You may have seen the lawn signs. Or the information distributed at your school’s carpool line. Or the emails from local rabbis and day-school principals. No matter the medium, we know you got the message. In this month’s local elections, Jewish voter turnout across Bergen County—as well as Elizabeth and Tom’s River—was 25% higher than the district average.

That kind of turnout earns the trust of our local officials. It shows them we have strength. It shows them we have a voice. Strong voter turnout like this doesn’t just get attention—it gets results. These votes influence how government officials allocate funds and implement laws that impact your family, your business, your community and your children’s education. So thank you. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for providing the foundation for us to build on through our advocacy at Teach NJ.

We are already seeing that our support for government funding of nonpublic schools has been heard. Just this week, New Jersey adopted the largest budget for nonpublic schools in the state’s history. The $130 million allocation includes increases for nurses, technology and learning resources that are so necessary as the state emerges from COVID.

We cannot stop here. It is time to continue strengthening relationships with our local leaders. We need to bring elected officials to our community shuls, day schools and yeshivas so they can see firsthand how our institutions benefit New Jersey families. We will continue to show them why supporting our institutions is the right choice. And we will continue working tirelessly to make sure they remember to support our community with both financial and moral support.

We benefit from these strong relationships in other ways as well. For example, New Jersey Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer stood up for the Jewish community by introducing a resolution condemning all forms of antisemitism and rejecting attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred. In 2020, New Jersey had the second-highest number of anti-Jewish incidents in the country after New York. Given this environment, and the fact that antisemitic sentiment is increasingly sneaking into the conventional marketplace of ideas, we need partnerships now more than ever.

This is the financial and moral support that our community deserves. Our advocacy and strong voter turnout must be consistently strong.

And what is the most essential element that bridges our advocacy with real political results? That element is you. The parent whose child with special needs meets a new milestone thanks to support services at his or her yeshiva. Or the children who feel safe at school amid increased acts of antisemitism thanks to government-funded security guards. The school nurse who can stay longer to care for students thanks to additional funding for nursing services.

Nothing makes a greater impact on legislators than when real families share real stories. Everyone in the Jewish community feels the impact of this support. Join the movement at www.teachcoalition.org to convey your gratitude and your requests to our elected officials. Remind them that we showed up for them on election day so they should show up for us every other day. There are so many ways to participate. Connect with us and together, we will lead the way to safe, quality, affordable education. For more information, contact Ben Hutt at [email protected].