On Tuesday, Pro-Hamas agitators attempted to disrupt an Agudath Israel event on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention. The gathering was intended in part to bring awareness to growing antisemitism in the U.S., in particular aimed at Orthodox Jews.
The irony of the fact that the mindless slogan-chanters chose to trail Orthodox Jews and try to disrupt a gathering about antisemitism cannot be understated. It demonstrates the societal evil better than any speech or chart.
Those who wish to silence us will not succeed, as our Chairman of the Board Mr. Shlomo Werdiger said in his opening remarks, “They thought they could intimidate us so that we would not be here, so that our voices would be silenced. And that’s exactly why we are here. We are the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, and we will never cower or be silenced. On the contrary, we intend to stand up for our rights and for our freedoms, and we need you to stand with us now against this hate and antisemitism.”
Agudath Israel engages with elected officials and candidates so that they can better understand our community and its priorities and acts as a liaison between our community and all levels of government. That is especially important now, with the explosion of antisemitism in America, much of it directed at those who are most visibly Jewish — the Orthodox.
The Agudath Israel event was an opportunity for prominent elected officials and party leaders to address this issue by showing solidarity with the Orthodox community and detailing how they intend to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish citizens, including students, from the scourge of Jew-hatred.
Orna and Ronen Neutra, whose son Omer is being held hostage in Gaza addressed those gathered. Orna delivered a moving address saying, “The issue of the hostages is in the heart and soul of the Jewish people… We must make sure that the hostages are not forgotten that their stories are being told,” followed by Ronen reciting Psalm 130.
Chairman of the DNC Host Committee Michael Sacks spoke about the work Agudath Israel does on behalf of the community, stating, “Agudath clearly punches above its collective weight. Agudath organizes. Agudath turns out voters. Agudath plays nice in the sandbox with others, builds powerful coalitions. They are trusted advisors to many elected officials, helping them pass legislation, not seeking to take credit for the legislation. And when Agudath does that for the Orthodox community, they advance the ball for all Jews.”
Speakers included New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois State Senator Ram Villivalam, New Jersey Assemblyman Avi Schnall, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, and Mr. Gary Torgow, Detroit philanthropist.
Over 150 individuals including dozens of elected officials from local state and federal government attended the event including NJ Senator designee George Helmy, NY Congressman Pat Ryan.
