As I covered the Orthodox Union’s Mission to Washington, D.C., May 6-7, two things became crystal clear.

One is that the OU has a lot of clout on Capitol Hill and in President Trump’s administration.

The other is that this clout is rooted in the commitment and activism of many OU lay leaders across the country.

The Orthodox Union Mission to Washington was organized by the OU’s Advocacy Center and the Teach Coalition. It attracted over 120 participants, with many coming from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as a significant contingent from Florida. Other attendees came from California, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada and Illinois.

The mission started with a dinner on Tuesday, May 6, at which OU Advocacy Director Nathan Diament introduced and presented an award to Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma. Diament remarked: “Senator Lankford is the kind of senator whose commitment and partnership is evident by what he does when he’s not on the Senate floor or on television … he is a true friend of our community.” Lankford commented in part that the Jewish community has been “tenacious” in protecting the right to religious liberty “whether you are a Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Sikh, or have no faith at all.”

After Shacharis and breakfast at the Historic Synagogue on I Street on Wednesday morning, mission participants headed to the Department of Justice. The group heard remarks from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Senior Counsel Leo Terrell, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Gates, and Senior Counsel Vance Day in the Great Hall of the building.

Dhillon spoke about the DOJ task force she formed in early February, as an all-government approach to eradicating antisemitism. She shared that, as a Sikh community member who grew up in New York, she had experienced discrimination and takes it very seriously.

Terrell shared the four tools he has to aggressively fight antisemitism: 1) “The greatest president in my lifetime, who has made it a top priority to fight antisemitism,” 2) “A fantastic attorney general, Pam Biondi, who has given a green light to do everything legal to fight antisemitism,” 3) “My boss, Harmeet, who has made fighting antisemitism a top priority,” and 4) “You, the stakeholders who have been affected, and who partner with us to combat it.”

Mission participants had an opportunity to ask questions of the DOJ leaders and inquired about how to respond to antisemitism in public school boards of education, what community members can do to fight antisemitism in local communities, and what the federal government can do to address the activities of a popular pro-Palestinian social media influencer, Hasan Piker, who is spreading antisemitism to his 5-10 million followers.

The OU group then headed to the Russell Senate Office Building for a mission luncheon that drew several notable guests.

Congressman Brian Mast (R-Fla.), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the assembled, “There is no room for ambiguity in the threats to Israel.”

Congressman Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and a member of the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, declared, “I will not stand for the BDS movement, which is rooted in antisemitism.” He also declared it “a shonda” that the Antisemitism Awareness Act is stalled in the U.S. Senate, and said that “getting this law passed is imperative.”

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) shared an account of a meeting with Maurie D. McInnis, the president of Yale University, who was on Capitol Hill seeking increased funding for the school. Hawley asked her what she was doing to address the climate of antisemitism on her campus; when she offered no credible response, he ended the meeting.

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) exclaimed that any educational institution that is supporting hatred “should lose every cent of federal funding.” She also shared her commitment to “secure robust funding” for the nonprofit security grant program.

After the luncheon, mission participants broke into small groups and departed for meetings with members of Congress to advocate for four legislative priorities: 1) the Antisemitism Awareness Act (H.R. 1007/S. 558); 2) the DETERRENT Act—The Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (H.R. 1048/Not yet reintroduced in the Senate); 3) funding of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program at $500 million in FY2026; and 4) the Educational Choice for Children Act (H.R. 833/S. 292).

Participants met with the Chairman of House Education and the Workforce Committee Tim Walberg (Mich.-05); Rep. George Latimer (N.Y.-16); Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-01); Rep. Grace Meng (N.Y.-06); Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Fla.-23); Rep. Burgess Owens (Utah-04); Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.-25); Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.-19); Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.-08); and Rep. Randy Fine (Fla.-06) and others.

Participants spoke with The Jewish Link about what motivated them to join the mission.

William Rapfogel of Manhattan said that he “has a history with the OU,” as he helped start the OU’s Institute of Public Affairs (the predecessor to the Advocacy Center) in 1989, under the direction of then OU President Mendal Ganchrow, and served as its director until 1992. He said: “I am fortunate to be here as it is a critical time for Israel. Israel is fighting for its security, while the world vilifies it. And the domestic situation is alarming, with antisemitism at the highest levels ever seen. If there ever was a time to do advocacy, this is the time.”

Nava Greenfield of Riverdale shared: “There are a lot of pressing issues in the Jewish community and in Israel. The OU has done an excellent job in bringing issues to the forefront and advocating for them.”

Dan Simkovitz and Juliette Landesman, a married couple from Brookline, Massachusetts, told The Jewish Link that it was their first time participating in an OU mission to D.C., and they decided to come to advocate for Israel. They are passionate about Israel in part because they have family living there.

Erik Kessler, executive director of the Moriah School in Englewood, said: “We are at a pivotal time for the Jewish community. With antisemitism, the situation in Israel, tensions on college campuses and school funding, we need the support of those in Congress to back the bills that are imperative to our community. One of our asks right now is to increase the Homeland Security grant funding to $500 million. This will continue to help with target-hardening of our facilities. The risks to all of our institutions is real, and we need these dollars to help protect our communities.”

Dr. Julie Golding, director of fellowships at the Lander College for Women (LCW) of Touro University in Manhattan, accompanied nine undergraduate students who are participating in a yearlong advocacy and leadership fellowship at LCW. The nine students, part of a cohort of 20 fellows, come from many different majors and are training in Jewish advocacy. Golding said that the students are very motivated about issues with Israel and the Jewish community and were eager to advocate for them within the OU mission.

Ed Stelzer of Teaneck stated: “I decided to participate in this mission because I believe advocacy at the federal level is essential at this critical moment. The rising tide of antisemitism on college campuses and the security challenges facing our religious institutions demand a coordinated response. These legislative initiatives we advocated for directly address the pressing needs of our community. In Washington, personal stories and face-to-face advocacy make a difference that emails and phone calls simply cannot match.

“I’ve been a lay leader at the Orthodox Union for years and have witnessed firsthand the organization’s effectiveness in advocating for issues that matter to the Jewish community. OU advocacy has consistently been a trusted voice on Capitol Hill, advancing legislation and policy initiatives that protect religious freedoms and address the pressing challenges facing Am Yisrael. In these particularly challenging times, with rising antisemitism and security concerns, I believe it’s more important than ever to support the OU’s advocacy efforts and help amplify our community’s voice at the federal level.”

Harry Glazer is the Middlesex County Editor of The Jewish Link. He can be reached at [email protected] and he welcomes reader feedback. He is very grateful to Moshe Kinderlehrer, Publisher of The Jewish Link, for his support of this news story.