After years of apolitical activity in Baltimore, Agudas Yisroel has opened its first official office in Maryland, under the direction of Rabbi Ariel Sadwin. He says like all of the Agudas Yisroel of America regional offices, efforts focus on areas with significant numbers of Orthodox Jews, i.e. Baltimore and Silver Spring, where he hopes to boost the presence of Aguda activists in the coming months. However the declared goal is to help every Jew in the state — regardless of his place of residence — who is in need of the organization’s services in political consulting, educational services, community services, welfare services, etc.
Efforts are currently being concentrated on providing assistance intended to alleviate the financial burden on the yeshivas and the families of the staff members who run them. Rabbi Sadwin and his staff are promoting legislation and programs that advance private education. At present they are working to obtain funding for yeshivas through programs called “titles” based on the No Child Left Behind Act. Every program is built according to its own criteria and the application process for these programs is not in the hands of the yeshivas themselves, making it hard for them to meet the criteria.
The yeshivas stand to benefit substantially from certain grant programs, but responsibility for submitting a request lies on the local public school, which must distribute to the students’ parents questionnaires regarding their income and submit the forms to the local school district administration.
Agudas Yisroel is working with local schools to create an incentive program to encourage parents to fill out the required forms.
(Dei’ah veDibur)
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8 Responses
Go Ari!!
BIG ISSUE that Agudah Maryland’s new office should work on that most Baltimore residents that send their children to Yeshiva will agree…
GET BUSSING for children to/from Yeshiva (that we wont have to pay for),just like they have in NY…any comments?
Hatzlacha Rabbah R’ Sadwin! Chazak Chazak V’Nischazeik!
re #2: are there any county/city issues that could impede that?
it is with great pride that i read this article. Ariel was a chavrusah and close friend of mine in THE MIR. R’Ariel is a person that when he is maschil b’mitzvah, no one needs to remind him the words of “omrim lo g’mor”.
I have no doubt that he will be a very important resource for all of klall yisroel. Hatzlocha Rabbah in this very important shteller. May you continue to go m’chayil el chayil.
This fellow Sadwin is a true ben Torah and has the charisma and personality it takes to get the job done.
There are few people I know who r as capable and a pikeach as he. In this new position, with the siyata D’shmaya that anyone would need, he should be zocheh to go m’choyil el choyil and not just ‘too oif’ for MD, but for the rest of Klal Yisroel as well.
He is a tyre yungerman and a polished fellow perfectly ripe for this undertaking. Middos toivos par excellence and a great fellow.
Ariel, we r all rooting for you. See u in Washington before u know it.
Listen #2 and #4, what is available in NY and not in other areas is not merely coincedental. 1. People in NY pay the state a lot more taxes than in other areas. That gives the various pockets of citizens more leverage. 2. Its all about the numbers, as there is a much larger Yiddishe population in NY than in MD and other similar areas. 3. The Yidden (and Agudah specificially) have been active politically in NY on these issues for many years, whereas R’ Sadwin is just beginning. It can take years to develop the relationships and the contacts to be successful at that level.
Hatzlocho!
#2 justsmile613: in NY the public school children get bussing and therefore the yeshivos can also request it, however in Baltimore City, even the public schools don’t get bussing and so certainly the yeshivos won’t be able to get it.
By the way, this happened a number of months ago, why did it take YWN so long to report on this?