J Street

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J Street
J Street Logo
Founder(s) Jeremy Ben Ami
Type 501(c)(4) charitable organization
Headquarters Flag of the United States Washington, D.C.
Key people Jeremy Ben Ami (Executive director)
Franklin Fisher (Advisor)
Daniel Levy (Advisor)
Debra DeLee (Advisor)
Marcia Freedman (Advisor)
Shlomo Ben-Ami (Advisor)
Samuel W. Lewis (Advisor)
Lincoln Chafee (Advisor)
Area served Flag of Israel Israel / Flag of the United States USA
Focus Arab-Israeli conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Method Lobbying
Website www.jstreet.org

J Street is a Jewish nonprofit advocacy group based in the United States that promotes meaningful American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israel conflicts peacefully and diplomatically. J Street supports a new direction for American policy in the Middle East - diplomatic solutions over military ones, including in Iran; multilateral over unilateral approaches to conflict resolution; and dialogue over confrontation with a wide range of countries and actors. J Street Political Action Committee (J Street PAC) is the first and only federal Political Action Committee whose goal is to demonstrate that there is meaningful political and financial support to candidates for federal office from large numbers of Americans who believe a new direction in American policy will advance U.S. interests in the Middle East and promote real peace and security for Israel and the region. [1]

Contents

[edit] Political vision

According to the J Street website, the organization seeks "to change the direction of American policy in the Middle East" and to become "the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement."[1]

J Street supports Israel and its desire for security as the Jewish homeland, as well as the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign state of their own.[1] According to J Street's organizers and supporters, they represent the "consensus" positions of Jewish Americans better than the current, "establishment", pro-Israel umbrella groups like American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) which hold much more hawkish positions than most American Jews. [2][3] Explaining the need for a new advocacy and lobbying group, Executive Director Jeremy Ben Ami stated:

"Over the course of a quarter century of doing American politics, I've seen the way in which the Israel issue plays out. And it greatly disturbs me and it greatly disturbs a very large number of progressive American Jews, who believe very strongly in Israel but feel that the way in which the American Jewish community's voice has been expressed on these issues doesn't reflect our values or opinions. Only the voices of the far right have been heard. They've really hijacked the debate when it comes to Israel."[4]

Alan Solomont, one of the founders of J Street and a former national finance chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and currently a Democratic Party fundraiser, described the need for J Street in the following way:

"We have heard the voices of neocons, and right-of-center Jewish leaders and Christian evangelicals, and the mainstream views of the American Jewish community have not been heard."[3]

[edit] Meaning of name

J Street's rationale is reflected in its unusual name. "K Street," a street in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. and a historical landmark because of the famous powerhouse lobbying firms located on it, has become synonymous for Washington’s formidable lobbying establishment. "J Street," logically the next, parallel street to "K street", does not exist in reality. For historical reasons, it is absent from Washington's downtown street grid. [5] Thus, the choice of the name reflects the desire of J Street's founders and donors to bring a voice to Washington D.C. that they believe, much like the missing "J Street" of the downtown grid, has been absent until now.[2]

[edit] Structure

J Street and J Street PAC, founded in April 2008, exist as separate legal entities with different political functions:

  • J Street - a nonprofit advocacy group registered as a 501(c)(4) charitable group. J Street aims to encourage "support strong American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts peacefully and diplomatically."[1] Because of J Street's charitable status, it is precluded by campaign finance regulations from financially supporting political campaigns of candidates seeking federal office.
  • The J Street PAC - a political action committee capable of making direct political campaign donations. Thus, the J Street PAC will provide political and financial support to candidates who are seeking election or reelection and agree with J Street's goals.[6]

[edit] Management

Jeremy Ben Ami, Executive Director
Jeremy Ben Ami, Executive Director

J Street's founding Executive Director is Jeremy Ben Ami, a former domestic policy adviser in the Clinton Administration.[3] Ben-Ami has deep ties to Israel: His grandparents were among the founders of Tel Aviv, his parents were Israelis, his family suffered in the Holocaust, and he has lived in Israel, where he was almost blown up in a Jerusalem terror attack.[4] Ben Ami has worked for many years with Jewish peace groups, including the Center for Middle East Peace and the Geneva Initiative-North America.[2][7]

J Street's advisory council includes former public officials, policy experts, and community and academic leaders. These include, among others, Daniel Levy, a former high-ranking Israeli official who was the lead drafter of the groundbreaking Geneva Initiative, Franklin Fisher and Debra DeLee of Americans for Peace Now, Marcia Freedman of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, Democratic Middle East foreign policy expert Robert Malley, former Israeli foreign minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Samuel W. Lewis and former US Senator Lincoln Chafee.[7][8]

[edit] Activities

J Street plans activities in two realms:

Political fund raising

First, the J Street PAC will act as a a traditional political action committee raising funds to support a limited number of candidates for Senate and Congressional races.

In the current election cycle, the J Street PAC hopes to raise around $300,000 to funnel into three to five races in which it can make a significant impact in swing districts. It will devote efforts to choosing races in which there is a weak incumbent with an anti-peace agenda running against a candidate who is open to J Street's political agenda.[9] Norm Coleman, a Republican Senator from Minnesota, will be high on J Street's list since he is such a weak incumbent and is opposed by Al Franken, who is sympathetic to a pro-peace agenda regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[9]

Capital hill lobbying

Second, J Street will lobby for and against Israel-related bills and legislation.

J Street's first-year budget for fiscal 2009 is $1.5 million.[7] This may seem a low figure compared to AIPAC's endowment of more than $100 million, writes according to Gary Kamiya[4], but the Internet revolution in politics has changed the rules of the game. J Street founders hope to raise significant money online, following in the successful footsteps of MoveOn and the Barack Obama campaign.[4]

[edit] Letter of support from prominent Israeli leaders

Many prominent Israeli political, military and civic leaders have signed a letter in support of J Street.[10] Signatories include:

The letter reads:

As Israelis dedicated to our country, its future, security and progress, we are pleased to learn of the creation of J Street, a new American movement to support strong U.S. leadership in achieving immediate, peaceful resolution of Israel 's conflicts with its neighbors.
Ending the Israeli-Palestinian and the broader Israeli-Arab conflict quickly and diplomatically is an essential national and security interest of the State of Israel – as well as of the United States, the Palestinians and the region as a whole. Only a negotiated, political resolution to these conflicts will ensure Israel's lasting security and viability as a democratic, prosperous home for the Jewish people.
Now more than ever, true friendship requires strong American leadership and engagement to move the sides toward a comprehensive two-state solution. With time running out, business-as-usual will not do.
To achieve these goals, all parties – including the United States – will be called on to demonstrate political will and courage. The emergence of a movement in the United States which understands and is willing to provide political support for difficult compromises is essential to fostering that political will. In our opinion, such a movement is in Israel's best interests.
We deeply value the historic role of the United States as a staunch ally and irreplaceable friend of Israel's. We also value the role the American Jewish community and other American friends have played in strengthening and deepening that bond.
Being a friend and ally – being "pro-Israel" – means caring enough to get involved, express views and concerns, and provide advice. It does not require rigid agreement with every decision ever made or every policy pursued by the government of Israel or of the United States. Debate and discussion are essential to democracy and should be part of the relationship between Israel and Jewish people elsewhere in the world.
The ideas that J Street is promoting (a viable two-state solution, regional peace based on withdrawal to recognized borders with strict security arrangements, and normal relations between Israel and the broader Arab world along the lines of the Arab-Saudi Peace Initiative) have become consensus positions among Israelis. Yet, within that consensus, there is always vigorous and open discussion in Israel over how best to promote our security and interests. Our country is stronger for the robustness of this debate.
There is every reason to believe that a similarly open discussion in the United States will also be in Israel's best interests. We see in the creation of J Street, an expression of support for and commitment to the State of Israel and to a strong and enduring U.S.- Israel relationship. Hopefully, your efforts will help us achieve our country's greatest hope: peace with our neighbors and permanent, recognized and secure borders through a diplomatic end to the conflicts that have plagued our people and inflamed the region for far too long.[10]

[edit] Public response

Israeli-American writer and analyst Gershom Gorenberg wrote in the American Prospect that J Street "might change not only the political map in Washington but the actual map in the middle east."[11] On the negative side, Noah Pollak at Commentary Magazine predicted that the effort would fall flat and show there are no "great battalions of American Jewish doves languishing in voicelessness."[12]

Ken Wald, a political scientist at University of Florida, predicted the group would be attacked by the "Jewish right." According to BBC News, Wald warned that J Street "will get hammered and accused of being anti-Israel. A lot will have to do with the way they actually frame their arguments."[2][7]

James Kirchick, writing in the The New Republic, called J Street's labeling of AIPAC as "right wing" "ridiculous"; Kirchik says that AIPAC's former president told him that AIPAC was the first American Jewish organization to support Oslo and supports a two-state solution. Kirchick further asserts that some of J Street's positions, such as advocating negotiations with Hamas, are not popular with most American Jews.[13] Jeremy Ben-Ami responded to Kirchick's charges during a May 26 2008 interview published in Haaretz Magazine.[14]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d "About J Street", J Street. Retrieved on 2008-04-29. 
  2. ^ a b c d Besser, James. "New PAC To Offer Pols A Dovish Mideast View", The Jewish Week, 2008-03-26. Retrieved on 2008-04-29. 
  3. ^ a b c Abramowitz, Michael. "Jewish Liberals to Launch A Counterpoint to AIPAC", The Washington Post, 2008-04-15. Retrieved on 2008-04-29. 
  4. ^ a b c d Kamiya, Gary. "Taking Back the Debate Over Israel", Salon.com, 2008-04-29. Retrieved on 2008-04-30. 
  5. ^ "No 'J' Street in Washington, DC", Snopes, 2007-05-27. Retrieved on 2008-04-30. 
  6. ^ "About the J Street PAC", J Street Political Action Committee. Retrieved on 2008-04-20. 
  7. ^ a b c d Deveson, Max. "Jewish lobby gains new voice", BBC News, 2008-04-16. Retrieved on 2008-04-26. 
  8. ^ "The J Street Advisory Council", J Street. Retrieved on 2008-04-29. 
  9. ^ a b Silverstein, Richard. "J Street, New Israel Peace Lobby, Launches", www.richardsilverstein.com, 2008-04-17. Retrieved on 2008-05-05. 
  10. ^ a b Silverstein, Richard. "New Kid on the Block", The Guardian, 2008-04-15. Retrieved on 2008-04-30. 
  11. ^ Gorenberg, Gershom. "J Street on the Map", American Prospect, 2008-04-15. Retrieved on 2008-04-30. 
  12. ^ Pollak, Noah. "Taking It to the (J) Street", Commentary Magazine, 2008-04-15. Retrieved on 2008-05-02. 
  13. ^ Street Cred? Who does the new Israel lobby really represent?
  14. ^ Rosner, Shmuel. "Rosner's Guest: Jeremy Ben-Ami", Haaretz, 2008-05-26. Retrieved on 2008-05-26. 

[edit] Further reading

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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