Jewish Federations in Texas visited the Capitol for Jewish Communities Day at the State on Feb. 4, 2025. Credit: Andrew Holmes

By Emily Bourgeois

The Texas Legislature closed out their legislative session on June 1, 2025. This year, Texas lawmakers put forward a list of policy priorities focused on a myriad of topics, from water conservation to artificial intelligence, with two big-ticket items being public education finance and private school vouchers.

The 2025 session also marked a milestone for Shalom Austin as the first legislative session with a Public Affairs department. After hiring an inaugural Public Affairs Director in May 2024, Shalom Austin has invested more resources in building coalitions, working on legislation, and fostering relationships with our elected officials than ever — to great results for our community. Read on to hear more about how Shalom Austin mobilized the Jewish community in Austin and across Texas to pass two landmark bills, win over $7 million in security grants, and engage legislators.

This session, a slate of bills was passed that affected topics the Jewish community was most engaged in:

SB 326: This bill creates an Israel-Texas trade office in Jerusalem to strengthen the relationship between the nation and our state. Shalom Austin is excited about the opportunity this office represents to engage local business owners by opening new markets and capitalizing on the innovation that is central to both Austin and the start-up nation.

HB 2391: This bill establishes a standard definition of antisemitism for public schools and public college campuses to use in student code of conduct violations. It allows schools to view a student’s violation of the code of conduct and identify where there might be antisemitic bias in students’ motivation. Shalom Austin hopes that this legislation will enable districts to better track and respond to incidents as they occur.

SB 2: The Budget: In light of the horrific attacks on Jewish communities in D.C. and Boulder, CO, security is at the top of community members’ minds. This year, Shalom Austin invested much of their energy on advocating for an increase in the Non-Profit Security Grant Program. Because of the community’s work, $7 million dollars for this vital program was included in the state budget, up from $2 million dollars last session.

Shalom Austin didn’t just help pass important legislation — they engaged community members, raised the profile of its organization in the Capitol, and partnered with institutions across the state and country to make this happen.

Shalom Austin started this session with the largest Day at the State program ever co-hosted by Jewish Federations of Texas. From across the state, over 200 Jewish community members converged on Austin for a day of learning and advocacy with partners in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. They met with over 70 members of the Texas Legislature and advocated for an increase to the Non-Profit Security Grant Program.

To pass HB 2391, they worked with Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston to include an amendment explicitly protecting freedom of speech — balancing the need for a zero-tolerance policy on antisemitism in schools with our constitutional rights. Their language was drafted alongside the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the Jewish Federations of North America to balance the two priorities. This amendment resulted in the bill passing with an overwhelming bi-partisan majority.

In May, to mark Jewish American Heritage Month, Rep. Salman Bhojani of Dallas, chair of the Texas Interfaith Caucus, hosted a Jewish Day at the Capitol. Representatives from Shalom Austin’s Public Affairs Committee joined Rabbis Neil F. Blumofe and Kelly Levy, and members of the NCJW-Austin at the Capitol for the presentation of a resolution honoring the impact of Jewish Americans on the nation’s history and condemning the rise in antisemitism.

Over the course of the session, they engaged and mobilized over 400 members of the community — whether attending programs or filling out action alerts. Jewish Austinites used their voices and participated in the Democratic process. Now more than ever, it is critical for Jewish people to make their voices heard. Shalom Austin hopes to keep this momentum going as they head into the interim and focus on implementing these important pieces of legislation.

The Public Affairs Department at Shalom Austin will continue working to address antisemitism in schools, tracking hate crimes in the city of Austin, and building relationships across lines of difference.

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Shalom Austin invites community members to join in building a safer, more inclusive Austin for all. Visit shalomaustin.org/publicaffairs for more information.