A bipartisan group of more than 30 Jewish state legislators from around the country attended a breakfast discussion Wednesday about anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions legislation and other key topics, hosted by JUF and ADL.

Anti-BDS legislation was one of the primary focuses, an area in which Illinois led the way with the creation of last year’s anti-BDS law. Strategies and experience passing such legislation varied from state to state, but participants agreed on the importance of taking a public stand against the BDS movement.

Time was also spent discussing the tone of the current political campaigns and ways to distinguish oneself from the sentiment behind the language.

The discussion was part of the National Conference of State Legislatures, which took place this week in Chicago. More than 25 states were represented at the gathering including Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and, of course, Illinois.

“We rely on our strong partnership with our Jewish Caucus in the Illinois Legislature to help us advocate on behalf of the social justice goals of our Jewish community, the funding needs of our network of affiliated agencies who receive more than $350 million in government funds annually, and our support for Israel,” said David Golder, chair of the JUF Government Affairs Committee, in his welcome to group.

According to NAJL Executive Director Jeff Wice, there are over 225 Jewish state legislators currently serving in office, and that number keeps growing as Jewish candidates get elected from both urban and rural districts in the majority of states.

“I expect the number to grow after the November elections,” Wice said.