Tiferet Strulowitz (SCW '27) reflects on her summer internship with Congresswoman Nellie Pou (NJ-9).

This summer, I had the opportunity to intern in the Washington, D.C. office of my representative, Congresswoman Nellie Pou. As a political science student, I came into the internship with an academic understanding of Congress, but working on Capitol Hill gave me the unique opportunity to witness the legislative process firsthand. 

Over the summer, I regularly handled constituent phone calls, researched proposed legislation, drafted legislative letters, and covered congressional hearings. A significant portion of my work focused on immigration and transportation, two areas particularly relevant to Congresswoman Pou’s committee assignments on the Homeland Security and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. 

One particularly interesting aspect of my summer was seeing the policy work surrounding the FIFA World Cup, including preparations for the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in our district. One of the most significant things I learned this summer was understanding the difference between politics and policy. Before this internship, I primarily viewed politics through the lens of public conversation: the news, social media, interviews, and constant external noise surrounding policy. Working in a congressional office gave me a much deeper understanding of the policy side of government and the importance of looking beyond sensationalist headlines to the actual policy implications of an issue. The work of government is often much less visible than the political conversation surrounding it, but it is that work that ultimately produces tangible results. 

This summer, I also learned a great deal about bipartisanship and the importance of understanding different viewpoints. Congresswoman Pou represents a very diverse district, with constituents from many different cultural, religious, socioeconomic, and political backgrounds. Working in her office reminded me that effective representation requires engaging with different, oftentimes minority perspectives to work towards meaningful solutions. 

Most importantly, this summer reinforced for me the importance of young people, specifically Jews, pursuing careers in government and politics. The Jewish community needs people who understand both the issues facing our country and the community's experiences and values, and those voices must be represented across the political spectrum. 

I am grateful to the Straus Center for this opportunity and look forward to carrying this experience into my future academic and professional work.