Agudath Israel of America’s Annual Mission to Albany Highlights Safety Concerns

by Esther Pransky – Agudah.org

Agudath Israel of America’s annual mission to Albany is advocacy at its best. Organized by Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Agudah’s Director of New York Government Relations, Albany Day connects legislators and their constituents advocating on important issues facing them and the entire Orthodox community

Attendees come from all over New York and include activists, community leaders, school administrators, and concerned parents.

Two Communities, Two Days

This year instead of one large Albany Day, Agudah focused on regional lobby days connecting activists from particular areas with their local representatives. The first, on February 4, was a 15 person group from the Monsey and Hudson Valley region. The second was a 22 person group from Long Island, Far Rockaway, and the Five Towns on February 11. The immediate advantages were obvious. Each group concentrated on its local issues and the smaller group size allowed each participant to personally interact with the elected officials.

The members of the mission were now more focused, more convincing, and more engaged. The two Albany Days were more effective than ever.

February 4, Hudson Valley Region

The first Albany Day had delegates from Greater Monsey, Rockland County, Westchester County, Orange County, and Sullivan County.

The biggest issue on the agenda, in light of the recent spate of anti-Semitic attacks, was security. The New York State Legislature currently allocates $15 million annually to nonpublic K-12 schools through the Nonpublic School Safety Equipment (NPSE) Grant. That’s approximately $37 per child. Thanks to the lobbying of Agudah and others, NPSE includes reimbursement for a wide array of security upgrades and safety and health items.

In early 2019, New Jersey increased its allocation to $150 per child for security – double its previous rate. Assemblymembers Daniel Rosenthal and Stacey Pheffer Amato have proposed that New York now double its allocation to $30 million in the current budget. On Albany Day, the mission members met with legislators to express their support for this allocation, describing their community’s very real security fears.

Among the officials that they met were:

Senator Shelley Mayor, Chair of the Education Committee
Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal, assembly sponsor of the new funding initiative
Senator David Carlucci who is leading the initiative in the State Senate
Jeremy Schockket, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety
Dan Fuller, Deputy Secretary for Education