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Torah Communications
Brooklyn, New York

Honored Rabbis, Yeshiva Principles, Jewish Leaders and All Concerned for Torah Education:

During this Month of Adar 5766, we are faced with a wonderful opportunity to help countless families desperately struggling to make ends meet under enormous financial strain related to costly tuitions. There is proposed "education tax credit" legislation, which promises to bring millions of dollars to yeshiva parents and yeshivos.

Every one of us, and our constituents, now have the enormous opportunity to help assure the passage of this legislation by just placing a few telephone calls.

We have been advised by political experts that we need every one of our voters to pick up the telephone to call their State Senator and Assemblymen, and respectfully ask for their support of the education tax credit legislation - Bill numbers A08203, A06145, S1939-A and S3101-B.

If they express support, we need to thank them. If they are undecided or opposed, we need to respectfully ask for their support, explaining the urgent needs of our community. These calls need to be made now - prior to the vote on the annual budget, which is due April 1.

We therefore request that repeated announcements be made in all Shuls and at public meetings, asking people to make these urgent calls between now and Shushan Purim - March 15. This special period of va-na-ha-pech-hu is a most suitable time for this great miracle to occur, bringing help and salvation to countless families.

We urge all school principles to send home copies of this letter, or similar letters, urging all adults to participate in this drive, and to urge others to do the same.

Please post and disseminate the names and phone numbers of the Senator and Assemblymen representing your district, and have voter registration forms available for those not yet registered. These forms are available from your local Board of Elections.

It is also urgent that calls be made, from throughout New York State, to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver at 518-455-3791, urging him to bring this legislation to the floor for a vote.

Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of this urgent matter. May we all have the great Zchus of bringing, "light and joy, gladness and honor," to us all.

Happy Purim!

Respectfully yours, Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum

P.S: To find your district and representatives, call 518-455-4218, or go to:

http://assembly.state.ny.us

http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm

Dear New York Friends:

Following is an urgent call from the Sephardic Voter's League, one of the key organizers of the February 14 Albany Rally on behalf of education tax credits. Please sign on to this petition (only once) and pass this on to all your friends and acquaintances in New York State.

Thank you for your worthy efforts on behalf of the entire community.

All the best.
Israel Teitelbaum

Sephardic Voter’s League
1836 East 8th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11223
Phone: USA (718) 375-3538
Fax: USA (718) 627-1603
E-mail: sephardicvote@att.net

CLICK HERE TO VIEW & SIGN THE PETITION

An Urgent Message to all of our Community Members, from Rabbi Eli Mansour.

Dear Friends,

There is an effort to pass a dollar for dollar tax credit, supported by our own Governor George Pataki, Republican Martin Golden, and Assemblyman Vito Lopez, the newly elected Chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, that would provide massive financial relief to parents with children in private schools, parents who spend money having their children tutored, and parents who enroll their children in summer camps.

Needless to say, private school tuition costs are one of, if not the largest monetary burden facing our families. If this bill, which is coming before the New York State Legislature next month, were to pass, - the strain on many of our community?s organizations, including; the Sephardic Bikur Holim, the Sephardic Angel Fund, the Sephardic Food Fund, and even Sephardic SAFE, will be greatly reduced. Even our Yeshiva?s will be less pressured, as the need to provide student scholarships and discounted tuition costs will be sharply reduced.

My speech this past Saturday detailed my concern for this issue of enormous importance to our people, and their way of life. As of today, Monday, February 13, 2006, I am officially declaring the need for a full-scale campaign to strongly indicate the New York Jewish Community?s full support of this legislation. All of you are being asked to please take a moment to sign the attached petition letter and submit it to Governor Pataki, Senator Golden, and Assemblyman Lopez.

To show the strength of our numbers, please have each household member sign individually, and it is also suggested that we reach out to our friends, business contacts, etc., in the Ashkenaz communities for their additional support and camaraderie. Also, our schools are urged to join in this effort and develop immediate coordinated approaches for allowing our voices to be heard.

Again, the passing of this bill could provide the biggest boost to the economy of our community members in many decades. Please act now on this important issue, and help us express appreciation and support for the Governor, Senator Golden, and Assemblyman Lopez, and for this groundbreaking legislation.

Warmest Regards,

Rabbi Eli Mansour

CLICK HERE TO VIEW & SIGN THE PETITION

Parents for Free Choice in Education Urges Passage of Pilot School Voucher Legislation

Co-founder of Parents for Free Choice in Education, Israel Teitelbaum, issued the following statement:

A tiny window of opportunity has opened for those of us who believe in equal educational opportunity for all. School Choice is now within our reach, in the form of proposed legislation which, “…Establishes a pilot program in Department of Treasury to provide tax credits for contributions to entities which provide tuition scholarships to children residing in Camden, Newark, Orange and Trenton or fund innovative public school programs.”

This legislation, S-2785 and A-4376, will in its first year rescue 4,000 innocent youngsters from public schools which are failing them, 8,000 in its second year, 12,000 in the third, 16,000 in the fourth and 20,000 in the fifth. The benefits to these youngsters and their families are immeasurable, and society will undoubtedly reap countless benefits from a better-educated public.

Yet, the opposition to this sensible legislation is enormous. The educational beurocracy headed by the New Jersey Educational Association, controls a budget exceeding $17 billion, and they have contributed enormous sums of money and manpower to most political campaigns.

By opposing this school choice legislation, the NJEA is proving that they are more concerned in preserving their monopoly on the educational budget than the needs of poor children who are trapped in horrendous conditions and suffering irreparable harm.

NJEA spokesman Steve Baker argues, “Given the state’s current budget situation, to offer tax credits out of the budget is especially inappropriate.” He has obviously not taken into account the future financial costs to New Jersey taxpayers that 4,000 to 20,000 under-educated children will bring by way of remedial education, welfare, social blight, crime, police, courts, jails etc.

When Hurricane Katrina exposed the suffering of the poor of New Orleans, the entire nation raised their voices in righteous indignation. Yet, tens of thousands of New Jersey children are suffering in schools ruled by intimidating fellow students, and few even care enough to speak out on their behalf

This is clearly the civil rights issue of our day, and the passing of this legislation will undoubtedly begin to resolve many societal ills due to inequality of educational opportunity.

We respectfully urge our legislators to do the right thing and pass this essential legislation. Constituents are urged to contact their legislators and solicit their support.

Legislator’s information can be found at: www.njleg.state.nj.us/Default.asp

See proposed legislation: www.njleg.state.nj.us/2004/Bills/A3500/4376_I1.HTM

Parents for Free Choice in Education is a Morristown, NJ based organization founded in November 1998, dedicated to equal educational opportunity for all.
Telephone: 973-267-4213. israel@SchoolChoiceNJ.org
Web site: http://www.schoolchoicenj.org

Dear Friends of School Choice:

We finally have our chance for the New Jersey State Legislature to vote on a PILOT SCHOOL-VOUCHER PROGRAM, based on tax credits, which is the best way to go. Now it is up to us to contact our state legislators and urge their support, or thank them for their support if they are among the bills' sponsors (see article below).

Article:Bills propose private funds for vouchers

Click on the link below to find your State District and Legislators, on the left side of the home page.

New Jersey Legislature

Please tell your State Assemblymen and Senator that this program will begin to address the horrendous conditions in many "inner-city" schools. Public Schools will not be harmed by this legislation, but compelled to improve by force of competition

This powerful "ball" is now in your court. Please pick it up and throw it.

On behalf of the countless children and families who stand to benefit from your efforts, thank you very much.

All the best.
Israel Teitelbaum

PETITION FOR SCHOOL CHOICE THROUGH VOUCHERS

Please send the following or similiar letter to your NJ State Senator and Assemblymen. To locate their addresses, click here.

We apologize for not having automated this process. However, the extra effort you take to contact your state representatives will be your worthy contribution to the cause of school choice.

On behalf of the countless parents and children who stand to benefit from your efforts, thank you for your involvement in this most worthy cause.

Hon. Congressman/Senator---------:

I appeal to you to lend your support on behalf of school choice in New Jersey by implementing a school choice program. Parents have a natural right to determine the education of their children. The needs of each child, combined with the values of the parents, should be paramount in determining how and where a child is educated. Under the current system, funds for education are involuntarily extracted from the entire populace through taxation, so the State has undertaken the responsibility to fund the education of all children. Therefore, the State must provide educational funding for each child in the State. The selection of the educational provider should be made by those with the greatest interest in the welfare of each child, that is, the parents. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Name:
Address:
City/State/Zip:
Phone:
Email:

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Parents for Free Choice in Education does not solicit funds, just your involvement. Please sign onto our mailing list by sending us your name, city and email address. Other than during times of great urgency, our subscribers will receive no more than one email per week.

Please keep in touch with any develpments you encounter on school choice.