Yesterday, a Jewish school in Brooklyn, NY was found hosting students learning in apparent violation of Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order. While Agudath Israel of America neither runs nor controls any yeshivos, if any yeshiva violated the Executive Order as it stands, there are no excuses for such behavior. Period.
That said, this incident speaks to a larger issue. Courts in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas have struck down Executive Orders that shuttered churches, on the grounds that such orders unlawfully prohibited the free exercise of religion. Yeshivos in our community serve both educational and religious functions, as they transmit our core religious values. Moreover, children have been home for months. Orthodox families tend to be larger, and many live in small, urban apartments. The mental health toll of this pandemic on children and parents alike has been crushing.
As COVID-19 cases in New York have dropped for over a month now, and the state is allowing professional sports to resume and jewelry stores to reopen in its Phase 1, the state must prioritize seeking unambiguously safe ways to reopen schools and summer camps for children. We have offered to government that even if a prudent reopening would mandate significant changes in the structure of the classroom or camping experience, this would be far better than the sweeping prohibitions currently in place.
We similarly urge the Governor to find safe and responsible ways to allow prayer. Toward that end, Agudath Israel has also met with leading members of the executive branch on this issue. To be clear, the goal is not to encourage opening prematurely or unsafely , but to work with government to ensure that these vital areas are prioritized to open with the utmost caution, but expediently.
Religious expression and children’s education should not be last on the list of priorities for safe reopening. In fact, by both legal and moral imperative, they should be among the first.
We urge New York to consider and accelerate these requests, while we simultaneously urge our community to obey the current Executive Order, as difficult as it is for us and all Americans, until it is updated
There goes agudas yisrael again publicly throwing the chasidim under the bus.
ReplyDeleteThere are litvush yeshivos that are also open now but they weren't caught so agudah won't call them out
Sick!
Not true. Which litvishe cheder was open?
DeleteHe didn't say litvishe cheder. he said litvishe yeshivos. And I know at least one thats open. The bochrim may not leave the premises. They are technically all quarantined
Deletethis has nothing to do with litvish and not litvish. Agudah has their own agenda (ironically they have more support in the heimish/ chassiddish world then they do amongst the litvish).
DeleteWhy condemn fellow Yidden when issuing this statement
ReplyDeleteWho is “the agudah”?
ReplyDeleteit is a shul on Coney Island Ave in Flatbush
DeleteThere was absolutely no need to open the statement condemning other Jews.
ReplyDeleteAgydah should be condemned for not dealing with the matter privately they are becoming like the forward.
What agudah wrote is totally sensible. Outright lawbreaking activities can never be condoned.
Deletethe whole country is protesting to reopen
Deletethey re proud of the Yeshiva- not angry at them
Read the words of the Agudah's statement carefully. They aren't trying to keep everything closed. They are saying the most basic thing which is that based on the religion they represent there is no chiyuv right now to open up Yeshivas due to the current Matzav. Therefore there is zero justification/excuse for anyone who opens their Yeshiva which violates the law by doing so. Its that simple.
DeleteI have no doubt in my mind that if there would be a Halachic Shaila as to whether there is a Chiyuv to open Yeshivas Agudah would NOT be writing this. They aren't stupid -although it looks like everyone here thinks they are...
Bottom line Yiddishkeit is based on Halacha, not your varmkeit feelings or if you did it in Hungary
And yes, I am a proud Litvak ben Litvak until Adam Harishon.
The Agudah is not condemning anybody in any way. They are just making sure to cover themselves since they deal regularly with the Govt and they do represent the larger part of Orthodox Jewry in America. That's a fact. So they can't just ignore everything when it comes to Corona. As far as "putting the Chasidim under the bus", no, that's not true. it's the Chasidim as a whole not Agudah's problem. Why is it so hard to keep a low profile? Don't they realize the massive Chilul Hashem when the news keeps reporting Jews don't listen to the Governers order?
ReplyDeleteThey kept a low profile, they were snitched on. What if c"v someone will snitch on the litvush yeshivos that are open yes bh many, will agudah condemn them in the opening of a public statement...
DeleteSorry. You're wrong. Being open in a way that invites being snitched on is NOT being low profile. It just shows that the actor/s didn't bother considering the potential consequences of causing an international chilul shem shamayim by projecting a law-breaking image onto all of klal yisrael.
Delete"They kept a low profile, they were snitched on. What if c"v someone will snitch on the litvush yeshivos that are open yes bh many, will agudah condemn them in the opening of a public statement..."
Delete-Sorry but you don't make sense. Duh they were trying to keep quiet! Why would they tell the whole world that they feel they are above everyone else and don't care? That's not called low profile... It's like somebody doing something illegal without telling anyone... you know that they will find out and make a ruckus so why do it in the first place? This is not shaas hashmad last time I checked...
We the Yidden Of Lakewood are condemning the Aguda , the formerly great institution, for opening their letter with hate !
ReplyDeleteThe Yeshiva that opened was acting heroically to Teach Torah !!
The Agudah should stick to Shtadlanus and avoid making Jews look bad .
I second.
DeleteI oppose. I stand with the Agudah and their gedolim.
DeleteI am an ardent litvack and find the Agudah statement against anything they're supposed to stand for. The Agudah of old is gone, now we have a group of busy bodies trying to coddle up to elected officials
DeleteUnfortunately it seems that many yidden in New York have no respect for authority. They have a mentality that “ we can do whatever we wan, and if someone complains they're an ant-Semite”. Whatever happened to the mentality that we are in golus and have to keep the goyim happy?
DeleteAm I the only one that realizes that there was a reason so many people died in boro park and Williamsburg?! It was because their shuls were opened for 5 days longer than in Lakewood! As simple as that!
Agudah has to condemn this “we are better” mentality because we have to distance ourselves from it in order to be seen as a part of civilized society! They are not trying to “coddle up to elected officials” just trying to maintain the status of sane people by condemning the abhorrent disregard for any rules coming out of certain New York communities.
Seriously? They had to put over 70 people into one building? Why couldn’t they at least do this in small groups in backyards? What’s wrong with these people?! This wasn’t a dorm yeshiva! The bochurim were all going home at night! Big difference from the litvish yeshivas. The litvaks are working with the Corona fears to try to maintain safety. This yeshiva was a “who cares” mentality
thank you for you two sense, aguda has gedolim but i'm sure since you're criticizing them you must be a gadol too
DeleteWhat Ted Cruz understands the agudah didn't figure it out yet
ReplyDeleteWe need rabbi Cruz from tx to fight for us. How sad. Where our unzere askonim???
DeleteIt's all about the felt if camps don't open there's no moolah
ReplyDeleteIf its soo important to open camps it should be just as important to open schools today.
DeleteAgudah is in the camp business, so their statement is for their own personal benefit.
ReplyDeleteYeah, didn't seem to care much when it was only about shuls, yeshivas, and businesses, until their business was threatened.
DeleteHamodia did not print the opening attack from the aguda statement they only wrote Excerpts From Statement From Agudas Yisrael on Schools, Synagogues, and Camps in New York State
ReplyDeleteKudos to Hamodia
DeleteI hope that Avi Shnall will stand up and condemn this statement for what it is. Mesirah. He is so busy calling anyone that complains about overdevelopment in Lakewood, moisrim. He has no problem suing goyim in Jackson to permit eruvin and dorms with no regard to the hate he is stoking and he has no problem seeing a statement from his organization maasering and hurting other frum Jews. I highly doubt that they even consulted any adom gadol about this statement . I also think that if the Novominsker Rebbe ztl were alive, and assuredly Rav Moshe Sherrer and Rav Moshe, would condemn such a statement. This was done to find favor in the eyes of the mayor and simply done for financial gain. Shame on all those involved.
ReplyDeleteHershel, that is wrong. Avi Schnall has nothing to do with statements drafted by national Agudah. I so very much want to vote for you, but when you act out like that, you turn many people off.
DeletePeople are rooting for you. Don't make us dislike you by making silly comments that do nothing but stoke machlokes
Harold Herskowitz,
DeleteWhether you are right or wrong about what Rav Moshe ,Novominsker Rebbe and Rav Moshe Sherer would have said about this one thing they would not have supported your behavior.
To give but one tiny example. You must know that they all strongly opposed town square menorahs. Even for Kiruv purposes. Yet you fight for one without even an ostensible Kiruv purpose.
I'll leave it at that.
How is this statement mesirah? The police shut down the yeshiva before this statement was made.
DeleteHershel, how is it that in Jackson it’s much easier to have a Shul open now than in Lakewood, UNLESS of course, you’re well connected?
DeleteHow come certain neighborhoods never saw police cars for weeks at a time but suddenly now police cars are parked outside certain Shuls each day just waiting to catch them even though the Shul hasn’t been open since the whole Covid start? Who are these despicable baalei aivah within our community? Who are these despicable mosrim whose biggest hanaah is hurting other yidden so that they can feel powerful?
DeleteWe all know who. And we all know that those that are so quick to call people moisrim for simply suggesting we focus on doing for the klal, are themselves the real moisrim. We all know kol hapoisel bemumoi poisel. Avi shnall is causing massive chillul hashem in jackson, filing lawsuits and causing aiva that will take a lot of effort to counteract. Meanwhile he works for an organization that publicly criticizes and makes statements about specific supposed wrongdoings of fellow jews . Shame on all of you
DeleteAnd to the town square menora comment. I didnt care about having a menorah. I cared about an antisemite insisting that he one that was there be removed. We need to know when we must stand proud and when we should make any demands very carefully not to cause hate. When I stood up and put back the menora the woman demanded removed, the app wrote an article. There were about 300 comments. Mostly from non Jews. Not one was anti semitic. Every comment understood that the woman was wrong to demand a menora be removed. I would like to believe that rav Moshe would have been proud of me. I know my father would have been. What would rav Moshe say about a billboard showing everyone what daf we are on today? But I guess that doesnt cause any Aiva. Just porch minyanim.
DeleteHershel you ROCK!! We love how you say it just as it is - & you’re not even a Baal aivah!!
DeleteI condemn the Agudah. I'd like to know which member of the Moetzes approved this statement. I believe none of them
ReplyDeleteThe fact that a Newspaper like Hamodia had to edit out part of the official Agudah statement is very telling
ReplyDeleteThank you agudah for condemning law breakers.
ReplyDelete1. People shouldn't be mosrim on others even if they think they're doing something wrong
ReplyDelete2. The Agudah does not represent all Yidden and they have a political agenda. They do a lot of good, but they also can do harm.
3. Covid19 has become a political game in which the Democrats want to have control and win the next election.
4. Let everyone out of their cages and let schools, shuls and businesses open again. Whoever is scared - they can stay home and hide with their gloves and masks and sanitizers.
Anon 7:20 -
DeleteYour condescending tone towards other yidden shown a total lack of proper yiddishe character. Please stay far away from my minyan.
till you hear mondays the drosha of Rav Pinchos Frankel (son of Rav Yosef Frankel of the moetzes) you won't even guess how corrupt the aguda is!!! go get it now
ReplyDeleteHow can you get it?
Deleteask around, it was sent on Whatsapp.
Deletehttp://www.rabbigissinger.com/corona/index.html
DeleteI don't have whatsapp
Deleteor read the statement that was put out today from Agudah
DeleteI was trying to figure out why we don’t have to worry about coronavirus so I spoke to many people, read a lot of Jewish sites and this is what I came out with.
ReplyDelete1) Corona is a hoax by the dems to mess up trump.
2) it’s ok because the goyim also don’t follow the rules.
3) I’m not scared.
4) I heard that there was a study somewhere that kids don’t transfer it.
5) you’re just anti-minyan.
6) I heard a story that an askan was in a pizza shop Motzei pesach.
7) you’re really worried?
8) more people die in car crashes/ we don’t shut down for flu.
9) I didn’t follow the rules till now so now I have antibodies and can continue not following the rules.
10) The economy will collapse, so to save it I decided to let my kid play in the neighbors house.
I don’t know if a letter like that even went before the Moetzes. If so, it’s just a bal habatim perspective. The same reason why they support sleep away camp$$ from opening and not day camps.
ReplyDeleteIt’s not what you know in this town, it’s WHO you know! And the baalei aivah are extremely well connected.
ReplyDeleteMashiach is coming we hope
ReplyDeletelets open the door
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