Appreciating Agudah - and the United States of America

Agudah's 2019 mission to Springfield, Illinois (Agudah Website)

My views have not changed. I still believe America is the greatest country in the world. True - we have our share of problems these days. The increase in crime, mass shootings, political corruption; political polarization and the extremism it has generated;  the racism and  antisemitism that still exists; and for those of us that care about the values of the bible, add concerns about the moral direction of this country. All of these and more are troubling issues which cannot be denied nor overlooked.

But I still feel very positive about this liberal democracy we call the United States of America. Because it is the very ethos of classic liberalism that protects even the tiniest of its minorities from the tyranny of the majority. Tolerance and respect for our fellow man is what this country is all about. 

And if you are as tiny a minority as are the Jewish people - which is less than 2% of the population -  appreciation for this country goes doubly for us. Especially the infinitesimally small (by comparison) Orthodox segment which comprises less than 10% of that!

This was once again demonstrated by what our elected officials just did for us as reported in Arutz Sheva:

A bill to enact permanent Daylight Saving Time has been shelved by Congress in part due to the efforts of Agudath Israel which led the way in ensuring that the measure, disruptive to religious Jewish life, was not passed. 

To understand the magnitude of this achievment, it should be noted that a bill to keep year round daylight savings time was passed unanimously by the House of Representatives a few months ago. It was then sent to the Senate which was expected to pass it by very quickly by a huge margin - if not unanimously as well. 

That bill was very popular since most people hate changing the clock twice a year – and would be quite happy not to have to do that ever again - by maintaining daylight savings time all year round.

But that would have created hardship for Orthodox Jews in the following way: 

…the change in DST would have on a fundamental aspect of Jewish religious life – morning davening (in that) prayer times are regulated according to solar positioning in the sky and are to be performed no earlier (or later) than at certain specified times. Shul schedules are set up in line with those times. With a change in DST, and the subsequent later sunrise, the times for [praying]… will be altered – which, in turn, will undermine their proper observance, discourage shul attendance, and result in late arrival for work.” 

…this change would completely disrupt daily [prayer] schedules… in some cities with Orthodox populations, for varying amounts of time, sunrise could be after 8:00 AM, in other cities after 9:00 AM — times that were incompatible with shul and work schedules.” 

In order to accommodate a very tiny number of us (relative to the whole) congress - on both sides of the political aisle, it appears - gave up on this very popular idea and left things as they are. 

I would be remiss if I did not express my Hakoras HaTov to the Agudah for their successful efforts in this cause. They are the ones that got this done.  And this is yet another example of why I am such a big fan of Agudah. 

This might sound strange to those who have read of my recent strong opposition to Agudah’s advocacy on behalf of the educational polices of certain Chasidic sects.  But my admiration for what Agudah has done and continues to do is not diminished by that opposition. No matter how profound. I have disagreed with them on more than one occasion. And I expect there will be more.

However, when it comes to advocating for the Jewish people – especially as it concerns observant Jewry, they have no peers. They are the best at what they do. And they should be appreciated by all of observant Jewry – regardless of what part of the Orthodox spectrum one falls.

This is why I have such difficulty with a near blanket hatred I often see even by some Orthodox Jews. It is both unfair and wrong. And in the end counterproductive. It does no one any good to undermine them by constantly bashing them with near blind hatred.

One can disagree with them even passionately. As I have done and will likely continue to do. But that does not take away from my admiration for what they have done and continue to do for the Jewish people. They deserve our Hakoras HaTov – our eternal gratitude for all they have accomplished and will hopefully continue to accomplish. Even though in some cases their victories may not be seen as victories by all of us, in most cases they are. As they were in this case.

So from the bottom of my heart, I wish to say, Thank you Agudah. You have done it again.