The case centers on Daniel Grand, a man who sought to organize an at-home minyan (a Jewish prayer gathering requiring a quorum of ten men) on the Jewish Sabbath. Because observant Jews cannot drive or use electronics on the Sabbath, the city’s alleged concerns regarding traffic and noise were entirely negated. Nonetheless, University Heights treated the gathering as “a home operating as a house of worship” and required Mr. Grand to obtain a special use permit, while also encouraging neighbors to report gatherings and deploying police surveillance of the home. Mr. Grand sued the City in federal court. Ultimately the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reach the merits of his religious-liberty claims, ruling instead that they were not yet ripe because the local zoning board had not yet made a final determination as to whether the permit requirement applied to his gatherings.

Agudath Israel’s brief urged the Supreme Court to reverse that decision, arguing that religious Americans should not be forced to submit to a discretionary permitting regime before a court may consider whether government action has already chilled core religious exercise in the home.

The brief explains to the Court how deeply religious practices and the Jewish home are intertwined, giving examples such as sitting shiva in the home (thus requiring minyan to take place there as well), the obligation of teaching children, beshivtecha b’vaisecha, while sitting at home (recited every day in the Shema prayer) and bonding with family around the Shabbos and Yom Tov table. The brief relates the extensive history of government’s attempts to regulate religious gatherings in homes and the steps the founding fathers took to curtail that power.

“A small prayer gathering in a private home is not merely a land-use issue.” said Daniel Kaminetsky, General Counsel of Agudath Israel. “It is a core exercise of faith. Zoning laws and permit requirements should not be used to burden religious worship in the home. The First Amendment and RLUIPA were designed to protect religious practice from exactly this kind of government interference, and we trust that the Court will reaffirm that religious worship is not dependent on the permission of local officials.”

Agudath Israel thanks the Harvard Law School’s Religious Freedom Clinic and the attorneys who prepared the brief, Josh McDaniel, Kathryn Mahoney, and Jake McIntosh.

The post Agudath Israel Asks Supreme Court to Protect the Right to Religious Gatherings in the Home first appeared on Agudath Israel of America.

September 11, 2001/23 Elul, 5761

As America commemorates the 25th anniversary of what has come to be known as 9/11, we join in mourning the terrible death and destruction caused by bloodthirsty terrorists.

Almost immediately after the shocking terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center Towers and took nearly 3000 lives, we at Agudas Yisroel (and no doubt other organizations as well) were bombarded with phone calls and written communications from the broad tzibbur asking for guidance on how to understand this cataclysmic event: “What message are we supposed to take away from this?” “What does Hashem want from us?” “What are the gedolim saying about this?”

Is there another people who look inward at a time of unfathomable mass terror, who turn to their spiritual leaders for guidance, who recognize that there is a Grand Conductor who is orchestrating all that transpires on the stage of world history? Ashreinu mah tov chelkeinu – how blessed are we to be part of Hashem’s chosen people!

On this quarter-century anniversary of 9/11, we have selected a sample of the materials in our Agudath Israel Archives which were produced within a few short days of the incident, demonstrating how sharply Klal Yisroel was focused on the really important questions of the day. The lessons we learned from the Gedolei Yisroel of that day are surely no less relevant today. We hope the following sampling will remind us of those lessons – and also of the privilege we have to be part of a nation that engages in holy introspection in times of confusion.

Watch:

Monsey Asifa

Rabbi Yisroel Simcha Schorr and Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman speak.

Click here to watch.

Read:

Living Through Challenging, Awesome Days

Based on a presentation by the Novominsker Rebbe Rabbi Yaakov Perlow zt”l – From the October 2001 edition of the Jewish Observer.

Click here to read and download a printable PDF.

A Message on the Wings of an Eagle

Based on an presentation by Rav Matisyahu Salomon Zt”l – From the October 2001 edition of the Jewish Observer.

Click here to read and download a printable PDF.

Listen:

The Twin Towers: Teshuva and the Torah Perspective

A presentation given by Rabbi Paysach Krohn at the 2001 Agudah Convention. The presentation was given Friday night and re-recorded after Shabbos.

Click here to listen.

The post Reflecting on the September 11 Terror Attacks 25 Years Later first appeared on Agudath Israel of America.

The post Watch: Rabbi Labish Becker – Rosh Hashana 5787 Part 2: “Hearing Voices” first appeared on Agudath Israel of America.

Over the past several months, Agudath Israel of America and Torah Umesorah have carefully studied how our community can best take advantage of this opportunity. These discussions included extensive deliberations by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and the Vaad Roshei Hayeshivos, with one overriding question in mind: What approach will maximize the benefit of this tax credit for our yeshivos, our families, and the future of chinuch?

The conclusion was that the strongest course is to work through a single Scholarship Granting Organization with the scale, reach, and infrastructure necessary to bring the greatest possible number of dollars to our mosdos.

Accordingly, Agudath Israel of America and Torah Umesorah are proud to endorse the Opportunity Fund for Jewish Education, a new national Scholarship Granting Organization launched by the Orthodox Union and Teach Coalition, Jewish Federations of North America, and Prizmah.

The Opportunity Fund pairs national strength with local connection. Its reach can open participation across the country, while its structure allows communities, parents, alumni, and supporters to stand behind the schools and yeshivos they know and care about.

What This Means for Our Families and Yeshivos

Beginning January 1, 2027, eligible taxpayers can contribute to the Opportunity Fund for Jewish Education and receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700. In participating states, those contributions can fund scholarships at yeshivos, bringing meaningful tuition relief to families.

Local dollars stay local. Contributors can designate their contributions to participating yeshivos and schools, and communities can mobilize their parents, alumni, and supporters to direct new resources to their mosdos. A unified platform strengthens that designation: it broadens awareness, reaches contributors our institutions could not reach on their own, and ensures that yeshivos in communities of every size can benefit.

Importantly, 100% of every dollar designated to a school will go directly toward scholarships for its students, with none used to cover the Fund’s administrative or operating costs. The Fund’s scale and partnerships uniquely position it to raise separate philanthropic support for those costs.

We believe that, b’ezras Hashem, this effort can bring meaningful new resources to our mosdos and real tuition relief to families throughout the country.

The Path Forward

For taxpayers:

You can pledge your $1,700 contribution today and be ready to contribute when the program begins in 2027.

Pledge Today

For yeshiva and school leaders:

Schools can register with the Opportunity Fund now to receive additional information and learn about the next steps for participation.

Register Your School

In the coming months, Agudath Israel and Torah Umesorah will continue working closely with our yeshivos to help them prepare to take full advantage of this historic opportunity.

With continued hatzlacha in your avodas hakodesh,

Ksiva V’Chasima Tova!

Agudath Israel of America,  Torah Umesorah

The post An Unprecedented Opportunity for Our Yeshivos first appeared on Agudath Israel of America.

For the TSA notice click here.

For the CBP notice click here.

For the Canadian Travel Guidelines, click here.

For the Agudah handout click here.

As in past years, Agudath Israel of America’s Washington Office has worked closely with agencies of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to help avoid potential problems for travelers carrying arba minim.

Both the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have notified their respective field personnel about the upcoming Sukkos holiday and the increased level of travel by persons of the Jewish faith, many of whom will be carrying arba minim. The agencies have also made this information available to the public – the TSA notice here and the CBP notice here.

The notifications, which have been sent out to federal officials at airports and border crossings, emphasize the religious significance of these items and outline the rules and procedures that would help allay possible security and health issues that are of concern to the federal government. Prior to these agency steps, lack of familiarity regarding Sukkos and the arba minim had led to numerous incidents each year of inadvertent mishandling and mistreatment — including denial of entry — of these ritual objects.

The TSA Notice makes clear that the arba minim carried in airports, through security checkpoints or on aircraft, are not on the “prohibited items list” and provides instructions for travelers needing “special accommodations” in regard to checkpoint screening. The CBP Guidance sets forth detailed information regarding the inspection process for personal sets of arba minim brought into the United States from foreign countries at select ports of entry and points out that the agency is “committed to treating all travelers, including travelers who may be observing Sukkot, with respect and dignity at all U.S. ports of entry.”

“We are gratified by the ongoing sensitivity of these agencies to the religious concerns of our community,” said Rabbi A. D. Motzen, Agudath Israel’s National Director for Government Affairs. “They are taking meaningful and appropriate steps to accommodate our religious needs.”

He also thanked his colleague Rabbi Ariel Sadwin of Agudah’s Office of Federal Constituent Affairs for serving as the main Agudah point of contact with those federal agencies related to the annual guidance.

Agudath Israel of America once again produced a one-page handout that travelers can print out – or save to their phones – to familiarize themselves with the rules before traveling.

For travelers entering Israel: You will be allowed to bring in one esrog for personal use. The other 3 minim are not allowed and will be confiscated and replaced with Israeli grown produce. See guidelines from Agriculture Ministry here.

The post Agudath Israel Advocacy Continues to Ease Way for Arba Minim – Sukkos 2026/5787 first appeared on Agudath Israel of America.

Last Thursday, Congressman Jake Auchincloss voted YES on important legislation to block federal aid to universities that engage in discriminatory boycotts of Israel and to protect Israeli students, faculty, and academic programs from discrimination.

The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act passed the House 237–169, with Congressman Auchincloss among just 33 Democrats voting in support.

The bill would require colleges and universities to certify that they are not engaging in discriminatory commercial boycotts of Israel in order to remain eligible for federal student aid programs. It would also require institutions receiving certain federal education funding to treat academic programs and exchange opportunities involving Israel equally and provide equal access to Israeli students and faculty.

At a time of rising antisemitism on college campuses and growing efforts to isolate and boycott Israel, this was an important vote, and Congressman Auchincloss deserves to hear from our community that we appreciate it.

Please take a minute to complete this action alert to write to Congressman Auchincloss and thank him. If you can take an additional few minutes to personalize your message, that would be even more impactful.

The post Attention Massachusetts Residents: Thank Congressman Auchincloss first appeared on Agudath Israel of America.

The post Watch: Rabbi Labish Becker – Rosh Hashana 5787 Part 1 “Can You Spare Some Change” first appeared on Agudath Israel of America.

The OU has played, and continues to play, a major role in the development of Orthodox Jewish life in the United States and abroad. Jews from all backgrounds have a stake in a strong OU, and in a strong OU leadership. The tragic passing of Rabbi Moshe Hauer of blessed memory nearly a year ago was a painful blow felt not only by the organization he led, but by the entirety of Klal Yisroel.

And, by the same token, the appointment of Rabbi Shmuel Silber as the OU’s new Executive Vice President is wonderful news not only for the organization he will lead, but for the entirety of Klal Yisroel.

Rabbi Silber enjoys a sterling reputation as the longstanding Rav of the Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim in Baltimore. He is respected as a talmid chacham, an accomplished scholar with strong inter-personal skills and an innovative intellect.

We at Agudath Israel are confident that these attributes will serve Rabbi Silber well in his new position, and we look forward to working with him and the OU on matters of common concern.

Congratulations, as well, to Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, upon his assumption of an expanded role within the OU as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer.

The post Statement of Agudah Israel of America Upon the Appointment of Rabbi Shmuel Silber as the OU’s New Executive Vice President first appeared on Agudath Israel of America.

The post Watch: Rabbi Labish Becker – Ki Savo 5786 “Half Empty – Half Full” first appeared on Agudath Israel of America.

Following passage of the state budget, it was initially understood that nonpublic school students would be excluded from participating in the state’s free meal program. Agudath Israel’s Connecticut office, in partnership with the CT Catholic Conference, advocated for the Connecticut Department of Education to interpret the bill’s language to ensure that nonpublic school students would have access to the same free breakfast benefits and state-funded reduced-price lunch support available to their public-school peers.

Ultimately, the Department of Education agreed with Agudath Israel and the CT Catholic Conference’s interpretation of the bill’s language. As a result, nonpublic school students will now be eligible for these much-needed funds.

“We are grateful for the Department of Education working with us to ensure that all students, regardless of what type of school they attend, will have access to these basic nutrition supports,” said Ari Weisenfeld, director of Agudath Israel’s Connecticut office.

The post Joint Advocacy Ensures Connecticut Nonpublic School Students Receive Free Breakfast and Reduced-Price Lunch Coverage first appeared on Agudath Israel of America.