the school board. It is the hope of Agudath Israel that the divisive rhetoric will end and lawmakers will find a way to address the root of the problem and represent the will of all those in East Ramapo.
Photo Credits: Kozirsky/Shutterstock.com Agudath Israel Statement on Rocket Attacks by Hamas Against Israel
August 27, 2021
Photo Credits: shutterstock.com/g/makarenko7
Over the past few days, our brothers and sisters in Israel have been the victims of fierce and deadly assaults that have left them living in a state of panic and fear. We, at Agudath Israel of America, pray to the Master of the Universe that he will speedily bring these hostilities to an end and restore calm to the nation. We also plead that He bring comfort to the families of the dead and that He grant a full and swift recovery to the injured.
As we witness the continued spiraling violence between Israel and the Palestinians, Agudath Israel commends the White House for stating clearly that “The president’s support for Israel’s security, for its legitimate right to defend itself and its people, is fundamental and will never waiver. We condemn ongoing rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups against Jerusalem.”
Earlier yesterday the State Department rightly observed that Hamas rocket fire terrorizing Israeli citizens was an “unacceptable escalation.” And we agree with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that the hundreds of rocket attacks, which are now being directed at Israel’s heartland and have taken lives and destroyed property, “need to stop immediately.”
Agudath Israel further believes that, as the rocket fire escalated the violence, ending it has the strongest chance of achieving the Biden Administration’s immediate objective of urging all sides to take steps to reduce tensions. It also has the greatest potential of lessening the violence, provocation and extremism that led up to the hostilities in Jerusalem and that are now continuing.
We welcome the Biden Administration’s stated commitment to ongoing communication with both Israel and the Palestinians and to intensively pursuing a diplomatic means to de-escalate the violence. Now and in the future, we urge the Administration to make clear to Hamas and other such Palestinian groups that those bent on destroying or dismantling Israel, on murder and mayhem, on violence and terror, will find no friend in the United States, will never achieve their aims, and will justifiably be met by a harsh Israeli response.
Agudath Israel also expresses its deep and heartfelt appreciation to the many members of the U.S. Congress and other elected officials who are standing firmly by Israel’s side during this time of crisis.
History has shown time and again that Israel will reach out its hand to those who seek peace. It has also shown that only strong, steadfast U.S. support of Israel will open the eyes of “rejectionists,” leading them to realize that they have no option other than to renounce violence and terror, drop illusions of Israel’s destruction, and reap the benefits of peaceful coexistence. Statement of Agudath Israel on the New York City Mayoral Race
August 27, 2021
There are media reports circulating claiming that Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, executive vice president, and – by extension – Agudath Israel itself, has endorsed the Adams campaign for the New York City mayoralty.
In fact, Rabbi Zwiebel was invited to a “meet-the-candidate” event in a private home. He was asked to introduce the candidate, with whom Rabbi Zwiebel has a long and warm relationship, but made no endorsement. Purported quotes indicating an endorsement are not accurate.
Agudath Israel never endorses candidates, though the Agudah does seek to meet with them, and to share the concerns of our constituency, on a regular basis.
We appreciate the opportunity to correct the record. Agudath Israel Statement on NYC School Chancellorship
August 27, 2021
As Richard Carranza departs his position as Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and Meisha Ross Porter assumes the Chancellorship as his successor, Agudath Israel of America thanks Dr. Carranza for his service as chancellor over the last three years, and welcomes Ms. Porter as the new chancellor.
Agudath Israel has been privileged over many years to work closely with the New York City Department of Education and its Office of Nonpublic Schools on behalf of the approximately 350 yeshivos in the city. In addition, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudah’s executive vice president, chairs the Committee of New York City Religious and Independent School Officials, which meets regularly with the Department of Education to discuss such matters as funding, remedial services, special education, and transportation, and to advance the interests of the city’s entire nonpublic school community.
“The DOE under Chancellor Carranza’s leadership has engaged the city’s religious and independent schools in ongoing dialogue,” said Rabbi Zwiebel. “It has been obvious that we share the common goal of the well-being of all the students of New York City. The DOE’s good faith and responsibility during these challenging times, especially, are noted and appreciated. We wish Dr. Carranza well in his future endeavors.
“Ms. Porter’s reputation is as an educator who takes on tough challenges successfully. While we have not yet had occasion to interact with her, we look forward to working with Ms. Porter and continuing our partnership with the Department of Education and the Office of Non-Public Schools for New York City.