Why HoCoJAG Responded to “Maryland Matters”

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HoCoJAG Responds to Maryland Matters on Antisemitism and Jewish Politics

Dear HoCoJAG Members,

HoCoJAG sent a letter responding to a recent Maryland Matters article on Jewish politics and antisemitism in Maryland, “Analysis: Is Gaza a sleeper issue in the Maryland midterms?“

The article relies on perspectives that do not represent mainstream Jewish views — while overlooking what is actually happening here in Howard County, where antisemitism is shaping school environments and local political races.

Our response to Maryland Matters explains why HoCoJAG exists, what we are seeing on the ground, and why Jewish voters want local officials focused on local governance — not importing antisemitism’s modern form of antizionism into county and state politics. See our response to Maryland Matters below.

If you believe, as we do, that Jewish safety in Howard County requires direct political action, please donate to support HoCoJAG’s work in the upcoming primary elections: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/ed113781-8649-4828-8f06-d524d1c0cdfa

Thank you for standing with us,
Trevor Greene
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Dear Josh Kurtz and the editors at Maryland Matters,

I am writing on behalf of the Howard County Jewish Advocacy Group (HoCoJAG) in response to your recent piece examining the growing role of antisemitism and Israel-related rhetoric in Maryland’s political landscape, “Analysis: Is Gaza a sleeper issue in the Maryland midterms?” .

While the article prominently features J Street, it also relies heavily on commentary from Joel Rubin, a former policy advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders, and former state Del. Saqib Ali. Collectively, these voices are not representative of mainstream Jewish perspectives, particularly at the local community level. Presenting their views as proxies for “the Jewish view” distorts how most Jewish families in Howard County and across Maryland actually understand antisemitism and its political consequences.

In Howard County, antisemitism is not abstract or theoretical. Multiple candidates currently running for local office are advancing rhetoric that most Jewish residents clearly recognize as modern antisemitism expressed through obsessive, one-sided antizionism. This is not legitimate policy debate about Israel; it is the singling out of Jews, the delegitimization of Jewish identity, and the importation of a global ideological conflict into local government where it has no place.

HoCoJAG exists precisely because these narratives fail to reflect what Jewish communities are experiencing on the ground. We are a single-issue organization focused on Jewish safety and combating antisemitism through civic engagement, political education, and direct political accountability. In 2024, HoCoJAG endorsed Sarah Elfreth because she demonstrated a clear understanding of antisemitism and a willingness to stand with the Jewish community. We will again endorse and actively support candidates in the 2026 cycle who meet that same standard.

It bears emphasizing that Jewish voters in Howard County are not asking local officials to litigate the Middle East. We want our county executive, county council members, school board members, and state representatives focused on local governance — education, public safety, infrastructure, and community wellbeing — without importing antisemitism’s modern form under the label of antizionism into local politics.

Any serious examination of how these issues are shaping Maryland elections must include voices from organizations confronting antisemitism at the local level, rather than relying on advocacy groups or political figures whose views fall well outside the mainstream of the Jewish community they are presented as representing.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Trevor Greene, DDS
Board President
Howard County Jewish Advocacy Group (HoCoJAG)

If it can happen in New York, it can happen here.

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Voters in New York City just elected a candidate who claims to condemn violence — yet refuses to say that “globalizing the Intifada” is wrong. That phrase isn’t about peace. It’s a call for violence against Jews.

To understand what’s at stake, listen to the Call Me Back podcast episode “Mamdani’s Rise and Its Consequences”. Dan Senor and Reihan Salam unpack how Mamdani’s victory reflects a dangerous shift — as extreme politics cloaked in antizionism and antisemitism gain power on the far left of the Democratic Party, while similar forces rise on the far right of the Republican Party. It’s a warning about how fringe ideologies are reshaping mainstream politics — and putting our American values at risk.

We’re seeing the same pattern here in Howard County. Councilmember Liz Walsh broke with long-standing protocol to use her platform to amplify Hamas supporters — people chanting “From the River to the Sea,” their hands painted blood-red to glorify violence against Jews. Now she’s running for County Executive.

We can’t stay silent and allow hate and extremism to find a home in Howard County.

Stand up for truth. Stand up for decency. Stand up for safety.

Help us defend our community: Join HoCoJAG and donate today!

-Trevor Greene

HoCoJAG President

5785 Year in Review — Thank You for Standing with HoCoJAG

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As we usher in Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, we pause to reflect on the blessings and accomplishments of the past year. Just as this season calls us to remember, renew, and rededicate ourselves, we take pride in the many milestones our community has reached together. None of this would be possible without your generosity — please consider making a donation to HoCoJAG to help us continue this vital work in the year ahead.

September 2024:

HoCoJAG leadership met with candidates for Senate, Larry Hogan, and Congress, Sarah Elfreth, to discuss their approaches to fighting antisemitism.
 
We held our first general membership meeting at the Central Branch Library.

October 2024:

Over 100 people, including County Council member (and candidate for County Executive) Deb Jung, attended “A Parent’s Guide to Combating Antisemitism in K-12 Schools”, at Temple Isaiah, where HoCoJAG and Rebecca Schgallis, CAMERA Education Institute (CEI) Senior Education Strategist, led a seminar focused on providing the knowledge and tools we need to protect our students. We are incredibly grateful, as Ms. Schgallis has continued to serve as an advisor, helping HoCoJAG as we meet with HCPSS leadership and state legislators to craft policy changes.

November 2024:

HoCoJAG members put in hundreds of hours volunteering to support our endorsed candidates in the general election.  We were successful in helping elect Sarah Elfreth (D) to the US Congress. The time we spent with various campaign teams provided a crash-course education in political action which we will use to help supportive candidates win for years to come.

The Baltimore Jewish Times published a feature on HoCoJAG.

December 2024:

Retired HCPSS teacher and HoCoJAG member Willma Iny used the CEI resources to develop and lead lessons on Zionism, Antisemitism, and the amazing achievements of Israel for children in grades K-7.

January 2025: 

After countless hours put in by HoCoJAG members and our partners in the Jewish Parents Coalition, President Biden’s Department of Education Office of Civil Rights released a bombshell Title VI report that found HCPSS has failed to protect the civil rights of Jewish Students. 

HCPSS entered into a “Resolution Agreement” in which they pledged to take steps to create an environment where Jewish students’ civil rights will be protected. 


February 2025:

HoCoJAG members sent hundreds of letters to Board of Education members and HCPSS Leadership insisting HCPSS take “4 Actions” to protect Jewish students: 1. Engage national experts in fighting antisemitism. 2. Adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism  3. Amend policy 9020 to address student expression. 4. Mandate universal training for faculty and staff.

To ensure HCPSS took proper action to abide by the Title VI Resolution Agreement, HoCoJAG President Trevor Greene testified in front of the Board of Education in support of our “4 Actions.”

We commemorated one year since HoCoJAG’s genesis by creating a video about the formation of HoCoJAG and our many successes.

March 2025:

HoCoJAG board members met with key HCPSS leaders, including Superintendent Bill Barnes, Chief Equity and Innovation Officer Caroline Walker, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Judith Jones, and General Counsel J. Stephen Cowles. The meeting centered on HCPSS’s Title VI Resolution Agreement with the Department of Education OCR and creating a collaboration between HoCoJAG and HCPSS to proactively address antisemitism.

To build support for legislation that will protect Maryland’s Jews, HoCoJAG members fostered relationships with members of the Maryland Jewish Legislative Caucus and testified in front of State Senate and House of Delegate Committees.

April 2025:

In our advocacy, HoCoJAG recommended HCPSS engage national experts including the American Jewish Committee (AJC). We are pleased to share HCPSS partnered with AJC to support implementation, guidance, and professional development.  Credit for this achievement goes to the HoCoJAG and JPC members that pushed through the Title VI Report, the hundreds of HoCoJAG members that wrote letters to HCPSS leadership, HoCoJAG’s public testimony, and HoCoJAG and JPC meetings with HCPSS leadership, as well as many more individuals and groups that advocated “behind the scenes.” Thank you to everyone that played a part in advocating for HoCoJAG’s “4 Actions” to HCPSS leadership.

HoCoJAG established a positive, effective presence on social media, and to date, have had many tens of thousands of views on our Facebook page.

May 2025:

Along with our partners in the Jewish Parents Coalition, HoCoJAG sponsored “A Yom Ha’atzmaut Shabbat for Israel.”  We had a blast with a couple hundred of our family and friends celebrating Israeli Independence Day and Shabbat with Israeli food, music, and dancing. 

June 2025:

HoCoJAG President Trevor Greene was featured in the Baltimore Jewish Times. 

After a deep statistical analysis of Howard County Police Department data, we revealed that Howard County Jews are the victims of hate/bias incidents at an astronomically higher rate than any other minority group. This trend of Jews being victims of hate crimes at a far higher rate than any other group is true Nationally, in Maryland, and regrettably, here in Howard County, underscoring the importance of our work.

July 2025:

HoCoJAG’s Political Action Committee began vetting and meeting with candidates for State Senate, House of Delegates, County Executive, County Council, and Board of Education, in preparation to support candidates that pledge PUBLICLY that they will support legislation to fight Jew Hate in Howard County and Maryland.

August 2025:

Over the past year, HoCoJAG enhanced our Board of Directors by adding multiple leaders with exceptional talents and knowledge in a variety of fields.

To make it easy for HoCoJAG members to get involved, we established Political Action, Legislative, Communications, Membership, and Fundraising Committees, led by our Board Members. We need your help over the coming months, especially with vetting candidates, so please join our growing volunteer committees here: https://hocojag.org/beactive/

As we look ahead to 5786, may this be a year of strength, growth, and continued success. With your partnership, we will build on the foundation we have laid, confront challenges with courage, and celebrate even greater achievements. Wishing you and your families a shanah tovah u’metukah — a good and sweet new year. To ensure our progress continues, we invite you to support HoCoJAG with a contribution today.

An Inspiring Evening with Douglas Murray and Gadi Moses

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HoCoJAG President Trevor Greene joined Howard County Jewish leaders at Beth Tfiloh for a deeply moving event with righteous gentile Douglas Murray and former hostage Gadi Moses.

Murray inspired us with his words, reminding the audience that where Hamas is a “death cult,” the Jewish people are a “life cult,” committed to showing the world that we celebrate life, building, growth, and positivity.

Moses expressed heartfelt gratitude for our support in rebuilding Kibbutz Nir Oz, where more than a quarter of residents were murdered or taken captive. He explained that Nir Oz is his dream, and as long as he focuses on that dream, “the haters of the world will never win.”

The evening reached its most powerful moment when Gadi joined the 1,500 attendees in a Mi Sheberach (prayer for healing) for the 48 hostages still held by Hamas.


🎥 Watch highlights: Douglas Murray | Gadi Moses