The decisions that affect the lives of thousands of frum families in New Jersey aren’t made in dramatic floor votes or heated debates.

They’re made quietly—in off-to-the-side conversations, hallway meetings, and private phone calls that rarely make it into public view.

In the middle of this system sits Shlomo Schorr.

The young, energetic director of Agudath Israel of New Jersey helps the legal process move in directions that benefit the frum communities throughout the state. From legislation to budgets to emergency constituent issues, he’s often one of the first to call when something goes wrong or when something needs to change.

How does it feel for a born-and-bred Lakewood boy to rub shoulders with the higher-ups in Trenton?

What does a day in the life of the director of Agudah for the state that’s home to one of the country’s fastest growing frum populations look like?

What kind of issues does Schorr deal with on a daily basis?

Let’s take a look behind the desk of the director of Agudath Israel for New Jersey.

 

 

 

Growing up on news

“From a young age, I was always drawn to the news and enjoyed sharing information,” Schorr says. “As soon as I learned how to read, I was devouring newspapers and closely following politics. I found it fascinating and couldn’t get enough.”

Schorr remembers closely following the contested 2000 election as a young boy, though he was always more interested in state politics.

“National politics may seem more significant and noteworthy, but most of the happenings in Washington don’t make a difference to the average person,” he explains. “State politics, on the other hand, which regulate issues like the plastic-bag ban, income tax changes, and school transportation, impact the day-to-day lives of every New Jersey resident in multiple ways.”

 

 

From The New York Times to Trenton

Schorr’s initial foray into the world he inhabits today didn’t involve taking an active seat in politics.

“I started out in journalism,” he says. “Baruch Hashem, when the right opportunity presented itself, I followed my passions and started reporting on news for some local outlets before moving to more national organizations.”

That path ultimately led him to The New York Times, where he covered the Murphy administration in Trenton and general news in the state. Through his work, he became acquainted with the people who make things happen in the state of New Jersey and developed strong relationships with many of the stakeholders and decision-makers in Trenton while also earning their trust .

“That’s where I really started understanding how everything works,” he says. “When you have a front-row seat to the political process, you see who the real decision-makers are—not just the elected officials, but the people around them who actually move policy forward.”

Schorr’s journaling work also placed him in regular contact with Assemblyman Avi Schnall.

“At the time, I was reporting on issues affecting the Orthodox community,” he says. “So I was already speaking to a lot of the people who were involved in policy and advocacy, like Schnall.”

When Schnall later moved into leadership and an opportunity opened in late 2022 to join his office, Schorr made the transition and began working as Schnall’s assistant.

“It didn’t feel like stepping into a new world,” he says. “It felt like switching sides of the same table. It’s the same game with the same players, only now instead of reporting on what was happening, I was trying to influence the outcome.”

Working as Schnall’s assistant involved much of the same work Schorr does today, including lobbying, advocacy, and cultivating relationships with the key players in Trenton.

“Joining the Agudah allowed me to combine my professional background with meaningful advocacy on behalf of the community and to put my relationships in Trenton to work in a way that could make a real difference,” he adds.

Unlike many political staffers, Schorr has never been officially trained.

“My years of experience in journalism gave me a clear understanding of how the legislative process works and the challenges involved in advancing meaningful solutions. As a result, I entered the role with a practical awareness of both the issues and the political environment, allowing me to be effective from day one without having to learn the system from the beginning,” he says. “It was all learned on the job.”

What does “on the job” look like in Trenton?

“In the beginning, it’s a lot of listening,” he says. “I sat in on meetings, I watched how people speak to each other, and I slowly learned how things work in politics.”

It didn’t take long for Schorr to recognize that the system runs heavily on relationships.

“It’s not just what you know,” he says, “it’s who trusts you enough to pick up your call. That’s everything.”

Being the only Orthodox Jew working full-time in the State House added both visibility and responsibility.

“I knew that I stood out, and I used this to cultivate relationships and gain people’s trust.”

 

All in a day’s work

The hardest part of explaining his role, Schorr admits, is that it doesn’t fit into a single category.

“It’s many things at once,” he says.

On one side, there’s legislative work, which includes tracking bills, drafting positions, meeting lawmakers, and advocating on policy affecting religious communities across the state in many areas, including education, public safety, social services, and religious liberty. There’s also budget advocacy, coalition building, and long-term strategic planning.

And then there’s the unpredictable aspect of his job. Like a first responder, Schorr never knows what his day will bring.

“One minute I’m dealing with state policy in the Capitol,” he says, “and the next I’m helping someone get an emergency passport because they need to get on a flight that night for a family situation in Eretz Yisrael.”

Schorr is the address for issues ranging from state agency problems to local municipal confusion and families trying to navigate systems they’ve never dealt with before.

“These smaller issues, which only affect one person or family, deserve attention and guidance like everything else I deal with in Trenton,” Schorr says.

But occasionally, there are issues that can only be fixed through legislation.

 

 

Building communities from the ground up

Beyond individual cases, Schorr spends much of his time working with growing Orthodox communities across New Jersey, like Howell, Manchester, Linden, Passaic, Edison, and others, where Jewish infrastructure is still developing.

“These are communities building themselves in real time,” he says. “They’re dealing with issues like zoning, putting up an eiruv, building mikvaos and shuls, and school transportation—basic infrastructure that most established communities take for granted. There’s always something going on.”

That often means coordinating between residents, local officials, engineers, planners, and attorneys—sometimes all on the same issue.

“There are probably dozens of active situations across the state at any given time,” he says. “Each one is different.”

 

 

A shifting community landscape

As Orthodox families continue moving beyond Lakewood into surrounding towns, Schorr notes how the relationship between the community and government has profoundly changed.

“People are a lot more engaged and involved in local and state-wide politics now,” he says. “They need to be. These decisions affect where they live, where their children go to school, and what kind of community they can hope to build.”

That shift has brought a steep learning curve.

“You’ll see people who never had to think about government suddenly learning zoning codes, attending township meetings, and understanding county versus state jurisdiction,” he says. “It’s a whole new world for them to navigate.”

His advice to residents is consistent: “Build relationships locally. I can’t be everywhere at once, and if you have an issue a few minutes before Shabbos, it’s important to have a face on the ground whom the mayor or fire chief knows well. He’ll want to talk to someone local, and having these relationships in place before an emergency happens is crucial.”

Schorr continues to be in constant touch with community leaders across all of New Jersey’s frum locales, and he’s always available to help coach people on dealing with politicians.

“Fifteen years ago, there were much fewer community members who got involved in politics or knew who the main players were on any level of government. The relationships we now have with our local and state-wide politicians were unheard of back then,” he says. “It’s wonderful to see how things have developed and continue to move in the right direction.”

Voter turnout within the community has likewise moved in an upward direction, and politicians are definitely taking note.

“Get involved, stay involved, and make your voice heard through your vote,” Schorr advises. “This is the community your children are being raised in, and you can help ensure it continues to be a place you’re proud to call home.”

 

 

Inside Trenton’s power structure

If there’s one misconception Schorr pushes back on, it’s the idea that state government is broadly decentralized.

“In reality, it’s super-concentrated,” he says.

While 120 legislators sit in New Jersey’s State House, he argues that real decision-making is driven by a very small circle.

“There are only three people within the New Jersey government who actually matter: the governor, the Assembly speaker and the Senate president,” he explains. “They set the tone and the agenda, and everyone else operates within that framework and is really just a figurehead.”

New Jersey, he adds, is unique in the strength of its executive branch.

“The governor here has more authority than in most states,” he explains. “For example, Governor Sherill has line-item veto power, which means she can veto a single line from any law being passed. She also chooses her entire cabinet—including the state Attorney General—and has various other powers.”

Additionally, the governor unilaterally nominates, with Senate consent, all Superior Court judges, county prosecutors, and agency heads, giving them unparalleled control over the state judiciary and law enforcement.

Through Schorr’s work, he ensures that the voice of the frum communities in New Jersey is heard in Trenton.

“We’re a tiny minority in this state of 9.5 million people,” he remarks, “but we do punch above our weight and are generally successful in what we do because we’re united.”

 

 

The issues driving the work

On the policy side, Schorr outlines several ongoing priorities.

Education funding remains a central focus.

“The Orthodox community in Lakewood is responsible for more than 6 percent of the total annual births in the state,” he says. “The education of our children has always been and will always be a priority for our community.”

 

CHS-related programs are a current hot issue, which Schorr is hopeful will be resolved soon in a positive way. He’s also often working on broader support structures for Orthodox schools; budget negotiations are constant and often intense.

“There have been several significant wins in this area,” he says, “but there’s still a long way to go.”

Another major focus is federal tuition relief legislation.

Is tuition relief coming to New Jersey?

“No,” Schorr is quick to point out. “New Jersey will never pass a law offering tuition relief for its residents. The state’s teacher’s union is too strong, and New Jersey is too Democratic for this to ever happen.”

The good news is that there’s relief in sight for families struggling under the weight of tuition costs, thanks to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC), which was signed into law as part of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” last summer and set to take effect in 2027. However, each state’s governor must decide whether to opt in to the law.

Will New Jersey choose to participate in the program?

“It’s my job to convince Governor Sherrill to opt in, and I’m very hopeful that she will,” Schorr says. “This is one of my biggest priorities right now.”

 

 

Swinging in another direction?

Lots of armchair politicians are certain that the results of the 2024 presidential election show a massive shift for New Jersey that will ultimately turn it into a swing state.

Schorr is quick to disagree.

“That’s never going to happen,” he says. “New Jersey is a solidly blue state, and it always will be.”

He explains that due to several factors beyond anyone’s control, including a historic turnout of Hispanic voters and a poor turnout of Democratic voters, the 2024 election results for New Jersey were historically close.

“It was the perfect storm,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean New Jersey is turning red, or even purple.” Donald Trump still lost the popular vote in New Jersey by over 250,000 votes!

The gubernatorial election last year confirmed this with a solid 14-point victory for Governor Sherill, the Democratic candidate.

“New Jersey has only elected one Republican governor in the last 29 years,” Schorr says. “And even that was a fluke. New Jersey doesn’t elect Republicans on the state level and will likely continue to be a blue state for many years to come.”

 

 

Looking ahead

Despite the intensity of the work, Schorr’s motivation remains grounded.

“This is home,” he says. “I was born and raised in New Jersey, and now I’m raising my own family here. As the state with the fastest-growing Orthodox population in the world outside of Israel and New York, what happens in Trenton directly impacts our community’s growth.”

His phone beeps, and he pauses. Duty is calling.

“There’s a lot to do,” he concludes. “And I hope to be right here in Trenton, advocating for our communities until Mashiach comes.”