Dafna Michaelson Jenet is a former Democratic State Senator representing Senate District 21 in Colorado, covering parts of Adams and Arapahoe counties. She previously served eight years in the Colorado House of Representatives for Districts 30 and 32, was appointed to the Senate in 2023 following Sen. Dominick Moreno's resignation, and held leadership roles including President Pro Tempore, Chair of the House Public Health & Human Services Committee, and Vice Chair of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee. Her legislative priorities centered on mental health, youth services, foster care, healthcare access, and education; notable achievements include leading the ballot measure for free school meals for all Colorado kids, creating the I Matter program , mandating Holocaust and genocide education for high school graduation, and requiring insurance coverage for annual mental health exams. Motivated by her son's suicide attempt at age 9, she resigned from the Senate on February 13, 2026, to combat antisemitism full-time. Prior to politics, she co-founded the Journey Institute for community problem-solving training, directed the Holocaust Awareness Institute and March of the Living program at the University of Denver, worked at Denver Health and the Jewish Community Center, and authored books including It Takes a Little Crazy to Make a Difference and Peanut’s Legacy .

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Participated in March of the Living ; specific academic degrees not detailed in records.
• Political Experience: Elected to three terms in the Colorado House ; appointed to Senate District 21 ; served on House Public Health & Human Services, Education, and Legislative Audit Committees, and Senate Health & Human Services and Education Committees; key roles as House committee chair and Senate President Pro Tempore and Vice Chair.