What’s The Difference bw Agudah & The OU?

OU focuses more on Kashrus issues while the Agudah focuses on all issues that hit klal Yisroel that need to be solved especially chinuch and education

Torah umesorah is deeper into solving problems of chinuch then Agudah

@joseph please source that accusation

@Whitecar
I don’t often agree with Joseph, BUT I shall take up the first part of his post.
I was President of an OU synagogue that had an open parking lot 7 days a week. The Rabbi did not object, as long as he had a minyan of shomer Shabbos members, the rest could do as they wished. They made up the bulk of membership and paid the bills. He was not a YU type, but from a major Brooklyn Yeshiva and an honoree of the Agudah at their annual dinner in NY during my presidency.
His father, was Rav at another OU afilliated synagogue in CT and they also had an open parking lot.

Here in the country, most Jews do not live within walking distance of shul and many drive. Even the area Chabad shuls don’t chain the parking lots. My local shul is an OU member. We chain our lot, but most of the members drive and park at the church next door. The church members use our lot for overflow parking on Sundays which are not Yuntif.

I can not speak to the OO comment as I have no direct knowledge of that.

OU does get involved in policy advocacy on selected issues but by far, Agudah is the primary lobbying/political advocacy group for the frum tzibur in the US. Perhaps less well known aside from its great work in D.C. on legislation is the incredible work Agudah does in State Capitals across the country.

@DovidBT
In my hometown of New Haven there is a Chabad Shul that serves the 100 or so Chabad families in the neighborhood and bochrim from the Yeshivah Gedolah. They chain the parking lot. Their are several area Chabad shuls that serve the greater Jewish community and they do not chain the lots.
The Chabad shul two blocks from our home in Florida chains the parking lot. There is a lot at the public middle school two blocks the other direction from the shul. Non-frum attendees park there. When my mother was niftara, the price of her adjoining home to ours demanded a hefty premium because it was less than a 5 minute walk to the shul. No one wants much of a walk in Florida summer heat.

Grilling down to the alleged justification of overlooking (even if not facilitating with an open parking lot) congregants driving to shul on Shabbos by saying it keeps them Jewishly engaged, that defense is absurd and unacceptable as the rabbi is clearly encouraging actively violating Shabbos and Torah law.

Encouraging trashing of Jewish Law to supposedly keep them “engaged” is completely unjustified and kneged halacha.

And is exactly what the Conservative movement was condemned for when they first started permitting driving to their “synagogues” on Shabbos.

The Agudas Yisrael political party is an integral part of the management of the Zionist State called Israel. There are Agudah Ministers and Vice-Ministers, mayors and city councilman, attorneys and accountants who work for and mange Affairs of State. It is most fitting that it’s American counterpart Agudas Yisrael of America fight for Zionism.

Both are involved in advocacy. The ou is also involved in kashrus, and outreach.