Many in the community have reached out to 5TC, asking for help to figure out why this amazing distribution is no longer being made available to the Jewish community. All the Jewish communities throughout the U.S., with the exception on NYS, still have food being handed to them each week. In fact, even in NY, the food is still being given out in public schools as it did since the start of the pandemic, however, the Lawrence public school Kosher distribution has been discontinued without explanation. Why? Why is it that in Chicago, where they are feeding 37,000 children from seven different states, the government is trying to figure out how many Matza’s are needed per family for this coming Pesach but in our community in New York, they simply canceled the entire program in January?
We had reached out to several organizations and individuals and at this time we still do not have a decent answer. A local community member, Tova Plaut, decided to start this petition as an attempt to reinstate the program and to help continue to provide food for the 20,000 children who need it. See all the details below and we have attached a link at the bottom of the article to sign and join the petition.
The following letter was composed by Tova Plaut:
The NYSED (New York State Education Department) has unfairly canceled the Lawrence School District Kosher Food Distribution program and we demand that these services be reinstated. The cancellation of this food program denies equitable access to food and nutrition services for over 20,000 children on Long Island who are enrolled in the program. This was the only kosher program on Long Island including Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Please note that the NYSED did not cancel the district’s distribution of non kosher meals.
The FFCRA and CARES Acts allow states to loosen their school meal programs to serve all students in an area, even if that area wouldn’t under normal circumstances qualify for 100 percent free meals. The NYSED has unfairly determined that the children enrolled in the Lawrence School District Kosher program do not qualify because many are not enrolled in the public school. The majority of students are attending schools which do not have a USDA or government sponsored food program. This cancellation is in direct contrast to the intent of the program during the COVID-19 pandemic. By canceling this program and food distribution site the NYSED is denying children access to food and nutrition during this unprecedented time and is leaving many children on Long Island hungry.
We call upon our elected officials in Albany and Washington and the NYSED to immediately reinstate the kosher food distribution program and ensure that there is no gap in food and nutrition services for our children.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THIS PETITION
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We also received the following template to send to our elected officials:
To My Fellow Members of the Community,
As someone who has benefited greatly from the kosher food distribution every week from the Lawrence School District, I was extremely disappointed to receive an email saying this week will be the last pickup.
The only way we can have this continue is to MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD by our elected officials. Please email/write or call any of the officials listed below. You can use the template below with switching out their names and where you live.
Please spread the word & forward to all your chats and social media platforms. Let’s make our voices be heard!!!
_____________________________
“Dear ,
I hope that you, your family, and your staff are well, especially in light of last week’s events. Over the past year my community has been receiving the kosher school meal distribution through the Lawrence Union Free School District. Today, all participants received an email stating that this week (1/13/21) would be the final distribution, as the district was instructed by the New York State Education Department to terminate the program. This is extremely upsetting to my community, as many families, including mine, rely on this distribution to feed our children. I don’t understand why the New York State Education Department has instructed The Lawrence School District to end this vital federally-funded program. Please help us. I need this program to continue! I look forward to hearing from you about this in the near future. Thank you for your service to our community and our country.”
Thank you in advance for your help in this matter,
US Representative Kathleen Rice: 202-225-5516 or 516-739-3008
https://kathleenrice.house.gov/contact/
Senator Charles Schumer: 202-224-6542
[email protected]
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: 202-224-4451
[email protected]
NY State Senator Todd Kaminsky: 518-455-3401 or 516-766-8383
[email protected]
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran: 516-626-4266
[email protected]
Nassau County Legislator Howard Kopel – District 7 – 516-571-6207
[email protected]
i wouldn’t count on getting it back. i don’t know if they’re still trying, but the West Hempstead community tried for months and months to get a kosher distribution program started there, and were blocked repeatedly with narishkeit excuses
in all honesty the cleaning ladies families are hurting most, they get all the leftovers from all the food that we cant feed our kids because they are such cheap inedible stuff. its sad that every other program (even other programs in NYS) gives out great food and we get pita pizza and 2 cheese sticks what we get is a joke and a waste of taxpayer money. At least the milks are always good and fresh
Thank you for posting the template and addresses on this article. Very helpful
I understand that the Lawrence Public School teachers pushed to have the kosher program shut down as a way of getting back at the Orthodox Jewish community. They are disgruntled that their demands for increased salary and benefits are not being met, despite the fact that they are already among the highest compensated teachers in the entire country.
They apparently have a sympathetic ear with the NYS Dept. of Ed. who as we know tried to dictate rules recently on the yeshivas that had no bearing on the quality of the education that was being given. As we know most yeshiva students in our town have higher regents scores than almost all public schools, yet the DOE was trying to force them to adhere to standards that had no bearing on educational quality.
This is a not so veiled form of discrimination against Orthodox Jews. It is particularly upsetting in regard to the food program, since the funding has already been allocated by the Federal Govt., yet they are trying to withhold it from Orthodox Jews.
Please note that the contact information for one of the elected officials is incorrect:
Correct info for Laura Curran: Laura Curran. County Executive. Office of the County Executive 1550 Franklin Avenue Mineola, NY 11501 516-571-3131 [email protected]
I smell lawsuit!
Actually, I think that Gourmet Glatt, Seasons and KolSave lobbied the state to end the program so that people will have to come back and buy their overpriced products.
Will non kosher food be distributed to the district?
Chiropro: it already is, through the public schools. The kosher food program was separate. Just spite work by the public school parents. They still hate frum people being on the school board and hate even more that their legal challenges were all thrown out by the Courts.
Time for another lawsuit.
Seriously? If the food is “inedible,” why are you giving it to the person who cleans your house?
Anonymous
January 14, 2021 At 11:26 am
in all honesty the cleaning ladies families are hurting most, they get all the leftovers from all the food that we cant feed our kids because they are such cheap inedible stuff. its sad that every other program (even other programs in NYS) gives out great food and we get pita pizza and 2 cheese sticks what we get is a joke and a waste of taxpayer money. At least the milks are always good and fresh
Why would you give it to another human being if it is not edible ?
Great way of honoring G-d
Anonymous
January 14, 2021 At 11:26 am
in all honesty the cleaning ladies families are hurting most, they get all the leftovers from all the food that we cant feed our kids because they are such cheap inedible stuff. its sad that every other program (even other programs in NYS) gives out great food and we get pita pizza and 2 cheese sticks what we get is a joke and a waste of taxpayer money. At least the milks are always good and fresh