Staying Power

M
arveling over the large ionic columns, regal carpeting, and marble-lined chambers of the Maryland State House — the very building where General George Washington resigned his commission as the Continental Army’s commander — I realized that Maryland’s new state delegate, Dalya Attar, is making history, too.

At the age of 28, this Bais Yaakov alumnus is part of the freshman class that boasts the legislature’s largest group of female lawmakers to ever serve in the Maryland State House. But her biggest claim to fame is being the first elected Orthodox Jewish person to serve in the Maryland legislature, and the highest-ranking elected Orthodox Jewish female in US history.

Shortly after her first session, Dalya shares what motivated her to enter the world of politics and how she manages to juggle professional and family life.

Throwing Her Sheitel into the Ring

Dalya has always paid close attention to the news. “For years, every Friday night after my father and brothers gave a devar Torah, I’d say, ‘It’s my turn,’ ” she recalls. “Then I’d give a summary of the political events from that week, adding in my opinions about what happened.