New Jersey’s launch of National School Choice Week on Sunday, January 24, at the Best Western Robert Treat Hotel and Conference Center in Newark, New Jersey, will be addressed by Rabbi Avi Schnall, Director of Agudath Israel of New Jersey.

Unlike many political pundits who consider the school voucher plan originally proposed by the late economics Professor Milton Friedman to be “politically impossible,” Schnall takes the opposite view. He pointed out that this is a lesson taught in the Torah when Pharaoh’s daughter stretched out her hand to reach the box that was out of reach. “We need to stretch out our hands, we need to exert our efforts, and we will ultimately reach the box.” This is a lesson he said he learned from the leader of Agudath Israel of America, Rabbi Moshe Sherer, of blessed memory, who was never discouraged by those who assured him that his worthy projects were impossible. “When he was planning to rent Madison Square Garden for the Siyum Hashas he was advised that he could never fill it and was taking too big a risk. As it turned out, not only were all the seats filled, there were many people left standing outside.”

New Jersey is the first to have a bill based precisely on Friedman’s plan, the NJ Parental Rights and Property Tax Reduction Act (S1006/A1785). This will not only empower all New Jersey parents to send their children to quality schools of their choice, it will also substantially reduce property taxes. This is because the government monopoly on education has more than tripled the per-pupil cost of public education since 1970, in real inflation-adjusted dollars!

Rabbi Schnall pointed out that 28 states already have school choice programs of various kinds. By working together diligently on this worthy cause, we will succeed with the help of Hashem Yisborach. Organizers of the event are planning to build a grass roots bipartisan alliance to campaign for universal school choice.

Other confirmed speakers now include Senator Anthony Bucco, Sr., Assemblymen Robert Auth, Anthony Bucco, Jr. and Michael Patrick Carroll; Reverend Steven Craft, Debbie DeLuca, Rick Van Glahn and David White of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Invitations have been extended to all members of Congress and presidential candidates who support universal school choice.

The event is being cosponsored by Alliance for Free Choice in Education, Americans for Liberty, CORE, Independence Hall Foundation, L.E.A.R.N. – Northeast, Morris Township Republican Committee, New Jersey Parental Rights, New Jersey Taxpayers’ Association and Students For A Better Future.

National School Choice Week is being celebrated at over 15,000 events in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

For information and reservations for the Newark launch on January 24, contact Israel@SchoolChoiceNJ.org, or 973-820-6121.

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