The progressive advocacy group New York Jewish Agenda has appointed a brand new chief after its earlier one, Phylisa Knowledge, took a job in Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral administration.
Margo Hughes-Robinson, a Conservative rabbi who’s presently the manager director of Companions for Progressive Israel, will step into the function as of June 1.
In an interview, Hughes-Robinson stated she was “thrilled” to be taking over the NYJA function amid a fancy second for Jews within the metropolis and hopes to offer a “massive tent” for town’s numerous communities.
“It’s a sophisticated time for Jews in New York Metropolis, in New York State, and for Jewish progressives,” she stated. “However I feel that’s why I really really feel actually referred to as into that complication, and to tackle this function of continuous to construct up NYJA’s work and to develop in coalition.”
Based in 2020, NYJA says it really works to amplify “the voice of Jewish group leaders whose shared values encourage them to advertise social justice, fight antisemitism, and help a democratic imaginative and prescient of Israel.” As Israel turns into a larger wedge concern in leftist politics, NYJA is constant to occupy the more and more slim house of progressive Zionist organizations.
That house has grow to be particularly difficult to straddle in New York Metropolis as various progressive teams have coalesced in help of Mamdani, who holds anti-Zionist views, whereas different Jewish teams that oppose his stance on Israel have developed a tense relationship with the mayor.
Time will inform what NYJA’s relationship with Mamdani seems like beneath Hughes-Robinson. She stated NYJA urges him to signal a pair of payments that insulate homes of worship and academic amenities from protests. Her most pressing targets, she stated, are “preventing and addressing antisemitism” and making certain “safety for immigrants.”
Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the Jewish borough president of Manhattan, voiced his pleasure concerning the appointment.
“Manhattan is house to some of the vibrant and engaged Jewish communities on the earth, and I’m excited to work with Margo as she steps into the superb footprint left by Phylisa Knowledge and leads New York Jewish Agenda into this subsequent chapter,” he stated in a press release. “I’ve little doubt she can be an incredible asset to NYJA and our metropolis and state.”
Hughes-Robinson is accustomed to the progressive Zionist house, having been on the helm of PPI, a company that claims it promotes “partnership between Israelis and Individuals who help a progressive Israel,” for 2 years.
“I feel there’s a whole lot of consistency right here,” she stated about transitioning between the roles. She can be a member of Rabbis for Ceasefire, which launched in October 2023 to oppose the warfare in Gaza.
Earlier than PPI, Hughes-Robinson was a rabbinic organizer in New York for T’Ruah, the rabbinic human rights group; and a program coordinator for the Milstein Middle for Interreligious Dialogue, which is a part of the Jewish Theological Seminary, the place she was ordained in 2021. She has additionally written extensively about her Jewish journey and id, which included conversion as a young person.
Hughes-Robinson has additionally held roles with Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps and at B’nai Jeshurun, the non-denominational Higher West Facet synagogue. Although she now lives in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood, she stated she all the time spends Passover on the Higher West Facet and it “all the time looks like going house for the vacations.”
As the primary ordained rabbi to function NYJA’s government director, Hughes-Robinson stated she brings a “fluency” to the function, “not simply in Jewish values but additionally Jewish historical past, Jewish textual content, the calendar of the Jewish 12 months, that simply comes with the rabbinic territory.”
She added, “So I wouldn’t be shocked if that’s slightly bit extra deeply inflected in a few of our communication.”
In the meantime, as a part of the Conservative motion, Hughes-Robinson stated she is effectively suited to succeed in New Yorkers throughout the spectrum of observance and completely different actions of Judaism.
She has partnered with Reconstructing Judaism, a Reconstructionist group, and pointed to NYJA’s work with the Spiritual Motion Middle of Reform Judaism. In the meantime, Hughes-Robinson stated that dwelling her life “in a halachic approach additionally places me in dialog with different Jewish communities,” and contributes to a “frequent Jewish language from the Conservative to the Orthodox world.”
Knowledge, Hughes-Robinson’s predecessor, drew criticism from Orthodox Jewish communities due to her work previous work with Yaffed, which seeks to increase secular training at yeshivas. Some Orthodox leaders stated that file made her unfit to helm Mamdani’s Workplace to Fight Antisemitism.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, government director of T’ruah, stated in a press release that Hughes-Robinson “has deep credibility throughout actions and brings each urgency and integrity to the work. NYJA is getting somebody who is aware of the right way to flip values into motion.”
Hughes-Robinson emphasised her intention of reaching as many Jewish New Yorkers as attainable.
“There’s our type of outlined massive tent, however the of us whom I wish to be in deep dialog with and be taught from are a lot wider than simply our tent,” she stated.
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