Editing Agudath Israel of America (section)

==History==

[[File:13th Siyum HaShas 2019.jpg|right|thumb|The 13th Siyum HaShas at [[MetLife Stadium]]]]

The original [[Agudath Israel movement]] was established<ref>"four might pillars" - "German Orthodoxy.. the great yeshivoth of Lithuania... the vibrant, predominantly Hasidic Polish Jewry; and a branch in the land of Israel."</ref><ref name=Wis.NK/> in Europe in 1912 by some of the most famous [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] [[rabbi]]s of the time, including Rabbi [[Yisrael Meir Kagan|Yisroel Meir Kagen]] (the [[Chafetz Chaim]]), Rabbi [[Chaim Ozer Grodzinski]] of [[Vilnius|Vilna]], the [[Izhbitza – Radzin (Hasidic dynasty)|Radziner Rebbe, Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Elazar Leiner]], the [[Avraham Mordechai Alter|Gerrer Rebbe (the Imrei Emes)]], and the [[Chortkov (Hasidic dynasty)|Chortkover Rebbe]]. It grew during the 1920s and 1930s to be the political,<ref>"Agudath Israel... In time it became a political party represented in the Sejm (Polish Parliament)." {{cite book |title=The Many Rooms of this House: Diversity |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1487510616 |isbn=978-1487510619 |author=Roberto Perin |date=2017| publisher=University of Toronto Press }}</ref><ref>"... between the wars, none was more effective than the Agudath Israel. ... in the Polish government and was represented in the Sejm (Polish Parliament)." {{cite book |title=The World of the Yeshiva: An Intimate Portrait of Orthodox Jewry |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0881256412 |isbn=0881256412 |author=William B. Helmreich |date=2000| publisher=KTAV Publishing House }}</ref><ref>"Agudas Yisroel succeeded in electing deputies to the Polish Sejm." {{cite web |title=Agudas Yisroel |url=http://www.YIVOencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Agudas_Yisroel}}</ref> communal, and cultural voice of those Orthodox Jews who were not part of [[Zionism]]'s Orthodox Jewish [[Mizrachi (political party)|Mizrachi]] party.<ref>For more information, see [[World Agudath Israel]]</ref>

Rabbi [[Eliezer Silver]], an Eastern European-trained rabbi, established the first office of Agudath Israel in America during the 1930s, organizing its first conference in 1939. Some of the early rabbinic leaders of the organization included [[Mordechai Shlomo Friedman|Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo Friedman]], [[Shlomo Heiman|Rabbi Shlomo Heiman]], Rabbi [[Leo Jung]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Safier |first=Dovi |date=2022-05-31 |title=Man of Action: The Life & Times of Rabbi Leo Jung - Mishpacha Magazine |url=https://mishpacha.com/man-of-action/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> Rabbi [[Herbert S. Goldstein|Herbert Goldstein]], Rabbi Joshua Bäumel, and [[Joseph B. Soloveitchik|Rabbi Joseph B Soloveitchik]]. After [[the Holocaust]], some prominent rabbis who made their home in America established a ''moetzes'' ("supreme council") known as the [[Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah#United States|Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah]], and the movement began to grow rapidly, with the rise of the ''yeshiva''-based and Hasidic Orthodox communities.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}

[[Mike Tress]] led the expansion of the movement during the early 1940s as its chief lay leader, until his death in 1967.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rosenblum |first1=Yonason |title=They called him Mike: Reb Elemelech Tress, his era, hatzalah, and the building of an American orthodoxy |last2=Kranzler |first2=David |date=2009 |publisher=Mesorah Publications |isbn=978-0-89906-623-3 |edition=Second |series=ArtScroll history series |location=Brooklyn, N.Y}}</ref> His cousin Rabbi [[Moshe Sherer]] then took the reins as president,<ref name=Brit.E>"aided the right wing of Orthodox Judaism by helping build the Agudath Israel of America organization from a small group into an influential force." {{cite web |website=Britannica.com |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rabbi-Moshe-Sherer |title=Rabbi Moshe Sherer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-11 |title=Shtadlanim: Rabbi Moshe Sherer (1921-1998) |url=https://jewishaction.com/cover-story/shtadlanim-rabbi-moshe-sherer-1921-1998/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Jewish Action |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosenblum |date=2023-05-23 |title=Rabbi Moshe Sherer: Leader - Mishpacha Magazine |url=https://mishpacha.com/rabbi-moshe-sherer-leader/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> and the organization flourished further in size and accomplishments. After his passing in May 1998,<ref name=Brit.E/> he was succeeded by Rabbi Shmuel Bloom, as Executive Vice President. In 2008, Rabbi [[Chaim Dovid Zwiebel]], having served Agudah as general counsel and director of government affairs,<ref>{{cite news|last=Belkin|first=Lisa |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 12, 1992 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/12/us/new-york-rule-compounds-dilemma-over-life-support.html |title=New York Rule Compounds Dilemma Over Life Support}}</ref> took over as Executive Vice-President.<ref name=Fwd>{{cite news |newspaper=The Forward |title=David Zweibel, Agudath Israel of America – Salary Survey 2015 |url=http://forward.com/series/salary-survey/2015/david-zweibel/agudath-israel-of-america}}</ref><ref>"Rabbi Chaim David Zwiebel has been the executive vice president of Agudath Israel since 2008. Before that, he worked for 30 years at a law firm."</ref> In 2016, his salary was $220,000.<ref name="auto"/>

In April 2020, Agudath Israel of America head Rabbi [[Yaakov Perlow]], the [[Novominsk|Novominsker]] Rebbe, 89 years old, died after contracting [[COVID-19]], one month after he urged American Orthodox Jews to follow [[social distancing]] and other precautionary guidelines in response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|coronavirus outbreak]], saying: "We cannot behave the way we did last week or two weeks ago. We're told that the [[halakha]] (Jewish law) is that we must listen to doctors, whether it's about a sick person or [[Yom Kippur]]".<ref name=inn>{{cite web |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/278434|title=US Agudath Yisroel head, Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, the Novominsker Rebbe, dies of coronavirus|first=Mordechai|last=Sones|date=April 7, 2020|access-date=April 7, 2020|work=[[Arutz Sheva|Israel National News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-the-eye-of-nys-coronavirus-storm-ultra-orthodox-face-rising-anti-semitism/|title=In the eye of NY's coronavirus storm, ultra-Orthodox face rising anti-Semitism|first=Cathryn J.|last=Prince|date=March 31, 2020|access-date=April 7, 2020|work=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/jns/agudath-israel-of-america-rabbi-yaakov-perlow-89-dies-after-contracting-covid-19/article_660cdbc4-e90d-50d9-b09f-db37538bdee2.html|title=Agudath Israel of America Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, 89, dies after contracting COVID-19|first=Faygie|last=Holt|website=Cleveland Jewish News|date=8 April 2020 }}</ref>