NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 1AGUDATH ISRAEL OF NEW ENGLAND YEAR in REVIEW2023
2 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWA MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTORAs Agudah New England concludes our third year in operation, I am excited to share some highlights from the last 12 months. Our Jewish day schools have accessed over $2.5 million in grants and services over the last year and $7.9M over the last three years, and as of 2023, are now included in the permanent universal school meals program! Agudah NE also successfully advocated for vital security resources for our schools, shuls and community organizations, including a new statewide pilot program to fund security guards and an increase in funding to the nonprofit security grant program. In partnership with ROFEH International, Agudah NE opened the first kosher Bikur Cholim space in Boston Children’s Hospital. This resource is now a vital support to families seeking world-class medical care in our community. Agudah NE has developed a strong and unified community voice to represent the unique needs of the Orthodox Jewish community in Greater Boston in the public and political sphere. Policymakers at the state and local levels now know that our community has a unique perspective and that they can turn to Agudah NE to connect with us. Although we have learned that we cannot always anticipate the challenges and opportunities that each year will bring, we know that it is the strength of our relationships that will be key to advancing our community’s shared goals. This year we organized eight community meetings with policymakers, hosted elected officials at Jewish community events, and worked to organize an Orthodox presence at events open to the public. After the tragic and horrific events of October 7th, these relationships took on a new meaning. Our work to combat antisemitism and stand with Israel took center stage. We activated and organized the community to engage with their elected officials at the federal, state and local levels, sent out action alerts, and organized events and projects to draw public attention to the hostage crisis and to express our community’s unwavering support for Israel. As we enter our fourth year of operation, we pray for peace in our homeland and for the entire Jewish nation. We are committed to doing our part in Massachusetts to raise our voices and to stand up for our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel. The report below highlights the activities and achievements of our community over the last 12 months. None of this could have been achieved without the deep commitment of the Agudah NE board of directors, the day school advisory board, the generosity of our donors, and the support of Agudath Israel of America’s National Director of Government Affairs, Rabbi A. D. Motzen. Deep gratitude is also owed to Dr. Nick Block for his excellent consulting work for Agudah NE. With much enthusiasm for the future that lies ahead, Ariella HellmanDirector of Government Affairs, Agudath Israel of New EnglandDay school funding is Agudah NE’s top priority, and we are pleased that in FY23 our Jewish day schools accessed $2.5 million in services and grants. The funding is used to support special education, remedial education, professional development, support for English language learners, school health services including school nurses and social workers, security, early childhood education grants, technology and food security infrastructure. All day school advocacy work is done in coalition with the Council for American Private Education- Massachusetts (CAPE-MA), a private school organization representing 55,000 nonpublic school students across the Commonwealth. Agudah NE has a leadership role on the CAPE-MA board which is valuable to us in advancing our interests. JEWISH DAY SCHOOL FUNDINGDay School GrantsSpecial Education | 20%Title Programs | 13%School Health | 22%Security | 2%Early Childhood Funding | 30%After-School Grant | 7%Mental Health | 6%Day School GrantsFederal | 32%State | 43%Local | 25%
2 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWA MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTORAs Agudah New England concludes our third year in operation, I am excited to share some highlights from the last 12 months. Our Jewish day schools have accessed over $2.5 million in grants and services over the last year and $7.9M over the last three years, and as of 2023, are now included in the permanent universal school meals program! Agudah NE also successfully advocated for vital security resources for our schools, shuls and community organizations, including a new statewide pilot program to fund security guards and an increase in funding to the nonprofit security grant program. In partnership with ROFEH International, Agudah NE opened the first kosher Bikur Cholim space in Boston Children’s Hospital. This resource is now a vital support to families seeking world-class medical care in our community. Agudah NE has developed a strong and unified community voice to represent the unique needs of the Orthodox Jewish community in Greater Boston in the public and political sphere. Policymakers at the state and local levels now know that our community has a unique perspective and that they can turn to Agudah NE to connect with us. Although we have learned that we cannot always anticipate the challenges and opportunities that each year will bring, we know that it is the strength of our relationships that will be key to advancing our community’s shared goals. This year we organized eight community meetings with policymakers, hosted elected officials at Jewish community events, and worked to organize an Orthodox presence at events open to the public. After the tragic and horrific events of October 7th, these relationships took on a new meaning. Our work to combat antisemitism and stand with Israel took center stage. We activated and organized the community to engage with their elected officials at the federal, state and local levels, sent out action alerts, and organized events and projects to draw public attention to the hostage crisis and to express our community’s unwavering support for Israel. As we enter our fourth year of operation, we pray for peace in our homeland and for the entire Jewish nation. We are committed to doing our part in Massachusetts to raise our voices and to stand up for our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel. The report below highlights the activities and achievements of our community over the last 12 months. None of this could have been achieved without the deep commitment of the Agudah NE board of directors, the day school advisory board, the generosity of our donors, and the support of Agudath Israel of America’s National Director of Government Affairs, Rabbi A. D. Motzen. Deep gratitude is also owed to Dr. Nick Block for his excellent consulting work for Agudah NE. With much enthusiasm for the future that lies ahead, Ariella HellmanDirector of Government Affairs, Agudath Israel of New EnglandDay school funding is Agudah NE’s top priority, and we are pleased that in FY23 our Jewish day schools accessed $2.5 million in services and grants. The funding is used to support special education, remedial education, professional development, support for English language learners, school health services including school nurses and social workers, security, early childhood education grants, technology and food security infrastructure. All day school advocacy work is done in coalition with the Council for American Private Education- Massachusetts (CAPE-MA), a private school organization representing 55,000 nonpublic school students across the Commonwealth. Agudah NE has a leadership role on the CAPE-MA board which is valuable to us in advancing our interests. JEWISH DAY SCHOOL FUNDINGDay School GrantsSpecial Education | 20%Title Programs | 13%School Health | 22%Security | 2%Early Childhood Funding | 30%After-School Grant | 7%Mental Health | 6%Day School GrantsFederal | 32%State | 43%Local | 25%
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 5 4 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWMassachusetts is one of just three states to permanently establish universal free meals for all K-12 students, including those at nonpublic schools. This was a hard-fought battle. The legislature was initially reluctant, but after a protracted effort, nonpublic school students were ultimately included in the program. We are grateful to our coalition partners and the many Jewish day school parents, school administrators and students who testified in support of our students’ participation in this program. We are also grateful to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Senate and House sponsors, Senator Sal DiDomenico and Representative Andy Vargas, along with Senate and House leadership for working with our coalition to ensure that all Massachusetts students can benefit from this important program. The Shaloh House Jewish Day School and Mesivta of Greater Boston now provide the kosher meals to the majority of our Jewish day school students! LEGISLATIVE WINS: Free School MealsIn 2024 we will work with a number of public school districts to expand access to kosher meals for their Jewish students. These additional meals will help create scale for the kosher food programs in our Jewish day schools to make the program sustainable long term. In 2023 Agudah NE successfully advocated for a $3 million dollar increase to the $26 million state budget line item for school health services for public and nonpublic school students. Nonpublic schools received approximately $2.6 million in funding under this program and approximately 25% of those funds flowed to Jewish day schools. These funds support school nurses and mental health counselors. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health sought to prevent nonpublic schools from using the grant to hire a school nurse after the third year of the grant. Agudah NE worked with the legislature to add new language to the line item to thwart this attempt. Without this change, many Jewish day schools would have lost their nurses and been unable to meaningfully benefit from this program. In addition, Agudah NE partnered with Gateways on a separate workforce grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Through this grant, the Greater Boston area Jewish day school schools were awarded an additional $100,000 to support mental health initiatives across the Jewish day school system. LEGISLATIVE WINS: School Health ServicesAs a member of the Common Start Coalition, Agudah NE advocated for the continuation of the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) Grants for licensed early education programs. These grant funds cover approximately 10% of the operation costs of a licensed early education program. Funding in the state budget was also increased for the voucher rates for economically eligible families. The pilot program providing vouchers to income eligible teachers at early education programs was once again funded in the state budget. Agudah NE also supported our Jewish preschools as they worked through the Early Education and Care licensing process. Currently Maimonides School, Shaloh House, Striar Hebrew Academy, Solomon Schechter, and Torah Academy are all licensed by EEC. Many accept early education vouchers. Others are working on being able to accept vouchers. Early Education Grants for Preschools
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 5 4 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWMassachusetts is one of just three states to permanently establish universal free meals for all K-12 students, including those at nonpublic schools. This was a hard-fought battle. The legislature was initially reluctant, but after a protracted effort, nonpublic school students were ultimately included in the program. We are grateful to our coalition partners and the many Jewish day school parents, school administrators and students who testified in support of our students’ participation in this program. We are also grateful to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Senate and House sponsors, Senator Sal DiDomenico and Representative Andy Vargas, along with Senate and House leadership for working with our coalition to ensure that all Massachusetts students can benefit from this important program. The Shaloh House Jewish Day School and Mesivta of Greater Boston now provide the kosher meals to the majority of our Jewish day school students! LEGISLATIVE WINS: Free School MealsIn 2024 we will work with a number of public school districts to expand access to kosher meals for their Jewish students. These additional meals will help create scale for the kosher food programs in our Jewish day schools to make the program sustainable long term. In 2023 Agudah NE successfully advocated for a $3 million dollar increase to the $26 million state budget line item for school health services for public and nonpublic school students. Nonpublic schools received approximately $2.6 million in funding under this program and approximately 25% of those funds flowed to Jewish day schools. These funds support school nurses and mental health counselors. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health sought to prevent nonpublic schools from using the grant to hire a school nurse after the third year of the grant. Agudah NE worked with the legislature to add new language to the line item to thwart this attempt. Without this change, many Jewish day schools would have lost their nurses and been unable to meaningfully benefit from this program. In addition, Agudah NE partnered with Gateways on a separate workforce grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Through this grant, the Greater Boston area Jewish day school schools were awarded an additional $100,000 to support mental health initiatives across the Jewish day school system. LEGISLATIVE WINS: School Health ServicesAs a member of the Common Start Coalition, Agudah NE advocated for the continuation of the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) Grants for licensed early education programs. These grant funds cover approximately 10% of the operation costs of a licensed early education program. Funding in the state budget was also increased for the voucher rates for economically eligible families. The pilot program providing vouchers to income eligible teachers at early education programs was once again funded in the state budget. Agudah NE also supported our Jewish preschools as they worked through the Early Education and Care licensing process. Currently Maimonides School, Shaloh House, Striar Hebrew Academy, Solomon Schechter, and Torah Academy are all licensed by EEC. Many accept early education vouchers. Others are working on being able to accept vouchers. Early Education Grants for Preschools
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 7 6 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWAgudah NE led the advocacy effort to create a new state-funded security personnel pilot program in 2022. This program provides matching grants to nonprofits at high risk of terrorist attacks or hate crimes to help defray the cost of security guards not covered by the existing state nonprofit security grant program. This pilot program was created in direct response to the Agudah NE-led community security forum and the hundreds of letters and emails that were sent in response to Agudah NE’s action alerts. In 2023 the legislature doubled the funding for this program to $300,000. Our goal is to grow this program over the coming years to be a robust funding source for the security needs of our community. Agudah NE also advocated for increased funding for the Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Grant Program and is pleased that the funding for this program was increased to $4 million this year, with $300,000 set aside for security guards. LEGISLATIVE WINS: Security GrantsAt the federal level, Agudah works to publicize the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program to eligible shuls, schools and community organizations to ensure that all parties are aware of the deadlines and have the support they need to maximize their success in applying for grant funds. In 2023 our shuls accessed $750,000 in federal security grants with many of these shuls not having applied for a grant in many years. Last, Agudah NE also worked with the Boston City Council to advocate for the continued funding of the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC), which is responsible for Boston police intelligence. This became a contentious issue in the Council and Agudah NE organized community members to contact Allston-Brighton City Councilor, Liz Breadon, who cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of funding for BRIC after hearing from so many of her constituents on the issue.Agudah NE was able to help Torah Academy secure yellow school buses through Boston Public Schools for this school year. For the first time, Boston Jewish families who live a certain distance away from Torah Academy’s Hamilton campus are now picked up and dropped off every day. Agudah will be looking into helping qualifying families at other Jewish day schools in Massachusetts.BUSSING SERVICES
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 7 6 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWAgudah NE led the advocacy effort to create a new state-funded security personnel pilot program in 2022. This program provides matching grants to nonprofits at high risk of terrorist attacks or hate crimes to help defray the cost of security guards not covered by the existing state nonprofit security grant program. This pilot program was created in direct response to the Agudah NE-led community security forum and the hundreds of letters and emails that were sent in response to Agudah NE’s action alerts. In 2023 the legislature doubled the funding for this program to $300,000. Our goal is to grow this program over the coming years to be a robust funding source for the security needs of our community. Agudah NE also advocated for increased funding for the Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Grant Program and is pleased that the funding for this program was increased to $4 million this year, with $300,000 set aside for security guards. LEGISLATIVE WINS: Security GrantsAt the federal level, Agudah works to publicize the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program to eligible shuls, schools and community organizations to ensure that all parties are aware of the deadlines and have the support they need to maximize their success in applying for grant funds. In 2023 our shuls accessed $750,000 in federal security grants with many of these shuls not having applied for a grant in many years. Last, Agudah NE also worked with the Boston City Council to advocate for the continued funding of the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC), which is responsible for Boston police intelligence. This became a contentious issue in the Council and Agudah NE organized community members to contact Allston-Brighton City Councilor, Liz Breadon, who cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of funding for BRIC after hearing from so many of her constituents on the issue.Agudah NE was able to help Torah Academy secure yellow school buses through Boston Public Schools for this school year. For the first time, Boston Jewish families who live a certain distance away from Torah Academy’s Hamilton campus are now picked up and dropped off every day. Agudah will be looking into helping qualifying families at other Jewish day schools in Massachusetts.BUSSING SERVICES
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 9 8 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWThrough educational forums and neighborhood meetings, Agudah NE connects elected officials with our community members. These meetings help policymakers understand that Agudah NE speaks on behalf of the larger Orthodox community and humanizes the issues we are advocating for. This year, we held a total of eight meetings with policymakers, four in-person and four online. Agudah NE also hosted elected officials at three Jewish community events and organized the Orthodox and day school community to have a presence at several programs and events open to the broader public. Policymakers walked away from these meetings with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of our community. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTAgudah New England partnered with Maimonides School to host the Hate Ends Now Holocaust Cattle Car Exhibit in the spring. Middle and upper school students and staff members had the opportunity to view the interactive multi-media exhibit and to learn more about the cattle cars used to transport Jews during the Holocaust. Brookline state Representative Tommy Vitolo, members of the Brookline Selectboard, representatives from the United States Attorney’s office and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Ambassador Meron Reuben, Consul General of Israel to New England, and Dr. Sonja Kreibich, Consul General of Germany for New England attended the program and addressed the students. The experience of viewing the Holocaust exhibit at a Jewish day school surrounded by Jewish children was very meaningful for our state leaders and helped them understand the importance of fighting rising antisemitism and preventing future hate crimes. HOLOCAUST CATTLE CAR EXHIBIT AT MAIMONIDES SCHOOL
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 9 8 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWThrough educational forums and neighborhood meetings, Agudah NE connects elected officials with our community members. These meetings help policymakers understand that Agudah NE speaks on behalf of the larger Orthodox community and humanizes the issues we are advocating for. This year, we held a total of eight meetings with policymakers, four in-person and four online. Agudah NE also hosted elected officials at three Jewish community events and organized the Orthodox and day school community to have a presence at several programs and events open to the broader public. Policymakers walked away from these meetings with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of our community. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTAgudah New England partnered with Maimonides School to host the Hate Ends Now Holocaust Cattle Car Exhibit in the spring. Middle and upper school students and staff members had the opportunity to view the interactive multi-media exhibit and to learn more about the cattle cars used to transport Jews during the Holocaust. Brookline state Representative Tommy Vitolo, members of the Brookline Selectboard, representatives from the United States Attorney’s office and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Ambassador Meron Reuben, Consul General of Israel to New England, and Dr. Sonja Kreibich, Consul General of Germany for New England attended the program and addressed the students. The experience of viewing the Holocaust exhibit at a Jewish day school surrounded by Jewish children was very meaningful for our state leaders and helped them understand the importance of fighting rising antisemitism and preventing future hate crimes. HOLOCAUST CATTLE CAR EXHIBIT AT MAIMONIDES SCHOOL
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 11 10 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWOver 100 community members attended a June meeting at Bais Yaakov of Boston to meet Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden in order to discuss rising antisemitism. The discussion included an update on the prosecution of the individual accused in the stabbing attack outside of Shaloh House in 2021, limited police resources, statements made by a member of the District Attorney’s staff, and continued partnership efforts. Since this meeting, DA Hayden has been notably accessible to our community and has attended many of our events. MEET AND GREET WITH SUFFOLK DISTRICT ATTORNEY KEVIN HAYDEN Agudah NE was also pleased to host a community forum in June with Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents Allston and Brighton. Community members were able to share the issues that were on their minds. Topics discussed included housing, early education, police funding, rising antisemitism, and neighborhood related matters. During this meeting, Councilor Breadon presented Mrs. Ellen Chajes, former Executive Director of Bais Yaakov, with a city commendation “in recognition of her dedicated service to Bais Yaakov since its inception, upon her retirement.”CONVERSATION WITH ALLSTON-BRIGHTON CITY COUNCILOR LIZ BREADON
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 11 10 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWOver 100 community members attended a June meeting at Bais Yaakov of Boston to meet Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden in order to discuss rising antisemitism. The discussion included an update on the prosecution of the individual accused in the stabbing attack outside of Shaloh House in 2021, limited police resources, statements made by a member of the District Attorney’s staff, and continued partnership efforts. Since this meeting, DA Hayden has been notably accessible to our community and has attended many of our events. MEET AND GREET WITH SUFFOLK DISTRICT ATTORNEY KEVIN HAYDEN Agudah NE was also pleased to host a community forum in June with Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents Allston and Brighton. Community members were able to share the issues that were on their minds. Topics discussed included housing, early education, police funding, rising antisemitism, and neighborhood related matters. During this meeting, Councilor Breadon presented Mrs. Ellen Chajes, former Executive Director of Bais Yaakov, with a city commendation “in recognition of her dedicated service to Bais Yaakov since its inception, upon her retirement.”CONVERSATION WITH ALLSTON-BRIGHTON CITY COUNCILOR LIZ BREADON
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 13 12 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWCOMMUNITY SAFETY MEETING IN BRIGHTON In response to an incident involving a group of Jewish day school students walking to school in Brighton, Agudah NE organized a community safety meeting in September for parents and school administrators with members of the Brighton police force (District 14). In addition to the Captain and Lieutenant from D-14, Boston Police Department Superintendent Lanita Cullinane attended the meeting. The community was able to thank BPD for quickly apprehending the suspect and supporting our community. Senator William Brownsberger and Allston-Brighton City Councilor Liz Breadon also came out to support our community. Agudah NE was pleased to attend Boston Mayor Wu’s State of the City address along with several community members. This was a great opportunity to thank the mayor for all she has done to support the Orthodox community and to set the stage for our future work together. MAYOR WU’S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 13 12 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWCOMMUNITY SAFETY MEETING IN BRIGHTON In response to an incident involving a group of Jewish day school students walking to school in Brighton, Agudah NE organized a community safety meeting in September for parents and school administrators with members of the Brighton police force (District 14). In addition to the Captain and Lieutenant from D-14, Boston Police Department Superintendent Lanita Cullinane attended the meeting. The community was able to thank BPD for quickly apprehending the suspect and supporting our community. Senator William Brownsberger and Allston-Brighton City Councilor Liz Breadon also came out to support our community. Agudah NE was pleased to attend Boston Mayor Wu’s State of the City address along with several community members. This was a great opportunity to thank the mayor for all she has done to support the Orthodox community and to set the stage for our future work together. MAYOR WU’S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 15 14 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWISRAEL ADVOCACYAgudah NE facilitated three online meetings for community members to directly engage their members of congress regarding the war in Israel. Community leaders and representatives met separately with Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley to advocate for their support of Israel, the return of the hostages and rising antisemitism. In partnership with Gateways: Access to Jewish Education we also organized a Zoom session with Congressman Jake Auchincloss and members of the Jewish day school community. Eight Jewish day schools and over 100 parents participated in this session. Students from each of the Jewish day schools thanked the congressman for his strong support of Israel and posed a question regarding the war. The conversation was multifaceted and engaging for students at all grade levels. MEETINGS WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 15 14 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWISRAEL ADVOCACYAgudah NE facilitated three online meetings for community members to directly engage their members of congress regarding the war in Israel. Community leaders and representatives met separately with Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley to advocate for their support of Israel, the return of the hostages and rising antisemitism. In partnership with Gateways: Access to Jewish Education we also organized a Zoom session with Congressman Jake Auchincloss and members of the Jewish day school community. Eight Jewish day schools and over 100 parents participated in this session. Students from each of the Jewish day schools thanked the congressman for his strong support of Israel and posed a question regarding the war. The conversation was multifaceted and engaging for students at all grade levels. MEETINGS WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 17 16 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWMEETING WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE ACTION ALERT Along with a group of key leaders and representatives from the Newton and Sharon Orthodox communities, Agudah arranged a meeting with the Massachusetts Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights to discuss the discrimination that Jewish students are experiencing in public schools and on college campuses. In response, the Attorney General’s office has agreed to update their guidance for K-12 schools and will be sending that guidance out to school districts in the near future. Agudah NE also mobilized the community to reach out to members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to advocate for their support of Israel. To this end, Agudah set up an action alert for community members to call their members of Congress and over 600 individuals acted in response. HOSTAGES BILLBOARDS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IACShortly after the war broke out, many elected officials at the federal, state and local levels reached out to Agudah NE to see how they could support our Jewish day school community. We were able to arrange for a personal call from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education to each of our Jewish day school leaders to hear what support was needed. We also arranged for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to personally call each Jewish day school leader located in her city. Last, we worked with local law enforcement to make sure that there were appropriate security patrols outside the schools.SUPPORTING JEWISH DAY SCHOOLS Agudah NE worked with Israeli American Council (IAC) New England to raise the funds necessary to put up billboards on I-90, I-93, I-95 and bring attention to the plight of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. While we were initially told that these billboards were not allowed as “political” ads, Agudah was able to work with some elected officials to get approval and to expedite the process.
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 17 16 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWMEETING WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE ACTION ALERT Along with a group of key leaders and representatives from the Newton and Sharon Orthodox communities, Agudah arranged a meeting with the Massachusetts Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights to discuss the discrimination that Jewish students are experiencing in public schools and on college campuses. In response, the Attorney General’s office has agreed to update their guidance for K-12 schools and will be sending that guidance out to school districts in the near future. Agudah NE also mobilized the community to reach out to members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to advocate for their support of Israel. To this end, Agudah set up an action alert for community members to call their members of Congress and over 600 individuals acted in response. HOSTAGES BILLBOARDS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IACShortly after the war broke out, many elected officials at the federal, state and local levels reached out to Agudah NE to see how they could support our Jewish day school community. We were able to arrange for a personal call from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education to each of our Jewish day school leaders to hear what support was needed. We also arranged for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to personally call each Jewish day school leader located in her city. Last, we worked with local law enforcement to make sure that there were appropriate security patrols outside the schools.SUPPORTING JEWISH DAY SCHOOLS Agudah NE worked with Israeli American Council (IAC) New England to raise the funds necessary to put up billboards on I-90, I-93, I-95 and bring attention to the plight of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. While we were initially told that these billboards were not allowed as “political” ads, Agudah was able to work with some elected officials to get approval and to expedite the process.
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 19 18 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWAgudah NE joined Maimonides School students in an activity led by Mrs. Ellie Riesel where middle school and upper school students contacted their elected officials about the war in Israel. Prior to this session, Agudah NE worked with the elected officials to arrange the calls, shared a list of public statements made by the elected officials relating to the war in Israel and a sample script for students to use during the calls. The students did an amazing job and were able to speak directly with Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Senator William Brownsberger (Boston), Representative Ted Phillips (Sharon), Representative Tommy Vitolo (Brookline) and the chief of staff for Senator Cindy Creem (Brookline and Newton). They also left messages for their United States Senators and Congressional Representatives and some even called the White House! JEWISH DAY SCHOOL STUDENT CALLS WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS Agudah NE also helped lead a similar activity at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael, in which a group of students had the opportunity to speak directly with Governor Maura Healey. Agudah NE works to ensure that the community is well-informed about upcoming elections and receives flyers with nonpartisan information on the voting process before each election. In addition, Agudah NE hosts community forums with candidates to help create opportunities for direct engagement with candidates. We have seen that even the candidates who are not successful often end up in other important state leadership positions. Our get out the vote efforts have helped us make the initial connection with these policymakers, paving the road for our work together in the future. GET OUT THE VOTE EFFORTS
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 19 18 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWAgudah NE joined Maimonides School students in an activity led by Mrs. Ellie Riesel where middle school and upper school students contacted their elected officials about the war in Israel. Prior to this session, Agudah NE worked with the elected officials to arrange the calls, shared a list of public statements made by the elected officials relating to the war in Israel and a sample script for students to use during the calls. The students did an amazing job and were able to speak directly with Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Senator William Brownsberger (Boston), Representative Ted Phillips (Sharon), Representative Tommy Vitolo (Brookline) and the chief of staff for Senator Cindy Creem (Brookline and Newton). They also left messages for their United States Senators and Congressional Representatives and some even called the White House! JEWISH DAY SCHOOL STUDENT CALLS WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS Agudah NE also helped lead a similar activity at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael, in which a group of students had the opportunity to speak directly with Governor Maura Healey. Agudah NE works to ensure that the community is well-informed about upcoming elections and receives flyers with nonpartisan information on the voting process before each election. In addition, Agudah NE hosts community forums with candidates to help create opportunities for direct engagement with candidates. We have seen that even the candidates who are not successful often end up in other important state leadership positions. Our get out the vote efforts have helped us make the initial connection with these policymakers, paving the road for our work together in the future. GET OUT THE VOTE EFFORTS
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 21 20 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWAgudah NE is pleased to have helped many individual community members in 2023 by connecting them with the constituent services teams for their state and federal elected officials. The issues addressed over the last 12 months have included housing and zoning related matters, employment issues, insurance coverage, passport help, expediting travel out of Israel during the war, and religious accommodations. Agudah NE also connects community members with the local Jewish social services agencies and community partners, including Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Yad Chessed, Jewish Vocational Services, and the Anti-Defamation League of New England. In this capacity, Agudah NE acts as a referral source for community members, connecting them to the organizations that are best positioned to offer support. CONSTITUENT SERVICESAgudah New England gratefully acknowledges the support of our donors that have made this work possible. We are especially grateful to the donors that helped launch this organization in January of 2021 and to the 282 community members who participated in our annual Charidy fundraising campaign last spring. Thank you to Dr. Nick Block, a consultant to Agudah NE who has been instrumental in our success! Thank you to the Agudah New England Board members, Rabbi Uri Feldman, Mr. Dani Goldring, Rabbi Zalman Leff, Rabbi Binyomin Mermelstein, and Rabbi Shmuel Septimus for the leadership and support. Thank you to the Agudah NE Day School Advisory Board: Sheryl Adler, Rabbi Noah Cheses, Zev Gewurz, Rachel Klausner, Nancy Kriegel, Ellie Pinsky, Neal Shanske, and Caryn Wolfe for their energetic partnership and strategic advice. Deep gratitude to Rabbi A. D. Motzen of Agudath Israel of America for sharing his expertise and providing ongoing guidance and insight. And finally, a big thank you and Yashar Koach to the entire Greater Boston community on all that we have accomplished together in 2023 and over the last three years! Thank you!
NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW | 21 20 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEWAgudah NE is pleased to have helped many individual community members in 2023 by connecting them with the constituent services teams for their state and federal elected officials. The issues addressed over the last 12 months have included housing and zoning related matters, employment issues, insurance coverage, passport help, expediting travel out of Israel during the war, and religious accommodations. Agudah NE also connects community members with the local Jewish social services agencies and community partners, including Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Yad Chessed, Jewish Vocational Services, and the Anti-Defamation League of New England. In this capacity, Agudah NE acts as a referral source for community members, connecting them to the organizations that are best positioned to offer support. CONSTITUENT SERVICESAgudah New England gratefully acknowledges the support of our donors that have made this work possible. We are especially grateful to the donors that helped launch this organization in January of 2021 and to the 282 community members who participated in our annual Charidy fundraising campaign last spring. Thank you to Dr. Nick Block, a consultant to Agudah NE who has been instrumental in our success! Thank you to the Agudah New England Board members, Rabbi Uri Feldman, Mr. Dani Goldring, Rabbi Zalman Leff, Rabbi Binyomin Mermelstein, and Rabbi Shmuel Septimus for the leadership and support. Thank you to the Agudah NE Day School Advisory Board: Sheryl Adler, Rabbi Noah Cheses, Zev Gewurz, Rachel Klausner, Nancy Kriegel, Ellie Pinsky, Neal Shanske, and Caryn Wolfe for their energetic partnership and strategic advice. Deep gratitude to Rabbi A. D. Motzen of Agudath Israel of America for sharing his expertise and providing ongoing guidance and insight. And finally, a big thank you and Yashar Koach to the entire Greater Boston community on all that we have accomplished together in 2023 and over the last three years! Thank you!
22 | NEW ENGLAND: YEAR IN REVIEW718-496-4276