Posted on 02/16/18
From an early morning shacharis in Virginia, to the Capitol, to a White House briefing and then back to the Senate Russell Office building, the second day of Agudath Israel of America’s leadership mission to Washington D.C. was packed with opportunities for participants to discuss the Agudah’s 2018 federal agenda with influential elected officials and politicians.
The first session of the day, chaired by the Agudah’s national director for state relations, Rabbi A.D. Motzen, began at 9 AM at the U.S. Capitol House Visitor Center and addressed crucial issues including Israeli security, a high priority agenda item that has been enjoying bipartisan support, concerns about Iran, BDS, anti-Semitism, school choice and religious liberties. The mission was addressed by Representative Ted Budd (R-NC), Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Representative John Faso (R-NY), Representative Steve King (R-IA), Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC), Representative James Raskin (D-MD), Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). Numerous speakers stressed the importance of faith as a unifier and heralded the Agudah as a leader in the movement to provide funding solutions for those who choose to send their children to non-public schools.
Meeting with U.S. Representatives
(Left to Right): Mr. Shlomo Werdiger; Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudah's Executive Vice President; Representative John J. Faso (R-NY); Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Agudah's National Director for State Relations; Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudah's Vice President for Federal Affairs and Washington Director and Counsel; and Mr. Shia Markowitz, Agudah's CEO.
The Illinois Delegation, Rabbi Dovid Schnell, Rabbi Yitzchok Ehrman, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, and Rabbi Moshe Davis, with Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL).
(Left to Right): Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudah's Executive Vice President, Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY), Rabbi A. D. Motzen, Rabbi Abba Cohen, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Mr. Shia Markowitz
(Left to Right): New Jersey delegation, Duvy Gross, Rabbi Avi Schnall, Director, Agudath Israel's New Jersey Office, Raphael Zucker and Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ).
(Left to Right): Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudah's Vice President for Federal Affairs and Washington Director and Counsel, Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Mr. Shia Markowitz, CEO, Agudath Israel of America.
(Left to Right): Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Agudah's National Director for State Relations; Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC); Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudah's Vice President for Federal Affairs and Washington Director and Counsel, and Mr. Shia Markowitz, Agudah's CEO.
(Left to Right): Rabbi Ariel Sadwin, Director, Agudath Israel's Mid-Atlantic Region; Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), speaking; Mr. Shlomo Werdiger; and Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudah's Executive Vice President.
(Left to Right): Mr. Shlomo Werdiger; Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL); and Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Executive Vice President, Agudath Israel of America
Representative Steve King (R-IA) (Left) confers with Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israel's Vice President for Federal Affairs and Washington Director and Counsel
The next stop for the Agudah delegation was the Indian Treaty Room at the majestic Eisenhower Executive Office Building located next to the West Wing of the White House for a briefing. Jason Greenblatt, assistant to the president and special representative for international negotiations, was greeted with a standing ovation and offered insights into some of the Trump administration’s policies. Also addressing the group were Marcus Coleman, acting director of the Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Jennifer Korn, special assistant to the president and deputy director of the Office of Public Liaison, Thomas Rose, assistant to the vice president and senior advisor and chief strategist, and Paul Teller, special assistant to the president for legislative affairs, discussing grants, immigration and lauding the Agudah for its far reaching advocacy efforts.
White House Briefing
Entering the White House
Partial View of the Crowd
Speaking with Mr. Greenblatt: Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudah's Executive Vice President
Speaking with Mr. Greenblatt: Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudah's Vice President for Federal Affairs and Washington Director and Counsel.
Thomas Rose, Assistant to the Vice President, Senior Adviser and Chief Strategist, Mr. Shlomo Werdiger, and Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudah's Executive Vice President, with a transcript of President Trump's Executive Order recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Rabbi Avi Schnall, Director, Agudath Israel's New Jersey Office, asking a question.
Marcus Coleman, Acting Director of the DHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Jason Dov Greenblatt, Assistant to the President & Special Representative for International Negotiations
Jennifer Korn, Special Assistant to the President & Deputy Director of the Office of Public Liaison, addresses the delegates.
Paul Teller, Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Leaving the White House
The final event on the mission’s schedule was a luncheon chaired by Agudah executive vice president Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel at the Senate’s Russell Office Building. The Agudah group was joined by a prominent assemblage of elected officials which included Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senator Orrin Hatch, Senate president pro tempore (R-UT), Senator Charles Schumer Senate minority leader (D-NY), Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). One of the highlights of the session was a special tribute to Senator Hatch who has worked closely with the Agudah over the years and was instrumental in Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin’s release from prison this past December. Senator Hatch, who will be retiring after 42 years of service, received a standing ovation from the delegation and was gifted with an inscribed leather Tehillim in an emotional presentation.
Organizers declared the mission an unqualified success, noting that participants, who hailed from California, Illinois, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Tennessee, Texas and Michigan, were inspired by their trip to Washington and seeing how the Agudah is held in high regard in the political world.
“The value of these types of missions has been proven over the years,” observed Rabbi Zwiebel. “Those in Washington see that we have a national constituency and that we represent a community that stretches from coast to coast. Our missions leave elected officials we meet with, and others, the knowledge that we are a constituency of substance and of numbers.”
Luncheon with Members of Senate
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) speaking. From left to right, sitting: Rabbi Shlomo Gertzulin, Agudah's Vice President for Finance and Administration; Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudah's Executive Vice President; Mr. Shlomo Werdiger; Rabbi Abba Cohen, Vice President for Federal Affairs and Washington Director and Counsel; and Rabbi Labish Becker, Agudah's Executive Director.
Senator Jim Risch (R-ID)
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)
Chaskel Bennett (Right) speaking to Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Senator John Boozman (R-AR)
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) speaking. In the foreground are Mr. Shlomo Werdiger and Senator Jim Risch (R-ID)
Presenting Senator Hatch with an inscribed Book of Psalms (Tehillim) are Mr. Shlomo Werdiger (Left), Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudah's Executive Vice President, and Mr. Chaskel Bennet.