People are often confused as to why a California girl would want to move to the East Coast, where there are snowy winters and humid summers. My passion for politics, which took me to Washington, D.C., could have pushed me to work on the Hill and focus my energy on domestic issues such as health care reform, gun control or immigration. Instead, I chose to immerse myself in Jewish groups on my D.C. college campus and enter the Jewish political realm by interning at Jewish nonprofits and advocacy groups.
Don’t get me wrong: I took my turn interning on the Hill with my congressman and loved it. However, I seem to be drawn to my passion of being a political advocate for my Jewish community.
I am involved because I want to give back to the community that has influenced me so much. I grew up in a typical Jewish Bay Area home; I attended JCC preschool, I went to Hebrew school at Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon and my bat mitzvah party was held at Yank Sing, a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. During my sophomore year in high school I wanted an outlet to combine my interests in Judaism and politics, so I got involved with AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. That year I attended my first AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington and have not looked back since.
After high school, I moved to D.C. to attend American University and continued to feed my interests in Judaism and political advocacy. On campus I got involved in the Jewish Student Association, found a Jewish learning class called Meor, traveled to Israel with some of my classmates and attended Hillel Shabbats. I had the amazing opportunity to intern at AIPAC, where I learned the importance of the unbreakable U.S.- Israel relationship and how it is in America’s best interest to support the only country of its kind in an unstable region. I also interned at the American Jewish Committee, where I learned that Jewish issues extend beyond Israel and include taking a Jewish stance on all questions.
I have chosen to participate in the American political process in order to ensure that this community, my community, continues to exist. It is important to me that the Jewish voice is not only heard, but understood and implemented through legislation focused on issues that affect us as well as issues that we, as a Jewish community, care about.
Do you think members of the U.S. Congress have Jewish issues on their mind? If it were not for us, their Jewish constituency, along with the collection of Jewish organizations that exist today, our issues would fail to be on their radar. It is our job, as participating American citizens, and as Jews, to make sure those issues continue to be considered and acted upon in Congress. This is done through involvement in the American political system, educating and informing our members of Congress so that they may come to understand what Jews hold dear.
With Israel under fire, global scrutiny at an all-time high, and the recent and rapid rise of anti-Semitic sentiment and action around the world, our Jewish voice in politics must be heard. If we, as Jewish citizens of the United States, are not making our voices heard, who else will?
Getting involved in Jewish politics doesn’t require huge life changes; it means making an effort to be informed and to act. Getting involved in Jewish politics means supporting leaders and candidates who align with your Jewish morals and beliefs. It means encouraging your community leaders and state representatives to vote in favor of the strategic U.S.-Israel relationship, asking them to condemn global anti-Semitism and supporting those who believe in social justice, charitable issues, civil rights and religious liberties.
This is a time, more than ever, when we should unite under one voice, a Jewish voice. It’s the right thing to do. It’s the Jewish thing to do.
Gracie Goldberg grew up in Ross, attended Redwood High School and is a member of Congregation Kol Shofar. She is a senior at American University in Washington, D.C.