By: Rabbi Zwiebel
It was Friday night when a Hatzolah member approached me with a critical message. He had managed to track me down at a neighbor’s shalom zachor. Apparently a Jewish patient urgently needed a vital organ transplant, but the hospital was refusing to operate without federal clearance for priority eligibility. This was clearly an issue of pikuach nefesh. So I did something I never thought I would have to do – I lifted the phone on Leil Shabbos. I reached out to one of my contacts in the White House, who was at home in Virginia. I told her that I had never in my life placed a phone call on Shabbos, and the very fact that I was desecrating the Sabbath should impress upon her the gravity of the situation. She was deeply affected, and told me that she would reach out to the federal agency and see what she could do.
In this particular situation, the outcome was not the one we had hoped for. Baruch Dayan Ha’emes. We did ours, Hashem did His. Success is not up to us. But hishtadlus is — and that is what keeps us going forward, doing all we can wherever we can to advocate for Klal Yisroel.
Dear Fellow Yid, There’s power in numbers. We need to raise ours, to lend clout to our advocates, faithfully lobbying our causes in the halls of power. We need to count in order to matter.
Agudath Israel is organizing a Nationwide Machatzis HaShekel Campaign, where families can register in the Agudah’s constituency drive group for $1.50 per family member. By registering en masse in the Agudah’s constituency drive group, we will raise our official count and lend political clout to our advocates.
In these turbulent times, our nation’s unity is our greatest strength. It’s time to rally behind the Agudah, a steadfast voice on behalf of Torah Jewry and our sacred values since its inception. Join us as echod min haminuyim; stand with our nation so the Agudah can continue championing our values and fighting for a nation united.
Yasher Koach,
Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel