Rue Landau has always cared about issues of political and social importance, but it was only recently that she decided to try and initiate change as a legislator. The Jewish Philadelphia councilwoman is approaching the end of her first year in office after being elected in 2023.

“At some point, I realized that I could make a significant amount of change as a council person where I could directly influence policies and decisions,” she said. “I used to be an advisor to council on many issues and I decided that I want a seat at the table.”

Landau won a seat on the council as an at-large member in 2023 after picking up endorsements from the Democratic Party of Philadelphia and activist group Reclaim Philadelphia. Prior to that, the Philadelphia-born Landau, who was raised nearby and attended University of Delaware as well as the Temple University Beasley School of Law, worked as a housing activist for a decade as well as serving as director of the city’s Commission on Human Relations and Fair Housing Commission.

Since joining the council, Landau has wasted no time getting to work. One of her first tasks was initiating a hearing to examine a 57-square-block area in the city that is particularly affected by gun violence. As the first open member of the LGBTQ+ community to be elected to the Philadelphia City Council, Landau feels a particular calling to represent the historically marginalized group on the city’s most important governmental body.

“Holding this position has really allowed me to positively impact the [LGBTQ+] community, whether it’s quietly fixing health care issues for the transgender community or more vocally holding a hearing to understand obstacles facing members of the LGBTQ+ community in areas of education and housing and employment,” she said.

However, Landau doesn’t just represent one minority group in her elected role. She is also the face of Jewish Philadelphians on the city council. Landau grew up with one parent from a Conservative background and one parent from a Reform background, and has since moved to practicing Reconstructionist Judaism. Her, her wife Kerry and their son Eli are members of Kol Tzedek in West Philadelphia.

All of these different denominations have offered Landau an interesting perspective on Judaism. Her passion for equality and justice was forged long before her professional career and can in part be credited to her Jewish value system. She said that, through all her worship, there was one Jewish principle that remained constantly with her, serving as a north star in a professional and personal sense.

“The basic principles of tikkun olam really stuck with me, and I have made that my career and life’s work to to do what I can to fix the very significant problems that are out there — whether it’s inefficiency of government, lack of affordable housing, or something else, my theory has always been to start from the ground up, [which means starting] with the community,” she said.

Like many Jewish adults, Landau’s journey to embracing the religion wasn’t linear. She said her experience as a Jewish youth will probably sound familiar to quite a few.

“I wasn’t a big fan of Hebrew school, and that kind of ruined it for me for a while. But when I went to college and met people who really didn’t know any Jewish people and they told me stories from high school about rolling quarters down the hallway towards each other and yelling, ‘Run, Jew, run!’,” she said. “That’s when I realized that there is a problem here and that’s when I went and dug deeper to find more of a Jewish cultural identity, and it’s been a strong guiding force for me ever since.”

Ultimately, this realization and realignment of priorities is what led Landau to Kol Tzedek. The Reconstructionist synagogue is only a couple of decades old, but has maintained a strong sense of activist values since its founding.

“I think between the social justice principles and all of the giving back to the community, [that has led to] the synagogue growing and growing as a place for people to find their spiritual home,” she said.

One principal trait for Landau and Kol Tzedek is intersectionality. While Landau may represent Philadelphia’s Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities individually on the council, she also represents the confluence of these two groups.

“I’m not only Jewish, I’m a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a woman. All of these things factor into who we are and how we navigate the world,” she said. “There’s so many of us who hold multiple identities on the city council, and I think it’s really important to make sure that we are advocating to the best of our ability for all of them. When you look at the intersection of the LGBTQ community and the Jewish community, it’s a small circle, but we exist. I think people appreciate having somebody on council that can not only recognize who they are but also ensure that someone is advocating for the communities and also celebrating our diversity throughout the city.”

The South Philly resident said that even though it is a tenuous time for Jews around the world, there is reason to be optimistic. Locally, Landau said that she has seen a resurgence of Jewish life in the city, particularly in her neighborhood.

“I love that we’re coming back with some establishments like bakeries and restaurants that feel homey, especially in South Philly where I live,” she said.

Landau is not sure what the future holds for her, but she does know one thing: It will take place in Philadelphia.

“I love my job, and I love Philadelphia. I have a lot of plans for what I want to do for the city. One of the biggest issues that I want to tackle going forward is housing affordability and housing insecurity,” she said. “I [have] to really work on making Philadelphia the best place that it can be for the residents who live here.”

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com