On Sunday September 10th, 2000 over 80 volunteers and employees of several Jewish organizations helped New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs register to vote.
Jvote 2000, spearheaded by the JCC on the Upper West Side, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah and Na'aseh (the young leadership program of American Jewish World Service), is, we believe, the first voter registration project initiated and carried out by a coalition of Jewish organizations. The co-sponsors included AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, Congregation Beth Elohim, Columbia University/List College Mathilde Schechter Residence Hall, Congregation B'nai Jeshurun, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, National Council for Jewish Women, and Some Brooklyn Jewish Lesbians. This non-partisan effort to register New Yorkers to vote presented a fabulous opportunity for the organized Jewish community to collaborate, working together to further social justice in our city.
Astounded by statistics that only 35% of eligible young Jews vote, and that often our leaders are elected by a mere 13% of the voting eligible population, this group of young organizers decided they'd better act--and fast.
The effort, organized by Stephanie Fingeroth, Shira Hanlon, Erika Katske, Rebecca Sweder, and Merrill Zack, was launched just three weeks prior to the event. Working primarily over email, we tapped an excitement about the upcoming election within our communities, enabling us to gather site leaders and volunteers from different segments of the New York Jewish community.
The volunteers had several opportunities to reflect on the importance of their involvement with Jvote. At a site captains' meeting, Dara Zabb, JTS Rabbinical student and former employee of the Washington Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values, discussed the Jewish imperative to take part in the society in which we live by engaging in the political process. Ruth Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service and former Manhattan Borough President, delivered an inspiring address in which she passed on suggestions about how to register people, and dispelled some myths about registration, the most common of which is that you are guaranteed to get called for jury duty if you register to vote.
On the 10th, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum emphasized the appropriateness of starting the day in a synagogue. "If a synagogue is only concerned with its constituents, the people inside," she said, "then it should close its doors, turn in the key and give the space over for a useful purpose." Halakha, or Jewish law requires each synagogue to have at least one window. "The Rabbis realized the crucial connection that a synagogue must have to the outside world."
With these words of Torah, the group headed out to the streets, reaching out to people in subway stations, parks, the boardwalk of Brighton Beach and even Shea Stadium and the U.S. Open. For four hours the teams asked people, "Can I help you register to vote?", helped people fill out registration forms in English and Spanish, encouraged them to make their voices heard, and committed to calling them the night before election day to remind them to vote.
The volunteers were often cheered on by passersby: "I'm already registered, but you are doing good and important work. Thank you!" or, "I thought I should register, but I didn't know where to do it," or I'm getting to see a game, and register. Thanks."
But participants also encountered challenges they hadn't expected. In Harlem, a group of Columbia students were questioned why they (white Jewish kids) had come to the neighboring community of Harlem to register African-Americans. Couldn't they teach and register themselves?
The students had started with the belief that it was important that every person votes who is able; it hadn't occurred to them that facilitating civic involvement could raise more issues than whether or not one is registered. Hearing these questions forced them to consider historically who has voted, who's had the right to vote, and the importance of a communal emphasis on civic involvement. It also helped them recognize their desire to use their organizing skills to help develop local leadership to lead this registration drive in the future.
Though this event set out to involve more individuals in the political process and help young Jews get involved in making people's voices heard, we learned far more about coalition building, different struggles for justice that go on in our neighborhoods, and the importance of reaching out beyond the bounds of our own community.
On Election Day , Jvote 2000 will continue its work for this election by running a critically important voter mobilization drive. We welcome people to join us as we call on those we registered to go to the polls and make their voices heard! To get involved in voter mobilization, email jvote2000@hotmail.com or call Stephanie Fingeroth at 212-736-2597.
To organize a voter registration drive in your area:
- Contact the local Board of Elections and arrange to pick up voter registration forms in English and any other languages that are appropriate in your community.
- Choose several central sites where you will register people.
- Contact the Parks and Recreation Department to apply for necessary permits.
- Check with local transportation department regarding any regulations for registering in its stations.
- Contact Project Vote at http://www.projectvote.org to procure training videos to do site leader training. (This video was crucial to the success of our registration drive.)
- Arrange for local Jewish leaders and activists to address group with inspirational comments about the drive in which they were about to participate.
- Concentrate on outreach to volunteers and site leaders. Communicate with them often and concisely.
- Practice before going out.
And hold a mobilization drive just prior to Election Day to remind those you register to vote to go to the polls!
To participate in Jvote2000's voter mobilization in New York City on Election Day, November 6, contact jvote2000@hotmail.com or call Stephanie Fingeroth at 212 736 2597
Stephanie Fingeroth is the Assistant Director of Outreach and Education at American Jewish World Service.
Erika Katske is a Program Associate at Ma'yan: The Jewish Women's Project, A Program of the JCC of the Upper West Side.
Rebecca Sweder is a Program Associate at the Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side, responsible for planning social action programs for community members in their 20s.
