Jake was born and raised in the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District he now represents, the son of a surgeon and a scientist. They taught him the values of curiosity and integrity. He and his older brother and sister grew up in the Jewish faith tradition and attended the Newton Public Schools. His 2nd-grade teacher saw he loved to read and gave him books on United States history. He was hooked.
Jake is committed to confronting racism, and has helped initiate this work right here in Newton. On the city council, Jake led a review of the Newton Police Department’s policies surrounding use of force and joined his colleagues in backing the police reform Task Force. In his op-ed in WBUR’s Cognoscenti, Jake calls for a demilitarization of our police and advocates for a review of police functions through the lens of race. In Congress, Jake will champion anti-racist policy as we work towards this country’s core aspiration: equal justice and equal opportunity for all.