Agudath Israel endorses hate crimes bill, rejects claims of Christian right
It may not mean a lot in the overall scheme of things on Capitol Hill, but it means a lot to Jewish groups involved in the fight: Agudath Israel of America, an Orthodox group that often takes conservative positions on social issues, has endorsed the hate crimes bill awaiting Senate approval.
In a statement, Rabbi Abba Cohen, the group’s Washington director and counsel, said hate crimes are “personal and all-too-familiar” to the Jewish community. “Orthodox Jews, in particular, because their mode of dress makes them so identifiable and because their living in clustered communities makes them so visible, are often an easy and preferred target of anti-Semites.”