For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, four Jewish organizations attended a Wednesday morning Ramapo Police roll-call, including Chaverim of Rockland, Hatzolah of New Square, Hatzolah of Rockland, and New Square Ershte Hilf. Prior to the roll-call, representatives of the organizations met with Ramapo police officers and introduced themselves and their missions to them, outlining how they collaborate with emergency response teams and are the first to be called when police, fire, or EMS require additional manpower or other resources.

Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17) on Thursday introduced a bill that would extend the availability of federal funds provided to non-public schools for an additional year – a move that would be highly beneficial for numerous Orthodox Jewish schools. In 2020 and 2021, a program named Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) allocated funds to state authorities for private and parochial schools, with a deadline for using the funds by the end of 2023. As with many federal funding projects, EANS had schools and businesses providing educational services lay out the funds and then would reimburse them through the program.

As the Orthodox Jewish communities in Monsey continue to expand beyond the centrally located East Ramapo school district, the surrounding districts face challenges accommodating the needs of their new yeshiva students. The challenge is particularly acute regarding transporting 35,000+ yeshiva students to over 100 schools. Agudath Israel held many meetings with individual district superintendents to try to come up with a solution. Following these individual meetings Agudath Israel recognized the need to meet with all of the district superintendents together. Recently, Agudath Israel’s Rockland Regional office did just that at a meeting with the Rockland BOCES: The Boards of Cooperative Educational Services for the eight Rockland County school districts.

A top official representing a suburban New York county where New York City’s mayor wants to send asylum seekers vowed to fight the plan Monday by enforcing the state of emergency he declared over the weekend. Rockland County Executive Ed Day, a Republican, planned a news conference to discuss New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ plan to bus up to 300 single adult male migrants to hotels in Rockland and Orange counties. Adams, a Democrat, announced the plan Friday to bus migrants to the two counties north of the city on a voluntary basis. He said the program would help the city handle the more than 37,500 asylum seekers already in the city’s care. Adams said the migrants would be provided with meals and other services during their time in the hotels.

When 911 received a call from an injured hiker and needed additional manpower and resources to evacuate the patient, they knew exactly who to call: Chaverim of Rockland. Chaverim dispatchers received a call from a 911 operator on Sunday reporting police and EMTs were at Kakiat Park for an injured hiker but required manpower and an evacuation stretcher for the patient. The Sheriff’s Department at the scene reported that they had their emergency UTV at the scene but couldn’t reach the injured hiker, thus necessitating the resources of Chaverim. Multiple Chaverim members swiftly responded to the scene, bringing along specialized equipment, including the requested evacuation stretcher.

There is an issue I have now twice encountered at Nyack Hospital that I believe is critical to share with your audience. Three years ago, I gave birth at Nyack Hospital. During my time at the hospital, I noticed that one of the kosher meals given to me was a fleishig one, but contained a dairy cookie for dessert! Following my stay, I gave the hospital a call to let them know that they were erroneously serving dairy with meat! They profusely apologized and assured me that the problem would be rectified. Well, it’s now three years later, and b”h I gave birth to another child at the hospital. And guess what? A full three years after my first stay, I once again got the exact same fleishig dinner with the same dairy cookie!

Rep. Mike Lawler, a dear friend of his Jewish constituents in NY-17, reflected Wednesday on his two-day trip to Israel earlier this week with 19 of his Congressional colleagues led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and joined by local Rockland askanim. “I was honored to be in Israel to celebrate the 75th anniversary of one of our strongest and closest allies in the world,” Lawler told YWN. “I had the chance to visit Jerusalem, experience the Holy Land, and meet with leaders throughout the Israeli government. It was truly a humbling experience that I’m honored to have partaken in.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a meeting with Jewish community leaders in Rockland County on Sunday, including elected officials, school officials, and leaders from Hatzolah and Chaverim to hear firsthand the needs of the rapidly expanding Orthodox Jewish population in the region. Over the course of the roughly hourlong meeting, Sen. Gillibrand listened to the concerns of the community leaders regarding aging infrastructure in Rockland County, the need for additional funding for private schools, as well as confronting the scourge of anti-Semitism, which has been particularly showing its ugly head in Ramapo.

Monsey will soon be receiving thousands of new cutting edge LED street lights thanks to a pioneering initiative led by Town Of Ramapo Supervisor Michael B. Specht. Specht told the Monsey Scoop that the “street lighting installation campaign hopes to create a brighter and safer Ramapo.” “This will help ensure the safety of our residents and visitors as they traverse our roadways,” he added. As part of this groundbreaking campaign, the Township will be installing new street lights along Main street and all throughout the township. In total, a staggering 3,500 new street lights will be installed, including in numerous areas which currently lack proper lighting. (YWN World Headquarters- NYC)

An amendment to the Parents Bill of Rights being advanced by Republicans in the House of Representatives was proposed by Congressman Mike Lawler, whose district covers Rockland County, in order to make it clear that non-public elementary and secondary schools would not be subject to any requirements under the bill. In a speech on Thursday, Lawler discussed New York Governor Kathy Hochul and her administration’s efforts to impose requirements on private schools in his district. He also mentioned that his constituents have contacted his office to express their concerns that the state is trying to force them to change the way they educate their own children. “A key provision of this new state regulation was actually thrown out in court today,” Lawler noted in his speech.