U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) paid a visit this week to Agudath Israel of New Jersey’s Lakewood office, spending time learning firsthand about the resources the organization’s Zahav and Yahalom divisions provide to seniors and to families of children with special needs.
Rabbi Shlomo Schorr, director of legislative affairs for Agudath Israel’s New Jersey office, described the visit – and the personal story behind it – in an interview with Belaaz.

“The senator was here specifically to hear about what our two divisions do – Zahav, which is a resource for seniors living in or moving to New Jersey, and Yahalom, which is a resource center for families with special-needs children,” Schorr said. “The Senator recently revealed publicly that his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and in a speech on the Senate floor a few months ago, he described how lost he felt, and what to do – and said that if a United States senator doesn’t know what to do in terms of resources and what’s available in treatment, then what does the average person do?”

“That was back in December when he gave the speech, and I had a meeting with him in Washington scheduled two days later, during our New Jersey mission to Washington,” Schorr continued. “Instead of discussing our planned topics, we decided to bring up Zahav and Yahalom and tell him this is what we offer families who are in these predicaments and have these issues. He was very impressed, and he wanted to come see and hear more about what we do. So that was the lead-up to yesterday’s visit.”

Asked whether Tuesday’s meeting produced any commitments from the senator, Schorr made clear it was substantive. “It wasn’t just a meet-and-greet. He wanted to hear more, but he was also trying to see where, as a U.S. senator, he could play a role in bringing in support from the federal government – potential grants that are available, or earmarks that can help serve more people or do more for these families and seniors,” he said. “We’re hopeful that we can ultimately tap into that and see where the federal government could be more useful here. That was the goal.”

Asked whether other topics came up during the visit, Schorr said the conversation stayed narrowly focused. “We spoke a little bit about Israel, but he’s familiar with the Agudah in general – that wasn’t so much the focus,” he said. “He’s familiar with our organization; as a congressman and now as a senator, I’ve met with him many, many times, so it’s a relationship that’s been going on for quite a few years. Before he was even in office, I knew him as a reporter and used to cover him when he was running his campaigns, and now I’m working in my capacity with the Agudah, so he’s already familiar with us. It was more about these two divisions that we run.”

Asked whether broader Jewish community issues were part of the discussion, Schorr said they were not. “This was very singularly focused.”

When asked to characterize Kim’s overall relationship with New Jersey’s Jewish community, Schorr described a lawmaker who has consistently been responsive – both in his years representing the state’s Third Congressional District and now as senator representing all of New Jersey. “He’s always been there for the Jewish community in New Jersey, both when he was representing the Third Congressional District for a couple of terms and now representing the entire state,” Schorr said.

“Whenever I have an issue with a constituent in New Jersey – whether it’s a visa issue, a passport issue, or something else that we have to turn to the federal government for – his office is there for us. They never hesitate, they’ve always come through, and I only have good things to say about that.”