[YWN PHOTO LINK BELOW] Albany – An Agudath Israel-sponsored delegation of a dozen community askonim from Brooklyn, Monsey and Queens traveled to Albany on Tuesday to register strong opposition to any redefinition of marriage in New York State. A bill aiming to do that passed the State Assembly in May and is currently before the State Senate. The gravity of the issue was made clear at Agudath Israel’s recent anniversary dinner, when the Rosh Agudas Yisroel, the Novominsker Rebbe, addressed it prominently in his words to the gathering.
The delegation was led by Agudath Israel’s vice president of community affairs, Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, and was joined as well by the organization’s associate general counsel Rabbi Mordechai Biser.
The delegation included: Chaskel Bennett, Rabbi Mechel Deutsch, Tzvi Gluck, Leon Goldenberg, Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, Chaim Israel, Mendy Israel, Yoel Lefkowitz, Sender Rappoport, Avi Schron, Rabbi Moshe Schwab and Yerucham Silver.
Among those with whom the group met were chief counsel to Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith, Shelley Meyer; Senators Ruben Diaz, Martin J. Golden, Carl Kruger, Thomas P. Morahan, John L. Sampson and Dean G. Skelos. The delegation also met with a member of Senator Toby Ann Stavisky’s staff, and the group was accompanied by Assemblyman Dov Hikind.
“The delegation’s purpose,” Rabbi Lefkowitz explained, “was to impress on legislators that this issue is one that our community truly and strongly cares about.”
According to the Agudath Israel representative, the group not only expressed the community’s essential opposition to changing a fundamental societal institution but emphasized how such legislation would in effect render New York residents with traditional values “bigots” and conceivably subject people with sincere beliefs to not only societal disapproval but even legal action.
That was a point made in two separate statements Agudath Israel issued in recent weeks, the first back in April, when New York Governor David A. Paterson introduced a bill to redefine marriage in the state; and the second, in May, as the members of the New York State Legislature consider the proposed legislation. The latter was a joint Agudath Israel and Orthodox Union statement, and a copy was provided to each legislator and the governor.
It spoke of the “the bedrock relationship of the human family” and its centrality “to the formation of a healthy society and the raising of children.”
“It is our sincere conviction,” the statement declared, “that discarding the historical definition of marriage would pose a severe danger to society in a variety of ways. Thus, we are compelled to protest the proposed redefinition of marriage for the State of New York.”
It warned, too, that should redefinition of marriage in New York occur, citizens of the state “who are members of traditional communities like ours will incur moral opprobrium and risk legal sanction if they refuse to transgress their beliefs. That prospect is chilling, and should be unacceptable.”
In reiterating that warning in person, the Agudath Israel askonim were putting a human face on the opposition to the bill. “Here,” said Rabbi Lefkowitz, “was a group of sincere, polite and impressive Orthodox Jewish citizens, well-spoken and clearly not bigoted – but whom this bill would turn into pariahs.”
Rabbi Lefkowitz would not speculate about which way he thought the vote would go. “All I can say is that the fact that twelve busy people took a day off of their work and family obligations to help us make this hishtadlus made a real impact – hopefully on the eventual outcome of the vote, but surely on the serious issue of k’vod Shomayim at stake.”
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(YWN Desk – NYC)
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6 Responses
Yasher koach to the Agudah for standing up to this abomination by these immoral people.
Give credit where credit is due.
I hope they are matzliach!
“The delegation’s purpose,” Rabbi Lefkowitz explained, “was to impress on legislators that this issue is one that our community truly and strongly cares about.”
For a moment I thought Aguda had changed its mind and thet Rabbi Lefkowitz and his erstwhile colleagues were lobbying for the bill now before the state Legislature that would extend the statute of limitations for civil and criminal claims of child sexual abuse and create a one-time, one-year “window” during which victims of crimes committed beyond the statute of limitations could file civil claims against their alleged abusers and the institutions that harbored them, many of which are linked to the Aguda informally if not formally.
Now that Rabbi Lefkowitz would have been a wise move on the serious issue of k’vod Shomayim at stake.
And it is surely an issue that our community truly and strongly cares about even if the Aguda and its leaders seem not to.
BH better late than never.we are not informed if they recieved any commitments from the 3senators &2staffers they met with.golden &diaz r good guys.has agudah now satisfied its achrayus on this most serious issue? i guarantee that they haven’t done even a fifth!the politicians must hear &see that its not going to be bussiness as usual after aguda ever so politely stated our view &they listened as politely & veiter gegangen. did the politcians hear that if they vote with the deviants & against the religious family people we r afraid our grass roots & maybe even our rabbinic leadership will agree with the igud harabonim &the hisachdus which both came out with isurim on voting for these mushchas supporting betrayers of our children our families our values&our G-d &our TORAH. did r lefkowitz inform the askonim not to smile its avery serious matzav almost akin to a spiritual tisha bav kosvin kesuba lzachor the last step before the mabul that even the pagans in the times of chazal were nizhar? did they prehaps shed a tear or 2 during or before the meetings.were afew kapitilach tehilim recited? r u getting my gist ?factualy aguda was trying to be yotze with just 2 pretty tame statments .if rev. state senator diaz says that this was suficient hishtadlus to get even a fence sitting senator to vote 4 us bl”ni”ll give aguda”s lobby group a nedava. the record of YWN ciearly shows my op ed peice acussing all the mosdos including aguda of k”mat doing nothing than a.d. hikind who surely knows the albany culture & what constitutes enough effort &he published a strong critical letter so afterwords bh the nov. rebee references it &we have this last minute 1 day albany aguda appearance where enough advance notice wasnt given to actualy assure meetings directly with senators smith &stavisky -bet they wouldnt stand up the mushchasim. y didnt they see hikinds good friend sen. eric adams? did any of the askonim who hosted adams in bp last week say part of our homeland security is no toaiva marriage?sure didnt read about it in the frum media. bekitzur noone has come anywhere near being yotze the chiyuv to totally & sincerly oppose this ad churma. didnt even visit senator savino of bp or sqwadron of wlsbg.surely the politicians r duly impressed with all the implications of agudas one day lobby effort.nothing more need be done everything is under control right? not even to call 4 saying a kapital tehilim let alone a massive phone fax & letter campaign or heaven forfend LEHEKAHEl VLaMOd AL NAFSaNU to gather respectfully but seriously outside the politicians offices. for more info. & insight tune in sun. nights @ midnight 620am radio or visit my site ishyehudi.com ordial the hotline @718 461 2852.
Thank you you Reb Shmuel and Dov. You are a voice of sanity in a society gone mad.
You have mde us all proud to be represented by this Kiddush HaShem.
You have, by your actions, greatly strengthened the hands of the decent family people in Government who are fighting this descent into Sodom and Gomorrah.
By so doing, you are invoking HaShem’s protection on our community, which is more important than all the Government’s security agencies combined.
The agudah heard that the bill would not be brought to the floor so they took a trip to Albany so they can say they stopped the bill. While i ususally never agree with Levin because all he cares about is getting his nme in the news( like shaking hands with an anti semite) he is right that the Agudah should stop hosting partys for people who dod not share in our core concerns.