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Lynda Levy '23 Testifies at Assembly Education Committee on NJ Bill

Lynda Levy ’23 testified at the Assembly Education Committee on Thursday, February 9. Lynda has been part of the process to bring a bill to the NJ legislature that requires Holocaust education in New Jersey Schools. Below is a Q&A with Lynda as she discusses her experiences and involvement in the process.
 
1. What initiated your involvement in this bill?
I am in close collaboration with Jewish Federation who helped me get involved with this bill. They presented me a grant for a leadership trip I took to Israel over the summer, and part of their requirements for the grant was to submit a video on my experiences in Israel. I submitted mine, and they loved it so much that they invited me to speak at their annual donors’ event in December, 2022. The donors’ event is where I made all the connections that I needed to get involved with this bill, including meeting State Senator Vin Gopal, who sponsored Bill A4720.
 
2. Can you walk through the process that you've been a part of to try and get the bill passed?
I was only involved in recent parts of the bill, but we’re still not done yet! I testified in favor of Bill A4720 at the Assembly Education Committee, and they voted on it right then and there. The Assembly Education Committee takes bills and makes amendments to it until it’s ready to be passed onto the State Senate. Now that it was unanimously passed, it will be going to the State Senate and voted on.
 
3. What have you learned from this experience so far?
I never really knew too much about how bills were made into laws, so even just witnessing this is incredible process was super cool; being a part of it is truly something else! I learned that a senator needs to sponsor a bill, and it doesn’t go straight to the Senate.
 
4. Why do you feel passionate about this topic?
I feel passionate about Holocaust education because it’s near and dear to my heart as an Orthodox Jew. I’m super proud of who I am, and anyone who knows me knows that I am very passionate about fighting antisemitism. I want to make sure that future students like me don’t have to witness and experience the anti-Semitic things that I witnessed an experienced. I think that the best way to fight antisemitism is by education, so having this bill passed is a huge first step.
 
5. What are your next steps to move through the process?
The next step is getting Bill A4720 to the New Jersey State Senate floor. In the meantime, I made some connections with members from Stand With Us and Anti-Defamation League (2 Jewish organizations that fight antisemitism and antizionism), who I’m currently in touch with about how I can continue to fight antisemitism on my current and future campuses. I’m also in touch with Senator Vin Gopal about potential opportunities to work with him on current and future bills.
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