Leadership class brings teens' voices to Capitol Hill

• Published in: Washington Jewish week Vol. 47; no. 25
• Main Author: Shapiro, Jake
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Gaithersburg Washington Jewish Week 23.06.2011
• Subjects: Jewish Americans; Leadership training; Religious congregations; Synagogues; Washington DC
• ISSN: 0746-9373

As one of D.C's largest synagogues, Adas Israel Congregation is home to some of the most politically influential Jews in the nation. Knowing this, one wouldn't be surprised to hear discussions about immigration policy, for instance, while wandering the synagogues hallways on a Sunday afternoon. Our culminating trip to the HiU was both educational and rewarding. Throughout the day, we met with assorted staffers and members of Congress, who explained the many sides of the immigration debate. We spoke, for example, with John Ellis, the legislative counsel for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AIa.), as well as with Joyce Levitón, an aide to Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.). We also met with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ramona Mcgee, an aide to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), among others. So, if you're in the synagogue on a Sunday afternoon and you hear a political discussion, don't jump to a conclusion about who might be talking. If you stop, there's a chance you might see doctors, lawyers, businessmen and Congressmen sitting around a table, eating bagels and talking politics. But there's also a chance it's future doctors, lawyers, businessmen and Congressmen, being transformed from young teenagers to politically active men and women.