JEI Advocates for Right to Worship

September 25, 2026

September 23, 2026


The Honorable Mike Johnson

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515


Dear Mr. Speaker:


I submit this statement for the record in support of H.R. 10052 and S. 5289, the Right to Worship Act.


I am grateful to Representatives Brad Knott, Tom Suozzi, Michael Lawler, and Josh Gottheimer and Senators Ted Cruz and Elissa Slotkin for their bipartisan leadership in introducing this important legislation to protect the fundamental right of Americans to worship without fear, intimidation, or deliberate disruption.


For Jewish Americans, this protection is particularly urgent. Synagogues should be places where Jewish families can gather in prayer, celebrate Shabbat and holidays, educate their children, and sustain their communities. No one should have to approach a synagogue wondering whether protesters will block the entrance, intimidate worshippers, prevent families from entering, or deliberately disrupt religious services.


The Right to Worship Act recognizes a basic principle of religious liberty: Americans must be able to enter their houses of worship and participate in religious services without being subjected to conduct that meaningfully interferes with their ability to worship. The legislation establishes a narrowly tailored 100-foot protection zone around entrances to houses of worship during scheduled religious services and prohibits knowing conduct that disrupts services or hinders, deters, threatens, or intimidates people seeking to attend.


This protection is not about preventing peaceful expression or legitimate public debate. The legislation specifically distinguishes protected expression from conduct that interferes with the ability of people to worship. That distinction is essential. Americans have a constitutional right to express their views, including views with which others strongly disagree. But that right should not be used as a justification for preventing another person from exercising the equally fundamental right to freely practice their religion.


The need for this protection is especially clear for Jewish communities. In recent years, Jewish Americans have faced protests, intimidation, threats, and security concerns at and around synagogues and other Jewish institutions. Jewish families should not have to choose between exercising their faith and avoiding confrontation at the doors of their houses of worship.


The right to worship is a foundational American freedom. It belongs to Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, and Americans of every faith. Protecting houses of worship therefore is not a special accommodation for any one religious community. It is a protection of religious liberty itself.


We also recognize the importance of maintaining the careful balance between religious freedom and the First Amendment's protection of speech and peaceful assembly. The Right to Worship Act addresses that balance by focusing on conduct that actually disrupts religious services or prevents or intimidates individuals from attending them, rather than on the viewpoint or content of someone's speech. We support continued careful consideration of the legislation to ensure that its protections remain clear, appropriately tailored, and consistent with constitutional rights.


For Jewish Americans, the ability to walk through the doors of a synagogue and worship openly is not an abstract principle. It is an essential part of Jewish communal life and religious freedom. A Jewish family should be able to attend services on Shabbat or a holiday without being blocked, threatened, intimidated, or made to feel that entering their synagogue is itself an act of confrontation.


Religious freedom cannot exist if people are technically free to worship but are effectively prevented from doing so by intimidation or deliberate disruption at the doors of their houses of worship.


We strongly support the goals of the Right to Worship Act and urge Congress to advance this bipartisan legislation. Protecting the right of Americans to gather, pray, and practice their faith is a constitutional responsibility and a fundamental American value.


The freedom to worship belongs to all of us. Congress should ensure that every American can exercise that freedom without fear.


Sincerely,

Barbara Goldberg Goldman

Chair

Jewish Electorate Institute



cc: The Honorable Mike Lawler, U.S. House of Representatives

cc: The Honorable Dan Goldman, U.S. House of Representatives

JEI LATEST MIDTERM POST-ELECTION POLL: THE MELLMAN GROUP SUMMARY MEMO

November 9, 2026
To: Jewish Electorate Institute From: The Mellman Group Re: The Jewish Vote Was Overwhelmingly Democratic, Though Down Slightly, As Concerns About Antisemitic Rhetoric In Both Parties Continues Date: November 8, 2026

JEI POST-ELECTION POLL: JEWISH VOTERS REMAIN STRONGLY DEMOCRATIC, BUT WARNING SIGNS EMERGE FOR BOTH PARTIES

November 9, 2026
CONTACT: Michael Bloomfield, Mellman Group Managing Director (202) 251-0793 Barbara Goldberg Goldman, JEI Chair, (202) 695-0531 69% of Jewish voters supported Democrats, even as concerns over antisemitism, political extremism and Israel expose growing tensions within both parties (This analysis is based on the findings of a national survey of 800 Jewish registered voters who voted in the November 2026 election. The survey was conducted using a high-quality online national panel from October 29–November 6, 2026. The margin of error for the sample is +/- 3.5% at the 95% level of confidence, higher for subgroups). JEI will host an open-to-the-press public briefing on Tuesday, November 10, at 11:00 a.m. ET, featuring the pollsters from The Mellman Group ** who conducted the poll. They will present the findings, explore their implications for both political parties, and answer questions. Register HERE for the briefing. The latest Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI)* post-midterm election poll results confirm that the Jewish electorate is one of the Democratic Party’s most loyal constituencies. However, this latest poll by the nine-year-old independent, nonpartisan JEI reveals a far more complex political landscape beneath that loyalty. It found that 69% of Jewish voters supported Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections, even as Israel, antisemitism, and the Jewish community itself became unusually prominent, and at times deeply troubling, campaign issues. Since 2024, Jewish Democratic voter support for Democratic candidates has declined, albeit modestly. It stands below the levels recorded during the Democratic wave in President Trump’s previous midterm election. The Mellman Group summary memo can be found HERE. The findings reveal significant concerns within both parties: ● Antisemitism crosses party lines. Among Jewish Republican voters, 25% believe the GOP is too accepting of antisemitic rhetoric, while 24% believe it is becoming too much of a home for white nationalists and the far right. ● Jewish Democrats are raising alarms as well. More than one-third (36%) believe their party is too accepting of antisemitic rhetoric, while 24% worry it is becoming too much of a home for socialists and the far left. ● Israel remains a point of tension. More than one-quarter (28%) of Jewish Democratic voters report supporting candidates whose positions on Israel concerned them, choosing those candidates because of other considerations. A LOYAL ELECTORATE, BUT NOT WITHOUT RESERVATIONS Michael Bloomfield, Managing Director of The Mellman Group says: “In this historic landslide, the Jewish vote was driven in great part by the national concerns that swept the country. Even as Israel, antisemitism, and the Jewish community itself became campaign issues, they were overwhelmed by the larger referendum on Trump and rising costs. But the underlying potential flash points have not gone away, and they will be key factors to consider as we move away from the midterms and into the complete reshaping of Congress and the presidential primaries.” Barbara Goldberg Goldman, Chair of JEI: “As we head into the 2028 election cycle, these findings are an important guide to the changing political landscape for the American Jewish community.” AMERICAN JEWS ALSO WEIGH IN ON ISRAEL’S POLITICAL FUTURE Former Israeli General Gadi Eisenkot remains relatively unfamiliar to American Jews, but those expressing an opinion view him favorably by more than two to one: 30% favorable compared with 12% unfavorable. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, continues to face substantial disapproval, with 63% of American Jews viewing him unfavorably. JEI’s September pre-midterm election poll conducted by The Mellman Group found that only 16% wanted Netanyahu to remain prime minister, compared with 60% who favored replacing him. To register for the NOVEMBER 10 ,11: 00 am open-to-the-press briefing : Register HERE . *ABOUT JEI The Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI) is an independent, nonpartisan, politically unaffiliated, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the active and informed participation of the Jewish community in the democratic process. ​​** The Mellman Group Named “ Pollster of the Year ” three times by the American Association of Political Consultants, The Mellman Group has provided sophisticated opinion research and strategic advice to political leaders, public interest organizations, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies for over 30 years. All told, The Mellman Group has helped win over fifty Senate and gubernatorial races, and nearly one hundred House race contests.

JTA: ‘Politically homeless’ is the new mantra for American Jews. Will it change their vote?

November 1, 2026
That evidence includes a September survey by the Jewish Electorate Institute , conducted by the Democratic-aligned Mellman Group. It found that Jewish voters favored Democratic congressional candidates over Republicans by 71% to 23%. The Democratic advantage was virtually unchanged from their similar survey in March. Among Jewish Democrats, 97% said they would vote Democratic. At the same time, the survey found real unease within the party. More than a third of Jewish Democrats said the rise of anti-Israel candidates had made it harder for them personally to identify as Democrats. A majority of Jewish voters said antisemitism was increasing within the Democratic Party, and a similar share said it was increasing within the Republican Party.