Wow, I just did a Google search and it's not a cactus...lol.. But it still is a very nice plant and I was looking at the wrong thing in your pic. My mom had one of these when I was a kid and my older cousin would break the leaves so she could stick me with the point on it. OUCH!!!
yes it is, it doesn't require a lot of water and I'm sorry I don't particularly know what the climate is like in New Jersey but I live in Missouri and the climate here at times can be pretty nasty. Very very humid summers and cold winters and my yuccas seem to do just fine.