My name is Ben Sigel (he/him/his), and I am the proud Jewish son of a Puerto Rican mother and a father born in Worcester, Massachusetts. I was raised in Braintree in a middle-class home filled with love, kindness and acceptance.
My father believed in the importance of giving back to this country and the value of public service. He worked for over 40 years for nonprofit organizations and the federal government, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he helped oversee public housing authorities in Taunton and Fall River. After retiring, he continued his passion for public service by working as a substitute teacher at Braintree High School.
My mother dedicated her life to caring for others through her work as a skilled nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Lahey Clinic, and then through her work caring for my brother and I as a stay-at-home mom. In both of these roles, my mother was compassionate and empathetic in providing her patients and my brother and I with the support and confidence we needed.
As one of the few Latino and Jewish kids in my public school system, I experienced firsthand the effects of intolerance and prejudice, which I came to realize are based on false pretenses and ignorance. This realization drove me to work to bring people together, build bridges and strengthen my community. While at Braintree High School and Middlebury College, I was a member of student government, attended Boys State, attained Eagle Scout, and was a NCAA Division I All New England Decathlete. I also was fortunate enough to spend my junior year of college abroad in Israel studying at Hebrew University, where I met my better half Gabrielle.
After college, I decided to fight for progressive ideals by working for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, under Congressman Martin Frost, as Deputy Finance Director for the West Coast, working with Democratic candidates in their attempt to win back the House of Representatives. When Congressman Frost rose in leadership to become Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I joined his staff as Task Force Coordinator, directing and coordinating Members of Congress in creating and promoting a national Democratic agenda and helping organize national policy retreats and weekly policy meetings.
I then went on to receive a Juris Doctorate cum laude and a Masters in Business Administration from American University, where I worked as a research assistant for current Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin. My family moved to Brookline in 2003, where I have worked at several law firms as a litigator, including for the last eight years at Mintz Levin. Most recently, I served as Mintz Levin’s Director of Client and Community Relations – Special Counsel.
Although I love practicing law, ever since I moved to Brookline, I have been driven and passionate about strengthening our communities. I served on the boards and committees of over a dozen non-profit organizations, whose missions aligned with my passion for community building.
While working to strengthen local, national and global Jewish communities, I helped to create the Young Jewish Leaders Council under Combined Jewish Philanthropies. For the first time 40+ young Jewish adult organizations in the Greater Boston area collaborated to network, share best practices, build skills and strengthen the community. I also helped create the Young Leadership Division of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) – ACCESS – both in Boston and nationally, which launched national Jewish-Latino and Jewish-Muslim taskforces for young adults.
I also worked as President of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) in New England, advancing the interests of the Latino legal community and advocating on issues of importance for Latinos locally and nationally. In addition, I have been instrumental in advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives within Mintz Levin as a member of its Diversity Committee and the Steering Committee for the Minority Attorney Affinity Group, within the legal community as a member of the Boston Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and within the broader Boston community through such organizations as Get Konnected!
I am honored to have received numerous awards and recognitions for the work I have done in our community, but I recognize there is so much more to do. So here I am, ready to serve the 4th Congressional District.
My greatest passion and love are my amazing wife and best friend Gabrielle and our 4 beautiful children – Harrison, Siona, Vivienne and Francesca – who are currently attending public schools in Brookline/Brighton. We are proud to be active members of the Washington Square Minyan and Kehillath Israel in Brookline.
Ben has served in the following organizations:
- President, Hispanic National Bar Association Region I & Board of Governors
- Board member, JDC
- Board member, New England Israel Business Council
- Council and former Board member, Jewish Community Relations Council
- Board member, AJC New England
- Trustee, Gann Academy
- Board member, American Society of Haifa University
- Member, CJP Israel and Overseas Commission
- Board member, Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston
- Member, Camp Ramah in New England Governance Committee
- Member, TEDCO Task Force for Women Entrepreneurs
- Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
- Member, Boston Bar Association Diversity and Inclusion Committee
- Member, Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys
- Former ACCESS Global Co-Chair, American Jewish Committee
- Former Co-Chair, AJC ACCESS Latino Jewish Task Force
- Former member, CJP Board of Directors and Governors
- Former Chair, CJP Young Jewish Leadership Council and Young Leadership Division
- Former member, AIPAC Young Leaders Council
- Former member, Camp Ramah Strategic Planning Committee and Board of Advocates
- Former member, Jewish Family & Children’s Service Bet Tzedek Program
- Former Co-Chair – Jewish Family & Children’s Service Basic Needs Challenge
- Former Co-Chair – Jewish Community Center’s JCC@333 Event
- Former Co-Chair – AJC New England’s Diplomatic Seder
- Former Co-Chair, CJP Lawyers and Accountants Dinner
- Former National Board member, American Jewish Committee
- Former Board member, Northeastern School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs
- Former member, ADL Latino-Jewish Roundtable