California Assemblymember and Chair of the Legislative Jewish Caucus

California Assemblymember and Chair of the Legislative Jewish Caucus 

Tuesday, 10am PST

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel represents California's 45th Assembly District and is Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus (Jewish Caucus), the Jewish voice for justice and equality that advocates on behalf of the professional, educational, social, political, and cultural concerns of the Jewish community. 

Join Asm. Jesse Gabriel in conversation with AJU’s President, Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, as they discuss the impact of Gabriel's Jewish heritage on his path to public service and the work that he and his colleagues in the California State Legislature lead through the Jewish Caucus. 

Jesse Gabriel was first elected to the California State Assembly in June 2018. He represents the 45th Assembly District, which includes much of the west San Fernando Valley. Gabriel currently serves on five standing committees, and serves as the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection as well as Chair of the Select Committee on Jobs and Innovation in the San Fernando Valley.

Gabriel was recently elected by his colleagues as Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. In 2019, Gabriel was one of 100 leaders from across the state recognized as a "California Influencer" by The Sacramento Bee.

Dr. Jeffrey Herbst is the fourth president of American Jewish University.  At AJU, he has focused on promoting innovation in the university’s academic programs.  He has also supported the growth of the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys, expansion of the B’Yachad/Together digital platform, and capital improvements on the Brandeis-Bardin Campus. Prior to joining AJU, Dr. Herbst was president and CEO of the Newseum and the Newseum Institute in Washington, DC. From 2010 to 2015, he was president of Colgate University, where among other accomplishments he is credited with helping the university complete its nearly half billion-dollar fundraising campaign, leading the development and initial implementation of a university-wide strategic plan, and increasing the diversity and academic caliber of its educational programming. Dr. Herbst earned his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University, and a master’s degree and doctorate in political science from Yale University. He is the author of the award-winning “States and Power in Africa” and, with several co-authors, the just-published “Making Africa Work.”