Local Jewish students took their interest in government and politics to the next level on March 10 by shadowing a Jewish legislator for a day in Annapolis.
Fifty students participated in a hands-on civic engagement program designed to immerse students in the work of state legislators and broaden their understanding of the legislative process, a first-of-its-kind program by the Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus.
“It’s getting an up-close and personal understanding of issues that affect our community, but also issues that affect the entire state,” said Del. Jared Solomon, who co-chairs the Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus. “We want to make sure that young people understand how state government works, how they can get engaged in it. We want them to see the process.”
Participants followed their assigned legislator through committee meetings, floor sessions and constituent interactions, allowing them to witness public service in action.
Students also learned from educational sessions on how a bill becomes a law, the role of advocacy within the Jewish community and the importance of civic engagement, according to the caucus.
“Because I’m so interested in politics and everything related to lobbying and how government works, I was really excited about the opportunity to go back to Annapolis … and this just seemed the perfect way to do that,” said Daniela Naaman, a junior at Wootton High School who participated in Student Shadow Day.
Ephraim Blair, a sophomore at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, said he looked forward to connecting in person with key players in state politics, including delegates and chiefs of staff.
“I thought it’d be cool to see how our state government works because there’s a lot of focus on our federal government — our president, the Congress and so on — but there’s a real neglect to looking at our local and state governments, which is where much of the laws [that] actually affect our day-to-day lives are made,” he said.
Sadie Hosid, a freshman at CESJDS, similarly expressed interest in deepening her governmental knowledge.
“Since I live very close to D.C., I’ve been to a lot of federal government buildings and I know a lot about the federal government, but I don’t know a lot about state government,” Hosid said. “I’m really interested in learning more about how Maryland’s government works.”
(Photo credit: wikicommons/Maryland GovPics)
Solomon said he can relate to these teens’ enthusiasm. “I was one of those high school students that was really interested in local and state government and just government in general,” he said, adding that he began his career as a high school teacher in Baltimore County.
Sigal Benitah, a sophomore at Churchill High School, appreciates the Jewish aspect of the program. “I’m excited to see how not only legislators, but Jewish legislators work,” she said.
Hosid said she wants to learn about the Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus.
Launched in January 2024, the caucus was formed to counter antisemitism and hate crimes, protect religious freedom and educate Marylanders about the Jewish community, according to its website. The caucus also serves as a liaison to Jewish people and celebrates Jewish culture and heritage.
Solomon said Student Shadow Day was inspired by the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus and the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, both of which host the youth civic engagement program.
He added that it can be intimidating for a young person to visit a state capitol and get started in advocacy, but that affinity groups such as the caucuses can ease the process.
“Sometimes it’s a little bit less scary if you’re with somebody who comes from a similar background or there’s some level of similarity,” Solomon said. “And the whole point of [Student Shadow Day] is to break down those walls, give high school students the view and understanding that the state government is here to work with them, and that they can be active and engaged with assistance in it … This is a way to open up that entry point.”
Many of the participants who spoke with Washington Jewish Week had already been politically involved on some level before March 10.
Blair, who is interested in civics and politics, has experience in campaign work. Hosid is involved in student government at her school.
Naaman finished American Jewish Committee’s Leaders for Tomorrow, an education and advocacy program for Jewish high school students, which culminated with a lobbying session on Capitol Hill.
She also lobbied on Feb. 3 for Maryland Jewish Advocacy Day in favor of a bill that would require Title VI coordinators in all Maryland secondary schools and public universities to ensure compliance with federal civil rights law. “This bill would ensure that discrimination would be better addressed and followed through with after reports are filed,” Naaman said.
Designating Title VI coordinators in state K-12 schools is one of the caucus’ top priorities for 2026, Solomon said.
This type of legislative work is important to Naaman, who said she has witnessed “so many incidents of antisemitism” in the halls of her public school. “It’s just made school feel like a much more unsafe place for me,” she said.
“By having coordinators actually go in and investigate these incidents and follow through with them, I think we can better address the root cause of these horrible discriminatory incidents and potentially have a future where [antisemitism] is even more discouraged and where all students can truly feel safe in school,” Naaman added.
Another caucus priority is to require schools to collect and analyze bullying data based on motivating characteristics, which will help the state better understand the scope of antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and act more effectively.
Members of the caucus understand the Jewish experience because they’ve lived it.
“I think it’s such an amazing opportunity to be able to shadow legislators, especially if they’re Jewish, because they are going through the same stuff we as students are going through with everything that’s going around the world,” Benitah said.
“A lot of the time these days, we hear about lawmakers expressing a lot of antisemitic and harmful tropes or language, so it’s really empowering to see that there are Jewish lawmakers who are proud of their Jewish heritage and willing to engage with their constituents and invite in local Jewish teens to learn more about what they do,” Naaman said.
She added that this experience could empower students to pursue a career in politics and counter some of the “harmful narratives” from other politicians.
“I’m really excited just to meet the politicians [and] visit Annapolis,” Naaman said. “The capitol is beautiful and it’s just a very inspiring place to be as somebody who’s really interested in government. I’m excited to learn as much as I can.”
