feature story
TWO JEWISH CANDIDATES
IN DEAD HEAT
for Lehigh Valley Congressional Seat
I campaign.

Scheller said that it’s her Jewish faith that is motivat-
ing her to run. She calls Judaism “the bedrock” of her
life. She says she prays every morning to thank God for
both “the good and the bad.”
“Th rough it all, I’ve lived a blessed life, and my faith
has taught me to give back to my community — some-
thing I strive to do every day,” Scheller said.

Wild, whose fi rst husband was Jewish, converted to
Judaism during her son’s bar mitzvah process. And she
has said before that religion motivates her. In 2019, she
talked about her conversion experience on the Jewish
Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Jewish Philly podcast.

“I like the emphasis in the Jewish religion on tzeda-
kah, for instance, doing well for others, compassion for
others. Th at was the initial attraction,” she said.

Wild defeated Scheller by 14,144 votes when they ran
against each other in PA-7 in 2020. And the two-term
incumbent holds a 1-point lead in 2022 — a virtual
dead heat — according to the latest poll conducted by
And that, according to voters in this mountainous
region, may end up making a diff erence.

“I prefer Lisa Scheller, and the reason for that is: I’m
tired of (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi,” said Sue Bentz,
an Allentown resident.

Bentz was walking into a Weis Markets location in
a shopping center on Cedar Crest Boulevard, outside
of downtown Allentown. She explained that she was
a lifelong Democrat; she voted for John F. Kennedy in
the 1960 presidential election, and she was going to vote
Republican for the fi rst time this year.

Bentz admitted to not knowing much about Wild and
Scheller. But she did say that she prefers Scheller because
the Republican is a businesswoman. Scheller is the CEO
of her family’s company, Silberline Manufacturing,
which makes aluminum eff ect pigments used in paints
and coatings.

“I think Susan Wild is a politician,” Bentz said. “I’m
sick of politicians.”
Diana Rosamilia, a Bethlehem Township resident, is
Having two Jewish
candidates compete for
a seat in Congress is a
rarity, considering there
are only 27 Jewish
members. Lisa Scheller
Muhlenberg College and Th e Morning Call, both in
Allentown. But there may be one key diff erence this time around.

Th e 2020 political season ended up belonging to the
Democrats, with the party holding the House and
winning the Senate and presidency. Th e 2022 season,
though, looks like it may belong to Republicans in
part due to high crime rates and infl ation — and the
usual trend of the party not in power making gains in
non-presidential election years.

Photo by Jonathan Silbert
Courtesy of the Scheller Campaign
PhotoGranary / AdobeStock
f you take a lap around downtown Allentown,
Easton or Bethlehem, the three Lehigh Valley metro
centers, you may not meet too many people who
know the names of Susan Wild and Lisa Scheller.

Th e Jewish Exponent tried and, to a large degree,
failed. “Who are they again?” went one common response.

“I’m not political,” went another.

“I have somewhere to be,” went a third.

Wild, a Jewish Democrat, is the district’s represen-
tative in the United States Congress. Scheller, a Jewish
Republican, is her challenger in the Nov. 8 election.

Th e Eastern Pennsylvania district consists of Carbon,
Lehigh and Northampton counties, as well as a portion
of Monroe County to the north, totaling more than
730,000 residents.

Having two Jewish candidates compete for a seat in
Congress is a rarity, considering there are only 27 Jewish
members, according to Th e Morning Call.

And both candidates say their religion plays into the
JARRAD SAFFREN | STAFF WRITER
U.S. Rep. Susan Wild
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 19