Your Monthly Agudah Update

April 2024 / Nissan 5784

Agudah Advocacy in Washington D.C.

The annual Agudah Washington mission could not have come at a more crucial time this year. Amid the war in Israel and the skyrocketing antisemitism around the country, it was vital for the Agudah leadership and supporters to speak with legislators and advocate for the Jewish People.

Rabbi Yossi Kaplan, Director of Agudah of Colorado, joined almost seventy delegates in Washington, D.C. for a two-day advocacy trip to the Capitol. Following the year's legislative agenda, the meeting topics centered around the war in Israel, releasing the hostages, combatting the rise in antisemitism, and increasing funding to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), among other issues.

At the opening dinner, the delegates were treated to remarks from Assistant Secretary of Education Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke, and Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Counterterrorism, Threat Prevention, and Law Enforcement Jeohn Favors.

The next day, as part of the schedule, the trip delegates split into smaller groups to speak with their state representatives in Congress. The Colorado delegation met with Senator Michael Bennet's Chief of Staff Amy Friedman, Congressman Jason Crow, Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo's staff members, and Congresswoman Brittany Peterson's staff members.

The group then joined back together for a Senate luncheon, where they were treated to warm remarks by Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Richard Blumenthal (C-CT), Cory Booker (C-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Fetterman (D-PA), James Lankford (R-OK), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Rick Scott (R-FL), all of whom expressed their solidarity with American Jewry and their support of Israel. After the luncheon, the group met with senior administration officials in the White House including State Department Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Aaron Keyak, Domestic Policy Advisor to President Biden Neera Tanden, and White House National Security Communications Advisor Admiral John Kirby.

With Congressman Jason Crow

With Senator Michael Bennet's Chief of Staff Amy Friedman

With Senator John Barrasso (R-WY)

With Senator Rick Scott (R-FL)

Eighteen Denver Boys Join the Annual Pirchei Shabbos of Achdus

"Pirchei empowers our boys with a strong Jewish identity," says one of the Pirchei Denver founders, Mr. Dov Ort, when asked why he believes strongly in Pirchei. "By choosing to pursue their studies beyond the classroom, they gain conviction. By connecting with a network of other Jewish boys across the world, they learn what it means to take an active role in something larger than the world of their youth."

Dov's statement rings especially true after this year's Pirchei Shabbos shel Achdus. Along with Rabbi Yosef Melamed, Director of Pirchei Denver, and chaperones Dr. William (Yitz) Finch and Mr. Joshua Close, eighteen local boys from the sixth and seventh grades flew to the Camp Agudah Midwest campgrounds to join one hundred and sixty boys from fifteen cities across the US in a unifying and uplifting Shabbos.

The weekend’s schedule was packed, keeping the boys busy with sports, learning, games, delicious food, storytelling, singing, dancing, inspirational speeches, a special question and answer session, and finally culminating in a deluxe melava malka, siyum, and raffle. One noteworthy highlight was an intense 1.5-hour straight learning session, with short raffles every fifteen minutes, as the boys joined together to finish the monumental task of learning all of Seder Moed over Shabbos. Leaders of the Shabbos were impressed by the group from Denver, and the Denver boys received special mention when they came early to Shacharis on Friday morning after arriving at the campgrounds very late the night before. 

“Watching the boys become energized, make new friends, bond with each other, and work together to complete the learning goal was truly amazing,” says Rabbi Melamed. “I'm confident that the memories made during this trip will leave a lasting impression on the boys who attended.” 

Thank you to the donors who believed in the trip and through their generosity, enabled Pirchei Denver to increase the number of boys attending from seven last year to eighteen this year:

Mr. Graeme Bean, Mr. Jonathan Beren, Mr. Efraim Cunningham, Dr. Nancy Gary, Reb Zvi Gelt, Mr. Aaron Dovid Katz, Mr. Ari Krausz, Mr. Avi Mehler, Rabbi Yaakov Meyer, Mr. Jay Moskowitz, Mr. Dov Ort, Rabbi Meyer Schwab, and Cong. Zera Abraham

Thank you as well to Rabbi Melamed for his dedicated work in Pirchei year-round and for pulling this Shabbos together, and to Dr. Yitz Finch and Mr. Josh Close for chaperoning.

To donate to Pirchei, click here.

Agudah Applauds the House Passage of the Antisemitism Awareness Act

Small Business Grant Opportunity

CEDS Finance in partnership with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), has made funding available to be distributed as grants to underserved small businesses in Colorado.



Grants of $5,000 will be awarded to underserved small businesses based on the eligibility criteria, with a priority on low-income status. Applications will then be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until all grant funds are disbursed.

Submit a complete application with documents before May 3, 2024 5:00 PM

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