It’s election season in New Jersey with primaries coming up on June 10. To learn more about what’s at stake, Ma’ayanot senior Nesya Bayewitz sat down with Emma Horowitz, president of the Bergen County Jewish Action Committee and beloved English teacher at Ma’ayanot to discuss civic engagement, issues that matter to the Jewish community, and how everyone can help.

Can you tell me a little bit about how BCJAC got started?

The hard times we have faced since Oct. 7 here in America have been very different from the atrocities of that day, but unfortunately, as many of us predicted would happen, it didn’t take long for public opinion to turn against Israel or American Jews. Less than two weeks after Oct. 7, Councilwoman Goldberg introduced a resolution condemning Hamas to the Teaneck town council, and there was a huge anti-Israel protest outside our municipal building. The following night, there was a similar level of anti-Israel rhetoric at a Board of Education meeting in Teaneck. The amount of propaganda aired in public was shocking. The hatred and antisemitism, together with the sheer quantity of disinformation passed off as the real thing, was a huge wake-up call that something had to change. Several of us got together afterwards, and BCJAC was born.

What is the void in the community that you were hoping to fill? There are already a lot of great Jewish organizations, many of which already interact with our elected officials.

You’re correct that there are many wonderful Jewish organizations with clear roles and missions, but we quickly realized that none of them are set up hyper-locally in the way that we are. We also realized that the pro-Hamas lobby has taken a totally different approach to political organizing than the Jewish community has. They have focused on the lowest level in politics, not just in Teaneck, but nationally, while we have been focused on lobbying in Congress. By getting in at the ground floor, in local government including local boards of education, the anti-Israel lobby has the ability to influence curriculum. This, in turn, causes younger generations to be hostile towards Israel and Jewish people generally, and builds a pipeline of future candidates who harbor anti-Israel views. Some of those local politicians then get funding and support and run for national office.

Jewish organizations have historically focused on the grass tops rather than the grassroots, by lobbying our senators and representatives to support Israel and the Jewish community, with mostly positive results. But we have left the door wide open for people who are either vulnerable to antisemitic propaganda or who outwardly express it themselves to get into various levels of government. Ignoring local politics and not having a deep bench of candidates who will prioritize our issues, rather than take our support for granted, is a mistake and an oversight. BCJAC was created to help the local Jewish community course correct.

Which races have you been involved in to date? How involved do you get in political races?

In November 2023, we helped get out the vote for Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum, James Wolff and David Gruber, who were already running for Teaneck BOE. That horrible meeting was still fresh in our minds, and we understood that this election would have low turnout since it was an “off year”—no major races were being decided. That meant that even though Jews don’t have the majority of Teaneck’s electorate, we would be able to make an impact simply by showing up. We recruited volunteers, explained the importance of making our voices heard in local elections, and it resonated with voters.

We built upon our success in that election by endorsing a large number of candidates for the local political committees, the Teaneck Democratic and Republican Municipal Committees. The TDMC had long failed to include Jews in anything close to representative numbers, and in keeping with our philosophy that the grassroots is where the real action happens, we believed it was time for our community to get involved. We coordinated a huge effort, with volunteers from the community and even the local high schools. We designed and printed lawn signs for each candidate, door hangers, palm cards, ads, emails and articles, and we ran a comprehensive public awareness campaign, with the goal of increasing the numbers of proud Jews in the TDMC. Our community listened and came out strongly in this election, which increased Jewish representation on the committee by a huge percentage.

We then endorsed candidates in November’s Teaneck Town Council and BOE elections, and worked hard to get out the vote in our community, again in record numbers. We are proud of our success in that election as well. The majority of our endorsed candidates won by large margins, and with every election, we learn a lot. Now we are looking ahead to the June primary, where there are six candidates running for State Assembly in the Democratic primary (while the Republican race is uncontested); there are also six candidates running for governor in the Democratic primary, with five running in the Republican primary. We have made endorsements in many of the contested races this primary season.

Aren’t these races less local than the races you’ve been involved in before?

Yes, but given the ways in which these particular races affect our community at this pivotal moment, we didn’t believe we could stay out of them. People have told us on numerous occasions that they do not even know how to begin doing their own research in these races, and they appreciate our guidance.

Why do these races matter so much to our community?

When it comes to the State Assembly, the two incumbents, Ellen Park and Shama Haider, have not fought for the Jewish community’s interests. I remember meeting Ellen Park when she was campaigning and sharing my hope that she and Haider would help work towards a solution for our tuition crisis using legislative tools that have been effective in similar states and that also strengthen public schools. She was very friendly and seemed to understand the problem, and many were optimistic that she and Haider would support us on this issue. Well, as everyone knows, that never happened. Shama Haider is also against the IHRA bill, and she refused even to vote for a resolution in the State Assembly recognizing the anniversary of the State of Israel’s founding. Further, the last remaining living American hostage, Edan Alexander, is their constituent, and I’ve only seen or heard them acknowledge his plight in one statement, which is pretty shocking. I could go on, but you get the picture. These are at least some of the reasons why they are facing a primary challenge.

The governor’s race is also really interesting. This matters more than most people realize for our community because in New Jersey, the governor appoints county prosecutors and the State Attorney General. As we have seen with the car rallies, protests, heightened security and police overtime costs over the past 18 months, enforcement is critically important. The governor also controls the National Guard, and God forbid we should ever need them, we need to know that our safety is a top priority.

The governor could also make adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism a priority—or simply refuse to fight for it and just let it wither and die.

Affordability is not just a tuition issue; our property taxes are extremely high here, and the governor can do something about that—or not. We are living in a time when state and federal funding for programs and projects that affect our daily lives cannot be taken for granted, and our elected officials will need to be creative and figure out how to work with everyone. Moderate candidates on both sides of the aisle are our best hope.

The State Assembly race is particularly interesting. BCJAC has endorsed Yitz Stern and Rosemary Hernandez Carroll. Can you explain how you arrived at this endorsement decision?

Absolutely. We meet with any candidate who seeks our endorsement and focus on issues, policy positions and experience. We view our endorsements as an informational service for the local Jewish community. We do a lot of research, speak with candidates, monitor the landscape and gather information (some of which is not available publicly). Then, we share our assessment with the community. In this case, I mentioned a lot of different issues that matter to our community, and I really think that the Jewish community cares about issues more than we care about the identity of a candidate. We have specific, tangible problems we’d like to solve, and we need to pick the candidates who are most likely to win and most likely to work towards practical solutions if elected.

Yitz Stern has an impressive political resume; many people know he is a former Teaneck deputy mayor, but not everyone knows that he never left the political realm and has long held positions at the county and state levels, such as within the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education and the New Jersey-Israel Commission. He already has connections and experience in Trenton, and he is prepared to leverage them to get things done for us. He is level, wise, experienced, and someone who has tremendous integrity.

Rosemary Hernandez Carroll impressed us right away; she is a successful entrepreneur with an inspiring family story, a strong work ethic, and she has already taught us so much about the parallels between the Hispanic and Jewish communities here in Bergen County. We share many of the same issues, with some differences, of course; but the community she represents in Hackensack is also interested in improving education for all students, regardless of where they go to school, and they also care deeply about cost-of-living issues, infrastructure and housing.

Together, they are a slate that represents a large percentage of the district, and we believe this is the slate that can beat the incumbents and will fight for our interests in Trenton.

Do you support one party over the other?

No. We are a non-partisan 501(c)(4) organization. We have endorsed in both parties’ primaries. In the primary race that is currently underway, there is a clear frontrunner for governor on the Republican side (our endorsed candidate, Jack Ciattarelli), and a crowded, tight race on the Democratic side. With six Democratic candidates and polling that shows a significant percentage of voters are still undecided, the Democratic gubernatorial race is likely to be extremely close, so naturally you may hear more messaging from us on that race. Like I said before, candidates on the far right and the ultra-progressive left both present challenges for the Jewish community, and since our mission is to fight antisemitism, we are always seeking to build bridges with sincere allies, regardless of political affiliation.

Is everything you do political?

Not at all! We have run educational events, hosted speakers such as former IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus and Congressman Ritchie Torres, advocated for legislative change in Teaneck and in Bergenfield, encouraged participation at council and Board of Education meetings, organized and run logistics on rallies and counter-protests, and encouraged people to get involved with town events where we can meet and get to know our neighbors. Engagement in the broader community is incredibly important and another area where our Jewish community could improve. We’ve also done outreach events and had a great time running a cheesecake tasting in advance of Shavuot last year at the Teaneck Library.

What’s next for BCJAC?

Most of what I’ve talked about with you has been Teaneck-specific, but the problem I spoke about in the beginning—a lack of grassroots Jewish involvement—is national. We called ourselves the Bergen County Jewish Action Committee because we want to help communities all over Bergen County and not just in Teaneck. God willing, we hope to provide a blueprint for other towns and cities that can replicate this model and adapt it to their own needs. Jewish civic engagement in America is here to stay, and we are so proud to play a small role in that.

What can people who want to get more involved in BCJAC or local politics do?

We have regular volunteer opportunities, and we really enjoy getting to know new, enthusiastic people. Email us at [email protected] and let us know your area of interest. High school interns are also welcome!

What kinds of things can teens do, especially if we’re not yet voting age?

There are many opportunities to get civically engaged, even if you’re not yet 18. We can connect you with internships on campaigns, send you out canvassing, set you up to do phone banking, or have you help out at events. We need to build a pipeline of strong future leaders, and we need your help!