Community

Agudath Israel Shabbos in Far Rockaway, Five Towns

Wednesday, March 6, 2013 12:12 pm | < 1 Minute Read
By Judith Dinowitz

This past Shabbos, three Agudath Israel leaders spoke to the gathered community about Agudath Israel and what it means to Klal Yisrael. Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Executive Vice President; Rabbi Avi Shafran, Director of Public Affairs; and Rabbi Yehiel Kalish, National Director of Government Affairs  spoke at nine different shuls in the area over the course of Shabbos. On Leil Shabbos, the three speakers joined together for an Oneg Shabbos at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Shlomo Reich.

The goal of reaching out to the Far Rockaway and Lawrence communities was achieved successfully. As Mr. Reich, an alumnus of Camp Agudah, explained, “This past Friday night, my wife and I had the pleasure of hosting an Oneg Shabbos farbreng with the Agudah’s executive leadership, together with close to 100 friends, neighbors and members of our shul.”

At the Oneg, Rabbi Shafran was asked how the individual Jew’s life would be different if Agudath Israel noted that small bits and pieces of every Jew’s life were influenced by Agudath Israel. Agudath Israel has set up much of the groundwork that created today’s Orthodox reality, such as spearheading many of the laws that make it possible for Jews to keep Shabbos and yet remain in the general workforce.

The theme of many of the speeches was da’as Torah. Simcha David, a member of the steering committee, said, “…. Agudath Israel is about shtadlanus through the prism of Torah.”

Rabbi Zwiebel reflected on the spirit of unity that had permeated the weekend as an opportunity to convey the essential message of Agudath Israel — the importance of Yidden joining together to form a powerful and effective ko’ach ha’rabbim under the leadership of Gedolei Yisrael.

This article appeared in print .

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