After lobbying in D.C., the Coalition of Jewish Latino Teens launched a petition to do more

Every spring, the Tucson Jewish Latino Teen Coalition travels to Washington, D.C. to lobby lawmakers on a topic they’ve chosen and spent months researching.

JLTC brings together 10-12 sophomores and juniors each year to promote cross-cultural understanding and political advocacy. Jewish Philanthropy of Southern Arizona and U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva started the program, which remains unique to Tucson, in 2004.

Last year’s cohort explored 10 to 15 topics, honing in on the three or four most impactful, says participant Nathan Scheinbein, now a senior at University High School.

They tackled welfare and food insecurity by lobbying lawmakers to increase funding for a farm bill that included benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the modern name for food stamps.

The teenagers met with Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Kirsten Sinema, Congressman Juan Siscomani, Honorary Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers and their staff.

Alicia Reyes, now a senior at Flowing Wells High School, explains that part of JLTC’s proposal was to include hot meals in SNAP, which typically covers only foods that can be prepared and consumed at home, excluding foods such as grilled chicken. Reyes was in charge of presenting a personal story.

“I actually talked about my own story and how it could help my family overcome adversity,” says Reyes.

Her presentation emphasized that “this is reality,” says Shari Gutter, who has been a JLTC volunteer coordinator for 18 years. “There wasn’t a dry eye when she spoke.”

For Reyes, “It was such an amazing feeling to finally present our work and finally feel like I was making an impact.”

Faced with an impasse over SNAP benefits and other programs like crop insurance, Congress extended the farm bill’s five-year authorization for a year in 2023. According to the news, the new extensions could push the issue to 2025.

But JLTC’s lobbying efforts may have had an effect. The proposed Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024 includes provisions to explore allowing SNAP hot meals, says former Tucson resident Josh Protas, chief advocacy and policy officer at Meals on Wheels America.

“Students should be proud that what they stood for has gained popularity!” Protas told Gootter in an email.

A variety of avenues lead students to apply to JLTC. In 2024, students from five local high schools participated: Catalina Foothills, Tucson High, University High, Flowing Wells and Basis North.

Scheinbein learned about the program through his BBYO Jewish youth group. The previous year, his friend, Ryan Radner, had participated.

The principal of Flowing Wells encouraged Reyes to apply, impressed by her grades and leadership skills. Reyes was a student council member for all four years of high school and participated in the National Honor Society while participating in community activities.

Reyes applied to JLTC during her sophomore year and was not selected.

“I didn’t give up,” she says. She was accepted as a junior.

Reyes says she enjoys every aspect of the program, but the D.C. trip and lobbying stand out.

“Lobbying has helped me realize how strong and powerful my voice is,” she says. “Not many teenagers have the opportunity to go and lobby Congress. It was definitely a big moment for me. It helped me express my ideas and thoughts more confidently.”

JLTC also gave Scheinbein confidence in public speaking.

“When you’re sitting with a senator or a representative in their office, I don’t know if it can become much more stressful or high-stakes,” he says.

Gutter says the students “were amazing in these different scenarios,” explaining that the unplanned interactions after their presentations “showed leadership skills and real passion.”

Scheinbein was also impressed by his fellow students in the coalition.

“Not only were the teenagers really passionate about politics, but they were people who wanted to make a difference in their communities and were just kind and respectful,” he says.

While many Jewish teenagers in the U.S. felt isolated after the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, for the JLTC it was “an issue that brought us together,” says Sheinbein. “Everyone was very respectful. We had a lot of open discussions about how each of our communities felt at the time.”

In D.C., one lawmaker who saw the JLTC name assumed they were there to discuss Israel, Gutter says, but quickly changed his mind when an aide explained the group’s topic was food insecurity.

Also, the adult counselors — Shari Gutter, Matt Landau, Lisa Kondrat and Brad Goldstein — are “phenomenal people,” says Scheinbein. Landau and Kondrat were part of the first cohort of the coalition. Goldstein first volunteered to chaperone on a trip to DC in 2010.

Another alumna, Amanda Monroe, connected JLTC 2024 members to White House Fellows, an elite group whose past members include CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta and former Secretary of State and General Colin Powell. Monroy has helped facilitate weekly JLTC sessions for the past two years, and before that, presented to several cohorts as a health policy expert.

While each JLTC cohort brought enthusiasm to the program, the 2024 group learned the leadership lessons so thoroughly, Gutter says, that they wrote a petition asking them to continue to become more involved.

“Our work is not done,” they told Gootter.

The previous year’s cohort helps with application interviews and at least one training workshop, Gutter says, but she’s looking for other ways to engage the 2024 cohort.

Applications are now available for the JLTC 2025 program here. The deadline is November 1, but extensions are possible. For more information, contact Gootter at [email protected] or Ariel Shemesh, JPSA Community Outreach Coordinator, at [email protected] or (520) 577-9393.