Meet Elijah

Elijah Reichlin-Melnick was born and raised in Nyack, NY and has lived in Rockland County for almost his whole life. 

Elected to the New York State Senate in 2020, during his two year term in the senate, Elijah was the most productive first term Senator of either party, introducing and passing 90 bills, more than any of his freshman colleagues. Among the legislation he introduced and passed were bills to keep kids safe from gun violence at school, protect them from lead exposure, and require insurance companies to provide funding for crucial “early intervention” services for children. He also restored vital oversight of state contracts worth billions of dollars, and provided a 10% property tax credit for volunteer fire and EMS workers.

After years of hearing politicians talk about tax relief in Albany, Elijah made tax relief a priority and voted to reduce income taxes for middle class families, pass along over $3 billion in property tax relief to middle class and working families, and made major strides in providing an equitable amount of funding for public schools, helping kids get the education they deserve and allowing school districts to maintain programs and services without hiking taxes.

Elijah funded local communities, bringing back more than $10 million in state grant funding to Rockland infrastructure projects, parks, playgrounds, law enforcement agencies, non-profit organizations, fire departments, EMS companies, libraries, and more.

Prior to his time in the Senate, Elijah pursued a varied career of public service. After beginning his career as an elementary school teacher in an inner-city school, he subsequently worked for elected officials at the federal, state, and local level, and as a regional planner for a non-profit organization, before getting elected as a Village Trustee in Nyack. He received his bachelor's from Cornell University and holds a Masters of City & Regional Planning from Rutgers University.

Elijah also serves on the Board of Directors of several local non-profit organizations focused on improving Rockland and preserving our heritage, including VCS of Rockland, the Historical Society of Rockland County, the Phoenix Theater Festival, and as a member of the Community Relations Council for the Jewish Federation of Rockland. Outside of work, Elijah is an avid nature photographer, hiker, and amateur pianist. He lives in Nyack with his wife Shelley and daughter Sophie, who arrived in June, 2022.