It was pitch black outside at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, March 26, but the 130 members of the Yeshiva University Political Action Club were wide awake, eagerly preparing for the group’s annual lobbying mission in Washington D.C.. The highlight of the club’s yearly event schedule, which also includes tabling and phone banking initiatives as well as guest speakers on the topics of foreign policy, national security and the US-Israel relationship, the mission required months of advance preparation. Appointments were booked and confirmed with over three dozen congressional offices, speakers — including Congressmen Ritchie Torres (NY-15), George Latimer (NY-16) and Michael Baumgartner (WA-5)—were tracked down, and a tremendous amount of logistical issues were addressed, such as food, water, transportation and more. Once the long-awaited moment was finally at hand, the YUPAC delegates settled in for the four hour ride to D.C., determined to sacrifice their time, energy, comfort and sleep to fight for the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
“This trip is not easy on anyone, least of all those of us who were involved in putting it together,” said Judah Troodler ‘26, Vice President of YUPAC and member of the mission’s planning committee. “But we all know what we’re fighting for, and that makes the struggle worth it.”
Upon arriving at the nation’s capital, the delegates rushed to the Capitol steps to hear words of encouragement from two of Israel’s staunchest allies in the House: Richie Torres and George Latimer. Torres expressed his gratitude to his Jewish constituency for having his back as he navigates the struggles of being what he calls “an unlikely Zionist” fighting against the Democratic establishment in support of Israel. “For me, this is about a battle between right and wrong, morality and immorality,” Torres said. “Jews around the world need to feel safe.” Latimer expressed a similar sentiment, stressing the importance of his victory over known anti-Zionist Jamaal Bowman, thanking his Jewish constituents for their support, and affirming Israel’s status as one of America’s greatest allies.
Next, the students heard from Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union (OU) Advocacy Group. He described the sense of responsibility he feels as an Orthodox Jew lobbying for Jewish interests on Capitol Hill, and discussed the crucial role the OU plays in advocating for policies that benefit the Jewish community, such as religious freedom initiatives and educational reform. He specifically highlighted the work he did on school choice, leaning on allies of other religions without whom the initiative would likely have fallen flat. Diament also addressed the significant shift in the OU’s policy goals since October 7, making clear that the group has been doing whatever it can to leverage its influence to support Israel and fight antisemitism,
After these inspirational remarks, the 130 delegates split up into 16 groups to head to their meetings. Each group had meetings with either two or three congressional offices, the staffers of which come from all different walks of life with highly varied opinions about Israel and its role in the current Mideast conflict. The groups were prepared though, having spent much of the bus ride down, as well as time out of their busy college schedules, reviewing the legislative agenda assembled by the YUPAC team and preparing effective pitches centered around personal anecdotes and eye-opening statistics. They made a positive impression on every congressional office they met with, were praised for taking the initiative to take part in the democratic process and, most importantly, fought for what they believed in.
“It’s crucial for students to build a foundation of advocacy work to enable them to continue to engage in the democratic process throughout their lives,” said YUPAC Co-President Shoshana Fisher ‘26. “It is only when people get involved and take an active role in advocating for their community that they can make a real impact on policy. It’s a real privilege to be involved in the organization of a trip like this; it’s a powerful reminder that, from across the world, you can truly make a difference.”
After the groups finished their meetings, they had the opportunity to hear from newly elected Congressman Michael Baumgartner. He described his journey from taking down narcotics smuggling rings in Iraq to making a difference on Capitol Hill, and spoke about how his intimate knowledge of the Middle East has given him a unique perspective on Israel and its enemies. He recalled his experiences having rockets and bombs shot at him in Baghdad, and said that it is “unfathomable” that innocent Israeli civilians are forced to endure that terror on a regular basis. He also promised to fight antisemitism on all fronts, calling himself “a friend and ally in that struggle.” He closed by thanking YUPAC for being “friends, allies and concerned citizens [who are] active in our government today,” and he stressed the importance of the common values that his Catholic faith and the Jewish faith share in fighting far-left and Muslim extremism.
Reflecting on the trip, Bat-Tzion Atik ‘26, VP of YUPAC, marvelled both at how much work went into the preparation and how completely all of it paid off. “This trip was absolutely incredible and is something we look forward to at YUPAC all year. I was so honored to be a part of organizing it and am excited to do so again in the future. I would like to thank the appointments team, the media team, the whole planning committee, the e-board, Zach Winters (head of the legislative agenda committee), and Judah Troodler (YUPAC VP) for everything they did to make this trip possible!”
“The YUPAC mission to Washington was a powerful testament to what it means to be a Jew,” said Ruti Frohlich ‘26, YUPAC board member and trip attendee. “To be a Jew is to stand up for one another. To be a Jew is to make a difference in the world. And that is exactly what we did…Standing proudly on Capitol Hill—wearing our Israeli-American flag pins and kippot—we made our voices heard…carrying with us the pride of being Yeshiva University students, Americans, and above all, Jews.”
Aiden Harow is a Junior at YU and a co-head of education at YUPAC (Yeshiva University Political Action Club).
