Eighth Graders Learn About Advocating in Local Politics with New York Solidarity Network CEO Rachel Storch

Eighth graders received a special visit from Rachel Storch, New York City politician who formerly served in the Missouri House of Representatives and current CEO of New York Solidarity Network (NYSN). She explained that NYSN was founded five years ago and its mission is to be the voice of Jewish people in local elections, specifically focusing on the NYC Council and the NYS Assembly. She related the organization’s mission to the Jewish value, “kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh,” “all Jews are responsible for one another.” Because of this collective responsibility for one another, it is important to fight for political initiatives that protect Jews and promote Jewish values.

Rachel pointed out to students that local elections had not used to be viewed as important, but in contrast, now people understand that local politics has strong bearing on our daily lives. For example, all students were familiar with how powerfully everyone has felt about the recent mayoral election. She encouraged students, saying, “There are so many opportunities for people your age to get involved.” Ramaz students even worked on her recent campaign, including phone banking, working at polling sites, and more!

To emphasize the importance of getting involved, she was joined by Avi, a field worker with NYSN. He asked students, “How did Mamdani win the election? How did he get all those votes?” He explained that a big factor was Mamdani’s volunteer base: During the primary, he had an astounding 40,000 volunteers, compared to about 100 for Cuomo, and in the general election Mamdani’s volunteers numbered about 150,000. Avi told students that not only do volunteers accomplish important tasks like passing out pamphlets, but they also create energy, as all the volunteers are motivated to vote and encourage their friends to vote. Avi emphasized that volunteers are extremely impactful and, furthermore, “The only way a Jewish community can win elections is with volunteers.”

Ramaz is the first school with whom Rachel and her team have spoken. After their talk, they passed out a voter education guide for the upcoming primaries. The students were excited to learn more and to find out ways that they can get involved!