The Jewish community in the greater Teaneck area is blessed to have many members who are passionate about working within the political arena to advance communal interests. They will take time off to attend the all day annual NORPAC mission to Washington, D.C., avidly support TEACH NJ’s activities, work through the Jewish federation to advance important issues, and use other opportunities.
It’s rare that a community member will decide to join forces with like-minded colleagues and form an entirely new entity to direct attention and funds to candidates that support communal interests not well highlighted by other groups. And that is precisely what Emanuel Klein decided to do.
Klein is the managing partner of the property and construction company PEEK Properties, based in West Orange. He lives with his wife Pessie and their family in Teaneck and is very active in the Jewish community, attending Congregation Beth Aaron and the Jewish Center of Teaneck, and serving on the board of the New Jersey Jewish Business Alliance and as a member of Chaverim of Bergen County. In May 2022 he joined with a professional colleague and friend, Shirley Del Rosario, to form Advance Together PAC, which focuses on supporting candidates that take strong stands on economic issues.
Del Rosario is the managing partner at VIDA Capital, based in Bayonne, New Jersey a company with a passion for transforming communities through real estate development and property management. Del Rosario lives in Bayonne with her family and volunteers at her local church and hosts fundraisers for local charities.
Asked by The Jewish Link why they decided to found a PAC, Klein and Del Rosario replied: “Over the past decade we both have spent time politically as fundraisers and campaign managers for local officials. We also spent a lot of time volunteering for a plethora of nonprofit organizations. We both personally experienced living in struggling neighborhoods. Fast forward to now, being involved in real estate development and having the opportunity to build strong and healthy communities is what drives us. We thought that by creating a PAC we can get local people invested in their community and to also understand the importance of politics. We are here to bridge the relationships between our neighbors and our governing bodies.”
Initially, Advance Together PAC directed funds to organizations supporting candidates it had assessed and found favorable to communal economic concerns, such as the Fund for Quality Leadership, which supports Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop; the committee to elect Elie Katz; and the committee to elect Anthony Bruno. (Both Katz and Bruno are council members in Teaneck).
In early August the Advance Together PAC took their activism to a whole new level by holding their first parlor meeting. Manny and Pessie hosted an exclusive meet and greet event in their home with Assemblyman Gary Schaer that attracted two dozen prominent community members.
“I was honored to receive the support and financial commitment of the Advance Together PAC,” said Schaer in a statement provided to The Jewish Link. “I share the PAC’s perspective on the importance of developing business and supporting the interests of our diverse communities in New Jersey. I am especially grateful to Manny Klein and his efforts to make New Jersey a better state.”
David Feuerstein attended the meet and greet and commented to The Jewish Link: “Assemblyman Schaer highlighted two major points at this event: 1. New Jersey jumped up 20+ slots in the national ranking of states being friendly to businesses by removing corporate tax burdens. 2. At the local level, businesses and developers need to pursue more dialogue with the cities and municipalities with whom they are trying to partner. I’ve been on the zoning board for eight years and it always amazes me how much time and money is wasted on projects that were never discussed with the administration ahead of time to see if they fit the local vision. The ones that do pass quickly and eagerly.”
Klein and Del Rosario look forward to holding more meet and greet events to introduce community members to current or future local government leaders. Their goal is to help make long lasting connections and help in the development of both local businesses and communities.
For more information on Advance Together PAC, email [email protected] or visit their website, www.advancetogethernj.com.
Harry Glazer is the Middlesex County Editor of The Jewish Link. He also gets to cover noteworthy developments in Bergen County. He can be reached at [email protected].
