The GatherDC blog strives to present a holistic portrait of the DMV’s Jewish community, sharing a wide variety of Jewish voices and perspectives. If you have a 20- or 30-something to nominate as our Jewish Person of the Week or for a Spotted in Jewish DMV feature, please email us!
Michael and I duck into Yerevan one frigid afternoon. Over hot chocolate and Americanos, we chat about Michael’s horseracing regulatory work, becoming a fan of a new sport, mental health for jockeys, starting from scratch in a new city, New Jersey, and baseball.
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Michael: I was a Political Science major at the University of Vermont. There weren’t so many opportunities up there, but DC is a big political hub, so I was job searching, networking. I came across this opportunity at HISA [Editor’s note: Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority]. My former co-intern and I were their first two interns in Government Affairs in DC. I came here to do that internship, and then consulted with them for a while, and have been here ever since.
Samuel: What’s keeping you here?
Michael: I really like the pace of the city. I grew up in Montclair, New Jersey, next to New York, and that’s a very fast-paced city. DC feels less rushed, and I like that. I have really enjoyed working at HISA in Government Affairs. That and my general political interests are keeping me here. And, as you start to slowly build community, you don’t want to leave. I’m a little over a year in here, and I’m still trying to find my footing. I know this is where my type of people are.
Samuel: What drew you in at HISA? Have you been interested in horseracing for a long time?
Michael: I did not know a ton about horseracing before I came to HISA. However, I have always been interested in sports and government affairs. I mean, I knew about the Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown, American Pharoah, that type of stuff. In high school, we had a government program that I did where we had mock debates – that was the start of my interest in politics. I did campaigns up in Vermont and interned in the state legislature up there. So, that drove me to the Government Affairs internship. While I did not know that much about horseracing when I started, I now think I know the ins and outs of the sport in a way I never thought I would two years ago.
Samuel: Do you consider yourself a fan?
Michael: Now I am! When I was an intern, they took us up to Saratoga Springs, which is north of Albany in upstate New York. They’re known for their racetrack. We went to a conference, but then we got to go to the races. That was my first time ever going. I was with the two other interns, just being there and watching it happen, and I was like: Yeah, this actually might be for me. It’s just a unique sport. I’m a big sports fan in general –
Samuel: Devils, Giants, Yankees, coming from Montclair?
Michael: Rangers, Giants, Yankees. I just grew to like horseracing because it’s different. I like seeing the animals. It’s hard to describe specifically what drove me to like it. Just, as I’ve grown in this [professional] role, I’ve gotten to like it more.
Samuel: What is your day-to-day at HISA?
Michael: It’s a small office, small organization. We were only passed into law at the end of 2020, so we’re pretty new. There are two people in the DC office – me and my boss – and we bring in interns to help out over the summer and into the fall. Day-to-day is a lot of bill tracking and tracking Congress, to see if anything is of interest for us. We’ll see what’s happening at the state legislative level. We do fly-ins where we bring jockeys and sometimes other athletes to discuss mental health issues; they come to the Hill and go to meetings with Congressional offices. We held a roundtable this past year. That was probably our biggest project for DC, and the one that was most meaningful for me.
Samuel: Mission-wise, what is your office’s focus? Is it horse health? The economics of the sport? Jockey health?
Michael: It is an all of the above approach. If the horses are healthier, chances are that the jockeys will be as well. We want to support them and make sure they’re mentally and physically well, and that they have the proper resources. If the horses are doing well, and the jockeys are doing well, the sport does better economically. So, it is all tied in.
Samuel: Are your friends back home or people you meet also curious about this job? I think it is so interesting.
Michael: When I go home, I hear the same two questions: What’s DC like? And, how are the horses? I like being here because a lot of people just don’t know about horses and horseracing, and they’re always so fascinated. It’s really nice to be able to have those conversations and be passionate about it.
Samuel: If you were declared Horseracing Czar for a day and could change the sport, what would you do?
Michael: I think it’s not about needing [big] change, but continuing to build on the progress we’ve made. Our legislation was really a major overhaul of the industry, and now we’re continuing to make sure that horses and jockeys are healthy and continuing to adapt to the new climate. I don’t have the experience to say what one big change we could do, but we’re going to keeping chugging and building the best we can.
Samuel: What’s your Jewish community like?
Michael: In terms of the Jewish community, it’s mostly doing things through GatherDC. I did 20s Mini Gatherings [Editor’s note: Want to know when we open up applications for Spring Mini Gatherings? Subscribe to our newsletter!] and the Beyond the Tent Retreat. I come to the happy hours when I can. Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve done something Jewish. Whether it was Hebrew school and being a Bar Mitzvah at home, or living at Hillel for a year at University of Vermont, [Jewish spaces] are typically where I find a very strong community. I wanted to continue that here. Outside of Gather, I’m also in Shabbat Clusters with the EDCJCC. That’s what motivates me, knowing that this is a place where there could be a strong community that I can connect with. And so far, it’s building up here [in DC].
Samuel: What’s feeling alive Jewishly for you?
Michael: I don’t do one specific thing for Shabbat or for holidays. It’s about finding where I can fit in. The Judaism is important, but it’s the community building that motivates me. It’s everybody that I’m surrounding myself with. I’m all about continuing to try to branch out and find my Jewish community here.
Samuel: Okay, a couple quick ones to close. What are you bad at?
Michael: I’m bad with hands-on stuff. Building things, drawing things. I’m not an artistic person.
Samuel: What are you feeling proud about?
Michael: The fact that I’m still here. I started my job as an intern, and thought I was going to be gone in five weeks. But I guess they wanted to hang onto me.
Samuel: You’re hosting Shabbat dinner and can invite any three people…or horses, I guess? Who are you bringing?
Michael: I want Sandy Koufax there, from a Jewish sports perspective. Let’s bring Secretariat, to have a horse. And then Tom Hanks.
Samuel: What’s your favorite Tom Hanks movie?
Michael: Forrest Gump.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Michael: We can all feel connected.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog and on this website are solely those of the original authors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the organization GatherDC, the GatherDC staff, the GatherDC board, and/or any/all contributors to this site.
