On January 20th, Kol Yisroel made it's first official trip to Albany to introduce the organization and begin building relationships with elected officials across New York State.
 

The day began with a meaningful meet-and-greet with Rockland County’s own Assemblymember Carl Brabenec.
 

 From there, Kol Yisroel met with Assemblymember Bill Magnarelli, Assemblymember Patrick Carroll,  Assemblymember Al Taylor, Assemblymember Emily Gallagher,  
 

Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato

Assemblymember Aron Wieder

Chief Of Staff Of Assemblymember Steve Stern,

Chief Of Staff Of Assemblymember John Zaccaro Jr.

Staff of  Assemblymember Micah Lasher, 

 as well as staff  from New York State Senator James Skoufis’s office and New York State Senator Shelley Mayer’s office, including her Chief of Staff, Senator Mayer also chairs the Senate Education Committee.

The visit concluded with a meeting with Rockland County’s own State Senator Bill Weber.
 

Two major issues were at the top of the agenda throughout the day. The first was discussing the potential introduction of legislation to create a new school district in East Ramapo, based on Wards 1–4 and Wards 5–9. The second was advocating for the expansion of legislation establishing a 100-foot buffer zone outside houses of worship, while clearly expressing Kol Yisrael’s disappointment with the currently proposed 25-foot buffer, which the organization believes is insufficient to provide real safety.
 

The meetings were productive and encouraging, and Kol Yisrael looks forward to returning to Albany in the coming weeks to continue these important conversations. We will continue to keep the community updated as this work moves forward.