For years, real estate professional Shmulie Hartstein never imagined himself in the world of nonprofit work or political advocacy. But news of a tragedy last March changed everything and set him on an unexpected path; one that he hopes will transform how young Jewish Americans engage with the political process.

“A friend of mine lost a close family member. He was very young and didn’t have life insurance,” he says, in an interview with Belaaz. The incident exposed what he saw as a critical gap in the community’s awareness, prompting him to launch an organization called  B’Sefer Chayim, focused on life insurance awareness. “We went around to shuls, we spoke, we got a lot of shuls to get people to sign up, and we really made a difference. Thousands of people signed up.”

But it was the summer’s mayoral election that revealed an even more pressing need. Watching the race unfold with a politically attuned eye, he saw something troubling: young people in the frum community were largely absent from the conversation.

“Everything became about wealth and established askanim,” he explains. “When a guy’s 30 years old, he has three or four kids and is struggling to make it, he doesn’t have the time to do anything.” He realized that if young people could be engaged before marriage, given “a little taste of what it means to be an askan in their own way,” they might stay involved as they matured.

That realization led to the creation of Kol Yisroel (The Voice of Yisroel) in December, an advocacy organization with a distinctly different approach. Rather than waiting for institutional buy-in, he decided to act.

“I said, I’m not waiting for anybody else to get on board,” he recalls. “I’m going to reach out. I’m going to do this myself.”

The organization focuses on three main areas: voter registration, youth involvement in state and local politics, and direct advocacy in Albany. While voter registration is an ongoing effort, the heart of Kol Yisroel’s work lies in its regular trips to the state capital.

“We started these trips to Albany,” he says. “For example, we’re fighting for safety around shuls; we want lawmakers to support a buffer zone of 100 feet around shuls so that people shouldn’t be able to protest nearby. We’re addressing busing issues in new communities.”

What sets Kol Yisroel apart, Hartstein says, is its not employing wealthy people to wield influence, and its frequency of engagement. Rather than annual missions or sparsely scheduled delegations, which other groups of askanim engage in, Kol Yisrael brings young people to Albany every two weeks during the legislative session.

“When we come, we bring five guys, all between ages 18 and 25,” he explains. “We want young guys; not affiliated with anything, no wealthy background, nothing. We want them to come and ask politicians questions.”

The trips are intensive: from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the group conducts 12 to 14 meetings, moving from one lawmaker to another every 20 minutes. “We went on January 20th, went back on February 4th.”

The consistency matters, he argues. “It’s only a six-month session; Albany operates from January to June, three days a week. If we’re not present, we don’t get a seat at the table. The problem is that we’re always on the line because they’re always talking about us and different issues, and if we’re not there, then we’re not taking a seat at the table.”

Politicians, he notes, appreciate the engagement. “They thank everyone for coming. We encourage everyone to ask questions, and we actually help the boys learn to speak up. It’s so important to them; they love seeing the young people.”

Despite being less than two months old, Kol Yisroel can already point to tangible results. When a bill was proposed in the assembly calling for just 25 feet of protection around houses of worship, he pushed back hard.

“I felt that 25 feet was nothing,” he says. “I started making videos and posts about it. I was asked by a couple of mainstream organizations not to make trouble, because then we’re going to get nothing, and I would not take no for an answer.”

The persistence paid off. “We pushed and pushed. We were able to get a very big constitutional scholar, Marc Goldfeder, involved. Now, because of our efforts, Julie Menin, Speaker of the City Council, just proposed 100 feet, which will hopefully pass.”

Looking ahead, his vision is ambitious but clear: “If you take a 16- or 17-year-old boy, my goal in five years is to know that we have, in every frum district – whether it’s Queens, Monsey, wherever – 25-30-year-old sharp, good kids ready to run for office. There’s no reason we shouldn’t have a larger amount of elected officials from our own community.”

He’s also focused on civic education, working to ensure young people understand how government works at every level; from village boards to the state assembly to Congress. “The average young guy is not involved. That needs to change.”

Operating independently has its challenges. When he reached out to elected officials representing Orthodox districts in November, offering to meet before the legislative session began, he received a cool reception.

He values independence from organizations, and he believes that’s precisely what’s needed. “I’m successful and I don’t work for anybody. That’s why it’s a problem for a lot of these guys.”

He’s also committed to transparency and picking battles carefully. “I pick my issues. I don’t back down, but I don’t pick 50,000 issues. I would like to focus on issues that serve a broad coalition of Klal Yisroel, not just a small amount of people.”

And he’s not planning to slow down. With voter registration drives ramping up as election season approaches, regular Albany trips scheduled through June, and plans to expand civic education initiatives, Kol Yisroel is just getting started.

“Empowering the next generation; that’s what we’re doing in a nutshell,” he says. For a community that has sometimes struggled to engage its youth in the political process, that might be exactly what’s needed.”