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Wikipedia

J Street

J Street (Hebrew: ג'יי סטריט) is a nonprofit liberal[4][5][6] advocacy group based in the United States whose stated aim is to promote American leadership to end the Arab–Israeli and Israeli–Palestinian conflicts peacefully and diplomatically. J Street was incorporated on November 29, 2007.[1]

J Street
FoundedNovember 29, 2007; 16 years ago (2007-11-29)[1]
FounderJeremy Ben-Ami
Type501(c)(4) organization
26-1507828[2]
FocusArab–Israeli conflict
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Location
Area served
MethodLobbying
Jeremy Ben-Ami[2]
Morton Halperin[2]
Key people
Franklin Fisher (advisor)
Daniel Levy (advisor)
Debra DeLee (advisor)
Marcia Freedman (advisor)
Shlomo Ben-Ami (advisor)
Samuel W. Lewis (advisor)
Lincoln Chafee (advisor)
SubsidiariesJ Street Education Fund,
J Street PAC[2]
Revenue (2014)
$2,418,969[2]
Expenses (2014)$2,207,771[2]
Employees (2014)
59[2]
Volunteers (2014)
40[2]
Websitejstreet.org
J Street Education Fund
20-2777557[3]
Legal status501(c)(3) organication
Jeremy Ben-Ami[3]
Morton Halperin[3]
Revenue (2014)
$4,955,262[3]
Expenses (2014)$4,671,950[3]
Employees (2014)
0[3]
Volunteers (2014)
40[3]

According to J Street, its political action committee, the 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".[7]

J Street describes itself as "the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the Jewish people ... advocat[ing] policies that advance shared US and Israeli interests as well as Jewish and democratic values, leading to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict".[7] Critics from the right allege that J Street and the policies they support are anti-Israel.[8][9][10]

Etymology

J Street, as an American lobby organization aimed at Washington leaders and policymakers, derived its name from the alphabetically named street plan of Washington, D.C.: J Street is missing from the grid (the street naming jumps from I Street to K Street since I and J were not yet considered to be distinct letters at the time the Washington street plan was created).[11] Also, by association, the letter J is a reference to "Jewish". Further, K Street is a street in downtown Washington on which many influential lobbying firms are located, and that become synonymous for Washington's formidable lobbying establishment. Consequently, the choice of the name reflects the desire of J Street's founders and donors to bring a message to Washington that, metaphorically like the missing "J Street" of the D.C. grid, has thus far been absent.[12]

Political vision

J Street's stated aim is to provide a political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans who believe that a "two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essential to Israel's survival as the national home of the Jewish people and as a vibrant democracy". J Street has a two-fold mission: first, to advocate for urgent American diplomatic leadership to achieve a two-state solution and a broader regional, comprehensive peace and, second, to ensure a broad debate on Israel and the Middle East in national politics and the American Jewish community.[7] In 2011, J Street opposed recognizing Palestine as an independent state at the United Nations.[13]

J Street "recognizes and supports Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people"[14] and Israel's "desire for security as the Jewish homeland, as well as the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign state of their own".[7] According to its executive director, Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street is neither pro- nor anti- any individual organization or other pro-Israel umbrella groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He says J Street is proud of AIPAC's many accomplishments and clarified that the two groups have different priorities rather than different views.[4][12][15]

Explaining the need for a new advocacy and lobbying group, Ben-Ami stated: "J Street has been started, however, because there has not been sufficient vocal and political advocacy on behalf of the view that Israel's interests will be best served when the United States makes it a major foreign policy priority to help Israel achieve a real and lasting peace not only with the Palestinians but with all its neighbors."[16]

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."[4] During its first conference, Ben-Ami said, "The party and the viewpoint that we're closest to in Israeli politics is actually Kadima." Kadima MK Meir Sheetrit, who attended the conference, said, "They are more left than Kadima, but on this main issue, which is peace, I think we agree."[17]

The Washington Post described the perceived differences between J Street and AIPAC: "While both groups call themselves bipartisan, AIPAC has won support from an overwhelming majority of Republican Jews, while J Street is presenting itself as an alternative for Democrats who have grown uncomfortable with both Netanyahu's policies and the conservatives' flocking to AIPAC."[18]

J Street endorsed the nuclear disarmament deal with Iran, which Obama supported and Netanyahu and AIPAC opposed. In 2016 the political focus of J Street was to unseat Republican senators who led U.S. Congressional opposition to the Iran deal.[19] When The Forward solicited opinions of the completed Iran deal from American Jewish organizations, some were critical, but J Street stated: "For the first time in nearly a decade, Iran does not have the nuclear material needed to build even a single bomb. That makes Americans, Israelis and the Iranian people themselves immeasurably safer. ... That Iran has completed these steps—and granted international inspectors the unprecedented access necessary to verify and continuously monitor compliance on an ongoing basis—in an unexpectedly short period of time is further proof of the power of tough, effective diplomacy in addressing some of our most serious security concerns."[20]

Structure

 
J Street logo, 2007–2016
 
J Street PAC logo, 2007–2016
 
J Street PAC logo since 2016
 
J Street U logo, 2007–2016
 
J Street U logo since 2016

J Street and J Street PAC, founded in April 2008, exist as separate legal entities with different political functions. The J Street Education Fund joined the J Street family of organizations in 2009:

  • J Street – a nonprofit advocacy group registered as a 501(c)(4) social welfare group. J Street aims to encourage and "support strong American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts peacefully and diplomatically".[7]
  • 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.[21]
  • The J Street Education Fund, Inc. – a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It aims to educate targeted communities about the need for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, raise the visibility of a mainstream pro-Israel, pro-peace presence within the American Jewish community, and promote open, dynamic and spirited conversation about how to best advance the interests and future of a democratic, Jewish Israel. J Street Local, J Street's national field program and J Street U (formerly Union of Progressive Zionists), J Street's on campus movement are programs of the J Street Education Fund.
  • J Street U – the student organizing arm of J Street, organizing chapters on university and college campuses.[22]

Management

J Street's founding executive director is Jeremy Ben-Ami, a former domestic policy adviser in the Clinton Administration.[4] Ben-Ami's 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 killed in a Jerusalem terror attack.[16] Ben-Ami has worked for many years with Jewish peace groups, including the Center for Middle East Peace and the Geneva Accord.[12][23]

Advisory council

J Street's advisory council consists of former public officials, policy experts, community leaders and academics, including 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, former Rhode Island Governor and Republican U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee.[23][24] and Hannah Rosenthal, former head of the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.

Rabbinic cabinet

J Street's rabbinic cabinet consists of North American rabbis, cantors and cantorial students. The group is co-chaired by Rabbis John Rosove (Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel of Hollywood) and John Friedman (rabbi of Judea Reform Congregation in Durham, North Carolina).[25]

Activities

Political fundraising

The J Street PAC acts as a traditional political action committee raising funds to support a limited number of candidates for Senate and Congressional races.

For the 2008 Congressional elections, the J Street PAC raised $600,000 and, according to J Street, 33 of the 41 candidates it backed won their seats.[26]

In 2010, J Street PAC endorsed 61 candidates — 3 for the Senate and 58 for the House. 45 of the PAC's candidates won. The J Street PAC distributed over $1.5 million to its candidates, more than any other pro-Israel PAC in the two-year cycle.

In the 2014 election cycle, J Street PAC contributed over $2.4 million to its 95 endorsed candidates, the most in history by a pro-Israel PAC.[27]

In the 2016 election cycle, J Street PAC distributed $3.6 million to its 124 endorsed candidates, and not a single incumbent Iran deal supporter was unseated by a deal detractor.[28]

Critics have pointed out that according to Federal Election Commission filings in 2009, dozens of Arab and Muslim Americans and Iranian advocacy organizations donated tens of thousands of dollars to J Street, representing "a small fraction" of the group's fund-raising. Donors included Lebanese-American businessman Richard Abdoo, who is a board member of Amideast and a former board member of the Arab American Institute, and Genevieve Lynch, who is also a member of the National Iranian American Council board. In response, Ben-Ami noted that J Street does not impose a religious or ethnic test to donations. "It would be a very big mistake for pro-Israel organizations to apply a religious or ethnic litmus test for support for Israel from other Americans. I don't think anybody checked to see whether [Pastor] John Hagee was Jewish before he was invited to keynote the AIPAC conference," he said. "I don't think we should be banning Christians, I don't think we should be banning Muslims, I don't think we should be banning Arabs from finding a way to support Israel, to support its right to exist and to support a program that is designed to secure the future." Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League noted that the ADL also receives donations from non-Jews and does not apply a religious test to donors.[29] More than 20% of the citizens of Israel are Arab,[30] most of whom are Muslim.

Lobbying

J Street lobbies for and against Israel-related bills and legislation.

J Street's first-year budget for fiscal 2009 was $1.5 million.[23] This is a modest figure for a PAC, though Gary Kamiya writes that J Street hopes to raise significant money online, following the blueprint of MoveOn and the Barack Obama presidential campaign.[16]

Other projects and activities

In May 2012, a J Street delegation visited with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, headed by Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami.[31]

J Street started a special website and project, . It criticizes the Emergency Committee for Israel, a right-wing advocacy group that William Kristol and Gary Bauer, inspired by J Street, created.[32][33] "They Don't Speak For Us" describes the ECI as "just plain out of touch" and "far outside the mainstream" of the pro-Israel Jewish community.[34]

In November 2012, J Street lobbied the U.S. Senate against a group of bills that would have penalized the Palestinian National Authority if it used its recently elevated status of "observer" at the United Nations to bring international charges against Israel. J Street supporters made 1000 telephone calls and sent 15,000 e-mail messages against the bills, which failed to pass.[35]

In July 2010 J Street supported the construction of the Cordoba House cultural center and mosque near the World Trade Center site in New York.[36] President Jeremy Ben-Ami released a statement saying:

The principle at stake ... goes to the heart of American democracy, and the value we place on freedom of religion. Should one religious group in this country be treated differently than another? We believe the answer is no. ... proposing a church or a synagogue for that site would raise no questions. The Muslim community has an equal right to build a community center wherever it is legal to do so.[37]

Relationship with Israeli and U.S. governments

According to Nathan Guttman, "J Street and its supporters have never made a secret of their opposition to Netanyahu and his policies."[38] On October 22, 2009, then–opposition leader of the Knesset, Tzipi Livni, sent a letter congratulating J Street on its inaugural event. She said she would not be able to attend but that Kadima would be "well represented" by Meir Sheetrit, Shlomo Molla, and Haim Ramon.[39]

The Israeli Embassy stated that Ambassador Michael Oren would not attend J Street's first national conference because J Street supports positions that may "impair" Israel's interest.[40][41] Oren continued his criticism after the conference, telling Conservative rabbis meeting in Philadelphia that J Street "is a unique problem in that it not only opposes one policy of one Israeli government, it opposes all policies of all Israeli governments. It's significantly out of the mainstream."[42] Hannah Rosenthal, head of the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism in the Obama Administration, criticized Oren, saying his comments were "most unfortunate".[43] After several American Jewish groups criticized Rosenthal, the U.S. State Department said that "Rosenthal has the complete support of the department."[44] In April 2010, Oren had a meeting with J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami to discuss the issues.[45] After leaving his role as Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and campaigning for an MK position in the Knesset, Oren described his view as follows: "We have to understand that people who aren't anti-Israel have criticisms of specific Israeli policies. We have to show greater flexibility on the peace issue. Israel is willing to go a serious distance on peace."[46]

In February 2010 the Israeli Foreign Ministry refused to meet with visiting U.S. congressmembers being escorted by J Street on a visit to Israel unless members of Congress attended the meeting without their J Street escorts.[47] Addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon said "The thing that troubles me is that they don't present themselves as to what they really are. They should not call themselves pro-Israeli."[48] In Haaretz, columnist Bradley Burston wrote that the Foreign Ministry's refusal to meet with the U.S. congressmembers was "a gratuitous move breathtaking in its haughtiness, its ignorance of and disrespect for the United States and the American Jewish community". He said that the Foreign Ministry considered J Street "guilty of the crime of explicitly calling itself pro-Israel, while not agreeing wholeheartedly with everything the government of Israel says and does".[49] Haviv Rettig Gur, writing in The Jerusalem Post, said that "J Street won a small victory" in the incident. "If American legislators with pro-Israel records say J Street is kosher", Gur wrote, "that creates a new political reality with which the Israeli Right must contend."[50]

The Foreign Ministry said J Street's assertions that Ayalon refused to meet with members of the U.S. Congress and that he later apologized were untrue, and that they were a fund-raising publicity stunt and a "premeditated public relations circus". Barukh Binah, Foreign Ministry deputy director-general and head of its North America Division said that Ayalon did not prevent any meetings between the J Street group and Israeli high officials and that Ayalon was never on the delegation's schedule. J Street said its information was based on news reports in Yedioth Ahronoth and Maariv.[51]

During a panel organized by the Knesset Immigration, Absorption and Public Diplomacy Committee, MK Danny Danon (Likud) and MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) argued that J Street was not a pro-Israel organization, and proposed a statement to that effect which did not pass.[52][53] Jeffrey Goldberg at The Atlantic described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated refusal to meet with representatives of J Street as a "farce" and added: "He should argue with J Street, yell at J Street, grapple with J Street, but most of all meet with J Street. Those Israelis, and those American Jews, who believe that J Street, and the spirit it represents, are fleeting phenomena have absolutely no idea what is happening in the Jewish world.[53]

In May 2013, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli government appears to be building closer ties to J Street, with a group of J Street representatives scheduled to meet, for the first time, members of the government, including President Shimon Peres.[54]

On March 17, 2015, Netanyahu won a resounding victory in Israeli elections. His denial of a two state solution happening on his watch and comments he made that are considered by some to be "racist" motivated J Street at its convention to make clear its opposition to the occupation, opposition to BDS, opposition to American Jewish support of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and to efforts by organizations like Hillel to limit the discussion on Israel and the peace process. Liberal Knesset Member Stav Shaffir encouraged J Street to hone the message of the pro-peace camp in Israel as well as the U.S., and she "brought the crowd to its feet repeatedly as she described the battle ahead for a two-state solution". J Street followed Obama's lead in considering international alternatives to direct negotiations between the Israeli government and Palestinians.[55]

In February 2017, The New York Times reported that David Friedman, U.S. President Donald Trump's pick to be Ambassador to Israel, would formally apologize for previously labeling supporters of J Street as "worse than kapos" during his conformation hearing.[56] J Street urged those who oppose Friedman's appointment to write to their senators and reject his nomination,[57] and alongside a number of progressive organizations collected more than 600 signatures from American rabbis and cantors who opposed Friedman's appointment.[58]

Funding

Confidential IRS documents obtained by The Washington Times in 2010 showed that George Soros had been a donor to J Street since 2008. The approximately $750,000 from Soros and his family, together with donations from Hong Kong-based businesswoman Ms. Consolacion Esdicul, amounted to about 15% of J Street's funding in its early years.[59] In previous statements and on its web site J Street had seemed to deny receiving support from foreign interests and from Soros, a bête noire to conservatives.[60][61] Jeremy Ben-Ami apologized for earlier "misleading" statements regarding funding from Soros. Ben-Ami also clarified that donors to 501(c)(4) organizations are promised confidentiality by law and challenged critics to make public the contributors to opposing organizations.[62] Rabbi Steve Gutow, a president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, called J Street "irresponsible" for its handling of the issue.[60]

In August 2022, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) tweeted that "George Soros has a long history of backing anti-Israel groups...Now he’s giving $1 million to help @jstreetdotorg support anti-Israel candidates and attack pro-Israel Democrats. AIPAC works to strengthen pro-Israel mainstream Democrats. J Street & Soros work to undermine them." In response to the tweet, the left-wing Jewish organization IfNotNow denounced AIPAC for antisemitism, tweeting that "AIPAC is the antisemitic far right...They are not a Jewish org, nor claim to be one."[63][64]

Reception

In March 2015 The Forward said of J Street: "There's no doubt that J Street has shaken up American Jewry. Since its inception in 2008 as a lobby, political action committee, educational group and student movement, the organization has disrupted the debate about what it means to be pro-Israel."[65] NPR's Mara Liasson reported from the J Street conference that took place shortly after Israel's March 17, 2015 elections, in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised voters there would be no Palestinian state on his watch. Noting the American Jewish community was as divided as the Israeli voters, Liasson described J Street's role in American Jewish dialog on Israel: "In the debate now raging in the Jewish community in the United States, J Street is the pro-two-state group and anti-Netanyahu, pro-nuclear-deal and generally much more supportive of Obama than AIPAC is."[66]

At its beginning, J Street's role in American Jewish dialog was debated. When J Street was initially founded, 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".[67] Noah Pollak at Commentary predicted that the effort would fall flat and show there are no "great battalions of American Jewish doves languishing in voicelessness".[68]

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 would "get hammered and accused of being anti-Israel. A lot will have to do with the way they actually frame their arguments."[12][23]

James Kirchick, writing in The New Republic, called J Street's labeling of AIPAC as "right wing" "ridiculous"; Kirchick 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.[69] According to a March 2008 Haaretz-Dialog poll the majority of Israelis do support direct talks with Hamas,[70] although this referred solely to the issue of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.[71] Jeremy Ben-Ami responded to Kirchick's charges during a May 26, 2008, interview published in Haaretz Magazine.[15] Kirchick also reacted against J Streets endorsement of the play Seven Jewish Children, which many critics consider antisemitic.[72][73][74][75][76] "To J Street, the inflammatory message of Seven Jewish Children is precisely what makes it worthy of production," he charges.[72]

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, called J Street's reaction[77] to the Israeli invasion of Gaza "morally deficient, profoundly out of touch with Jewish sentiment and also appallingly naïve".[78] J Street responded stating, "It is hard for us to understand how the leading reform rabbi in North America could call our effort to articulate a nuanced view on these difficult issues 'morally deficient'. If our views are 'naive' and 'morally deficient', then so are the views of scores of Israeli journalists, security analysts, distinguished authors, and retired IDF officers who have posed the same questions about the Gaza attack as we have."[79] Despite this rebuttal, J Street subsequently invited Yoffie to its 2009 convention, and he subsequently praised the organization's stance on the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, which was closer to that of other American Jewish organizations.[80]

In April 2009, The Washington Post called J Street "Washington's leading pro-Israel PAC", citing the group's impressive fund raising efforts in its first year and its record of electoral success, including 33 victories by J Street-supported candidates for Congress.[5]

According to Caroline Glick, deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, J Street is anything but pro-Israel: "Through their actions, J Street and its allies have made clear that their institutional interests are served by weakening Israel. Their mission is to harm Israel's standing in Washington and weaken the influence of the mainstream American Jewish community that supports Israel."

Lenny Ben-David, former director of the Israeli branch of AIPAC, said J Street hides "its real anti-Israel face behind a 'pro-Israel' mask".[81]

Shmuel Rosner questioned whether J Street actually represents U.S. Jewry.[82] Noah Pollak questioned the veracity of their polling.[83] Barry Rubin suggested that J Street is an anti-Israel front for Iranian interests, masquerading as a Zionist organization.[84]

Responding to charges made by Ben-Ami in his book, A New Voice for Israel: Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish Nation, that he and others have stifled critical debate within the Jewish community, political commentator Alan Dershowitz said, "It is a fraud in advertising to call J Street pro-Israel." In addition, Dershowitz said that "J Street has done more damage to Israel than any [other] American organization." In response to Dershowitz's comments, J Street's director of government affairs, Dylan Williams, stated that "Alan Dershowitz's comments provide ample evidence of the self-censorship of the American Jewish community from within concerning the real dangers facing Israel."[9]

Dershowitz, in June 2012, said that J Street is "completely undercutting the Obama policy" with regards to the US position on a military option against the Iranian nuclear program, since J Street has said that it opposes a military option, while both the US and Israel have said it "must be kept on the table". In addition, he said that, "absolutely no good has come from J Street's soft policy on Iran. Either J Street must change its policy, or truth in advertising requires that it no longer proclaim itself a friend of Israel, a friend of peace, a friend of truth, or a friend of the Obama administration."[85]

In an April 2012 interview, Norman Finkelstein described J Street as the "loyal opposition" to the Israel lobby. He said the group was politically aligned with Kadima, a political party in the Knesset that opposed Israel's governing coalition. Finkelstein also said J Street's leadership was "hopeless".[86]

Chuck Freilich, former deputy national security adviser in Israel, writing in The Jerusalem Post in February 2013, said, "J Street leads only to a dead end", since "only Israelis bear the responsibility for determining their future."[87]

The Economist writes that many liberal Jews in America are opposed to the occupation and distressed by Israel's increasing religious nationalism. The younger generation is therefore gravitating to organizations like J Street, whose dovish members include former officials of President Clinton's and President Obama's administrations. While earlier generations of Americans saw Israel as a plucky David battling Goliath, younger Americans now see a powerful Israel occupying the West Bank. "But the existence of a mainstream Jewish group that criticizes Israeli policy has made it easier to dissent without being painted as an enemy of Israel or even anti-Semitic."[88]

Controversy

On September 30, 2010, The Washington Times reported that J Street facilitated meetings between South African judge Richard Goldstone and members of Congress in November 2009, causing Jeremy Ben-Ami to tell The Jerusalem Post on October 1, 2010, that his staff had made "two or three" such phone calls to U.S. politicians and relayed their response onward, but that after those initial inquiries were made, his organization decided not to become involved because of Israel's attitude toward Goldstone, saying "J Street did not host, arrange or facilitate Judge Richard Goldstone's visit."[89] It was reported that Colette Avital, former member of the Knesset from the center-left Labor Party and a J Street liaison in Israel said that one of the reasons she resigned from J Street was its connection with Goldstone.[90] However, this was later denied by Avital herself.[91]

On December 30, 2010, The Washington Times reported that J Street "paid tens of thousands of dollars to a consulting firm co-owned by its founder and president, Jeremy Ben-Ami". "Even if it's technically legal, it gets very messy when you have these sorts of deals going on because, if you're going to benefit on the other end of it, be it 100 percent or 5 percent, it raises questions about objectivity and the arm's length in the transaction," said Ken Berger, president of Charity Navigator. "Mr. Ben-Ami declined repeated interview requests, but provided a statement through a spokesman: 'I founded Ben-Or together with Oriella Ben-Zvi in 1998. When I left in 2000, I relinquished all rights to ongoing compensation from Ben-Or in any form. I have received no payments from the company in the past 11 years and have had no role in the management or operation of the firm.'"[92]

In January 2011, liberal Jewish congressman Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., cut ties with J Street over J Street's recommendation to the Obama administration not to veto a proposed U.N. resolution condemning Israel, saying "I've come to the conclusion that J Street is not an organization with which I wish to be associated." He also said, "The decision to endorse the Palestinian and Arab effort to condemn Israel in the U.N. Security Council is not the choice of a concerned friend trying to help. It is rather the befuddled choice of an organization so open-minded about what constitutes support for Israel that its brains have fallen out. America really does need a smart, credible, politically active organization that is as aggressively pro-peace as it is pro-Israel. Unfortunately, J Street ain't it."[93] In a press release, J Street noted that it had not endorsed the resolution, was advocating policies that would keep the resolution from coming to a vote, and if that failed was urging the US to change the resolution language to be in line with US policy.[94]

At the J Street February 2011 conference's opening speech, Rabbi David Saperstein, director and chief legal counsel at the Union for Reform Judaism's Religious Action Center for more than 30 years, said that he is "among J Street's most fervent fans", though he shared his concerns regarding J Street's recent recommendation to the Obama administration not to veto a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel. Saperstein added, "If you alienate your mainstream support you risk losing everything."[95][96]

A Jerusalem Post editorial expressed concern regarding the individuals invited to speak to the J Street February 2011 conference. They included Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, whom the newspaper described as an "adamant proponent" of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel; Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative, described as a BDS advocate who took part in the Free Gaza Flotilla; and Michael Sfard, an attorney who, according to the newspaper, "advocates international 'lawfare' against Israel".[95] Israeli Members of Knesset were among those who voiced concern. "I have my own criticism of the current government, but there have to be limits, and this organization is doing tremendous damage to Israel," said Kadima MK Ze'ev Bielski, a former Jewish Agency chairman.[97] At the same time, other MKs attended and spoke at the conference, including Daniel Ben-Simon (Labor), Yoel Hasson (Kadima), Amir Peretz (Labor), Nachman Shai (Kadima), and Orit Zuaretz (Kadima).[98]

In March 2011, MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) said to Ben-Ami during a Knesset committee meeting: "You are not Zionists and you do not care about Israeli interests. Fifty rockets a day are fired on the South and you fight against the American veto against condemnations of Israel. You are not Zionists and you do not care about Israel. Only here in Israel do we determine Israeli democracy, and you cannot determine what Israel's interests are." Ben Ami responded by saying, "An absolute parameter has to be the recognition of the fundamental right of the Jewish people to their own state. There are plenty of people, even within the American Jewish community, who are anti-Zionist and who do not recognize that right. Second, they must recognize Israel's right to defend itself against threats – Israel must be strong, because it lives in a hard neighborhood, as we've even seen this morning."[99]

In November 2011 J Street board member Kathleen Peratis visited with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The meeting was controversial in the pro-Israel community. J Street opposed it ahead of time and condemned it afterward.[100][101][102][103]

In July 2012, J Street launched an ad campaign against two U.S. Representatives and Tea Party activists who opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, Joe Walsh (R-IL) and Allen West (R-FL). In response, West said that "J Street's efforts to attack me only embolden my stand for our greatest ally and my spiritual home, the State of Israel." Walsh's chief of staff commented that "If J Street is attacking you, you know you're doing something right."[104] Both representatives were defeated in the general election.

J Street has clashed with rival pro-Israel group StandWithUs, which claims that J Street is too close to funders and advisers who have "opposed Israel" and Arab governments perceived as "consistently hostile to Israel".[105] In response, Jeremy Ben-Ami accused StandWithUs of smear tactics against J Street[106] and having an "us versus them, good versus evil, black versus white" world view towards the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict.[107]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "J Street"[permanent dead link]. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Government of the District of Columbia. Accessed on March 24, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". J Street. Guidestar. December 31, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g ""Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". J Street Education Fund. Guidestar. December 31, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Abramowitz, Michael (April 15, 2008). "Jewish Liberals to Launch A Counterpoint to AIPAC". The Washington Post. from the original on October 9, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Eggen, Dan (April 17, 2009). "Year-Old Liberal Jewish Lobby Has Quickly Made Its Mark". The Washington Post. from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  6. ^ Stockman, Farah (February 27, 2010). "Delahunt's journey to Mideast upended". The Boston Globe. from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
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Further reading

External links

  • Official website
  • J Street PAC

street, this, article, about, advocacy, group, other, uses, disambiguation, hebrew, יי, סטריט, nonprofit, liberal, advocacy, group, based, united, states, whose, stated, promote, american, leadership, arab, israeli, israeli, palestinian, conflicts, peacefully,. This article is about the advocacy group For other uses see J Street disambiguation J Street Hebrew ג יי סטריט is a nonprofit liberal 4 5 6 advocacy group based in the United States whose stated aim is to promote American leadership to end the Arab Israeli and Israeli Palestinian conflicts peacefully and diplomatically J Street was incorporated on November 29 2007 1 J StreetFoundedNovember 29 2007 16 years ago 2007 11 29 1 FounderJeremy Ben AmiType501 c 4 organizationTax ID no 26 1507828 2 FocusArab Israeli conflictIsraeli Palestinian conflictLocationWashington D C Area served Israel United StatesMethodLobbyingExecutive DirectorJeremy Ben Ami 2 ChairmanMorton Halperin 2 Key peopleFranklin Fisher advisor Daniel Levy advisor Debra DeLee advisor Marcia Freedman advisor Shlomo Ben Ami advisor Samuel W Lewis advisor Lincoln Chafee advisor SubsidiariesJ Street Education Fund J Street PAC 2 Revenue 2014 2 418 969 2 Expenses 2014 2 207 771 2 Employees 2014 59 2 Volunteers 2014 40 2 Websitejstreet wbr orgJ Street Education FundTax ID no 20 2777557 3 Legal status501 c 3 organicationPresidentJeremy Ben Ami 3 ChairmanMorton Halperin 3 Revenue 2014 4 955 262 3 Expenses 2014 4 671 950 3 Employees 2014 0 3 Volunteers 2014 40 3 According to J Street its political action committee the 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 7 J Street describes itself as the political home for pro Israel pro peace Americans who want Israel to be secure democratic and the national home of the Jewish people advocat ing policies that advance shared US and Israeli interests as well as Jewish and democratic values leading to a two state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict 7 Critics from the right allege that J Street and the policies they support are anti Israel 8 9 10 Contents 1 Etymology 2 Political vision 3 Structure 3 1 Management 3 1 1 Advisory council 3 1 2 Rabbinic cabinet 4 Activities 4 1 Political fundraising 4 2 Lobbying 4 3 Other projects and activities 5 Relationship with Israeli and U S governments 6 Funding 7 Reception 8 Controversy 9 See also 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External linksEtymologyJ Street as an American lobby organization aimed at Washington leaders and policymakers derived its name from the alphabetically named street plan of Washington D C J Street is missing from the grid the street naming jumps from I Street to K Street since I and J were not yet considered to be distinct letters at the time the Washington street plan was created 11 Also by association the letter J is a reference to Jewish Further K Street is a street in downtown Washington on which many influential lobbying firms are located and that become synonymous for Washington s formidable lobbying establishment Consequently the choice of the name reflects the desire of J Street s founders and donors to bring a message to Washington that metaphorically like the missing J Street of the D C grid has thus far been absent 12 Political visionJ Street s stated aim is to provide a political home for pro Israel pro peace Americans who believe that a two state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict is essential to Israel s survival as the national home of the Jewish people and as a vibrant democracy J Street has a two fold mission first to advocate for urgent American diplomatic leadership to achieve a two state solution and a broader regional comprehensive peace and second to ensure a broad debate on Israel and the Middle East in national politics and the American Jewish community 7 In 2011 J Street opposed recognizing Palestine as an independent state at the United Nations 13 J Street recognizes and supports Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people 14 and Israel s desire for security as the Jewish homeland as well as the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign state of their own 7 According to its executive director Jeremy Ben Ami J Street is neither pro nor anti any individual organization or other pro Israel umbrella groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee AIPAC He says J Street is proud of AIPAC s many accomplishments and clarified that the two groups have different priorities rather than different views 4 12 15 Explaining the need for a new advocacy and lobbying group Ben Ami stated J Street has been started however because there has not been sufficient vocal and political advocacy on behalf of the view that Israel s interests will be best served when the United States makes it a major foreign policy priority to help Israel achieve a real and lasting peace not only with the Palestinians but with all its neighbors 16 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 4 During its first conference Ben Ami said The party and the viewpoint that we re closest to in Israeli politics is actually Kadima Kadima MK Meir Sheetrit who attended the conference said They are more left than Kadima but on this main issue which is peace I think we agree 17 The Washington Post described the perceived differences between J Street and AIPAC While both groups call themselves bipartisan AIPAC has won support from an overwhelming majority of Republican Jews while J Street is presenting itself as an alternative for Democrats who have grown uncomfortable with both Netanyahu s policies and the conservatives flocking to AIPAC 18 J Street endorsed the nuclear disarmament deal with Iran which Obama supported and Netanyahu and AIPAC opposed In 2016 the political focus of J Street was to unseat Republican senators who led U S Congressional opposition to the Iran deal 19 When The Forward solicited opinions of the completed Iran deal from American Jewish organizations some were critical but J Street stated For the first time in nearly a decade Iran does not have the nuclear material needed to build even a single bomb That makes Americans Israelis and the Iranian people themselves immeasurably safer That Iran has completed these steps and granted international inspectors the unprecedented access necessary to verify and continuously monitor compliance on an ongoing basis in an unexpectedly short period of time is further proof of the power of tough effective diplomacy in addressing some of our most serious security concerns 20 Structure nbsp J Street logo 2007 2016 nbsp J Street PAC logo 2007 2016 nbsp J Street PAC logo since 2016 nbsp J Street U logo 2007 2016 nbsp J Street U logo since 2016J Street and J Street PAC founded in April 2008 exist as separate legal entities with different political functions The J Street Education Fund joined the J Street family of organizations in 2009 J Street a nonprofit advocacy group registered as a 501 c 4 social welfare group J Street aims to encourage and support strong American leadership to end the Arab Israeli and Palestinian Israeli conflicts peacefully and diplomatically 7 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 21 The J Street Education Fund Inc a 501 c 3 charitable organization It aims to educate targeted communities about the need for a two state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict raise the visibility of a mainstream pro Israel pro peace presence within the American Jewish community and promote open dynamic and spirited conversation about how to best advance the interests and future of a democratic Jewish Israel J Street Local J Street s national field program and J Street U formerly Union of Progressive Zionists J Street s on campus movement are programs of the J Street Education Fund J Street U the student organizing arm of J Street organizing chapters on university and college campuses 22 Management J Street s founding executive director is Jeremy Ben Ami a former domestic policy adviser in the Clinton Administration 4 Ben Ami s 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 killed in a Jerusalem terror attack 16 Ben Ami has worked for many years with Jewish peace groups including the Center for Middle East Peace and the Geneva Accord 12 23 Advisory council J Street s advisory council consists of former public officials policy experts community leaders and academics including 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 former Rhode Island Governor and Republican U S Senator Lincoln Chafee 23 24 and Hannah Rosenthal former head of the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti Semitism Rabbinic cabinet J Street s rabbinic cabinet consists of North American rabbis cantors and cantorial students The group is co chaired by Rabbis John Rosove Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel of Hollywood and John Friedman rabbi of Judea Reform Congregation in Durham North Carolina 25 ActivitiesPolitical fundraising The J Street PAC acts as a traditional political action committee raising funds to support a limited number of candidates for Senate and Congressional races For the 2008 Congressional elections the J Street PAC raised 600 000 and according to J Street 33 of the 41 candidates it backed won their seats 26 In 2010 J Street PAC endorsed 61 candidates 3 for the Senate and 58 for the House 45 of the PAC s candidates won The J Street PAC distributed over 1 5 million to its candidates more than any other pro Israel PAC in the two year cycle In the 2014 election cycle J Street PAC contributed over 2 4 million to its 95 endorsed candidates the most in history by a pro Israel PAC 27 In the 2016 election cycle J Street PAC distributed 3 6 million to its 124 endorsed candidates and not a single incumbent Iran deal supporter was unseated by a deal detractor 28 Critics have pointed out that according to Federal Election Commission filings in 2009 dozens of Arab and Muslim Americans and Iranian advocacy organizations donated tens of thousands of dollars to J Street representing a small fraction of the group s fund raising Donors included Lebanese American businessman Richard Abdoo who is a board member of Amideast and a former board member of the Arab American Institute and Genevieve Lynch who is also a member of the National Iranian American Council board In response Ben Ami noted that J Street does not impose a religious or ethnic test to donations It would be a very big mistake for pro Israel organizations to apply a religious or ethnic litmus test for support for Israel from other Americans I don t think anybody checked to see whether Pastor John Hagee was Jewish before he was invited to keynote the AIPAC conference he said I don t think we should be banning Christians I don t think we should be banning Muslims I don t think we should be banning Arabs from finding a way to support Israel to support its right to exist and to support a program that is designed to secure the future Abraham Foxman of the Anti Defamation League noted that the ADL also receives donations from non Jews and does not apply a religious test to donors 29 More than 20 of the citizens of Israel are Arab 30 most of whom are Muslim Lobbying J Street lobbies for and against Israel related bills and legislation J Street s first year budget for fiscal 2009 was 1 5 million 23 This is a modest figure for a PAC though Gary Kamiya writes that J Street hopes to raise significant money online following the blueprint of MoveOn and the Barack Obama presidential campaign 16 Other projects and activities In May 2012 a J Street delegation visited with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas headed by Executive Director Jeremy Ben Ami 31 J Street started a special website and project They Don t Speak For Us It criticizes the Emergency Committee for Israel a right wing advocacy group that William Kristol and Gary Bauer inspired by J Street created 32 33 They Don t Speak For Us describes the ECI as just plain out of touch and far outside the mainstream of the pro Israel Jewish community 34 In November 2012 J Street lobbied the U S Senate against a group of bills that would have penalized the Palestinian National Authority if it used its recently elevated status of observer at the United Nations to bring international charges against Israel J Street supporters made 1000 telephone calls and sent 15 000 e mail messages against the bills which failed to pass 35 In July 2010 J Street supported the construction of the Cordoba House cultural center and mosque near the World Trade Center site in New York 36 President Jeremy Ben Ami released a statement saying The principle at stake goes to the heart of American democracy and the value we place on freedom of religion Should one religious group in this country be treated differently than another We believe the answer is no proposing a church or a synagogue for that site would raise no questions The Muslim community has an equal right to build a community center wherever it is legal to do so 37 Relationship with Israeli and U S governmentsAccording to Nathan Guttman J Street and its supporters have never made a secret of their opposition to Netanyahu and his policies 38 On October 22 2009 then opposition leader of the Knesset Tzipi Livni sent a letter congratulating J Street on its inaugural event She said she would not be able to attend but that Kadima would be well represented by Meir Sheetrit Shlomo Molla and Haim Ramon 39 The Israeli Embassy stated that Ambassador Michael Oren would not attend J Street s first national conference because J Street supports positions that may impair Israel s interest 40 41 Oren continued his criticism after the conference telling Conservative rabbis meeting in Philadelphia that J Street is a unique problem in that it not only opposes one policy of one Israeli government it opposes all policies of all Israeli governments It s significantly out of the mainstream 42 Hannah Rosenthal head of the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti Semitism in the Obama Administration criticized Oren saying his comments were most unfortunate 43 After several American Jewish groups criticized Rosenthal the U S State Department said that Rosenthal has the complete support of the department 44 In April 2010 Oren had a meeting with J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben Ami to discuss the issues 45 After leaving his role as Israeli ambassador to the U S and campaigning for an MK position in the Knesset Oren described his view as follows We have to understand that people who aren t anti Israel have criticisms of specific Israeli policies We have to show greater flexibility on the peace issue Israel is willing to go a serious distance on peace 46 In February 2010 the Israeli Foreign Ministry refused to meet with visiting U S congressmembers being escorted by J Street on a visit to Israel unless members of Congress attended the meeting without their J Street escorts 47 Addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon said The thing that troubles me is that they don t present themselves as to what they really are They should not call themselves pro Israeli 48 In Haaretz columnist Bradley Burston wrote that the Foreign Ministry s refusal to meet with the U S congressmembers was a gratuitous move breathtaking in its haughtiness its ignorance of and disrespect for the United States and the American Jewish community He said that the Foreign Ministry considered J Street guilty of the crime of explicitly calling itself pro Israel while not agreeing wholeheartedly with everything the government of Israel says and does 49 Haviv Rettig Gur writing in The Jerusalem Post said that J Street won a small victory in the incident If American legislators with pro Israel records say J Street is kosher Gur wrote that creates a new political reality with which the Israeli Right must contend 50 The Foreign Ministry said J Street s assertions that Ayalon refused to meet with members of the U S Congress and that he later apologized were untrue and that they were a fund raising publicity stunt and a premeditated public relations circus Barukh Binah Foreign Ministry deputy director general and head of its North America Division said that Ayalon did not prevent any meetings between the J Street group and Israeli high officials and that Ayalon was never on the delegation s schedule J Street said its information was based on news reports in Yedioth Ahronoth and Maariv 51 During a panel organized by the Knesset Immigration Absorption and Public Diplomacy Committee MK Danny Danon Likud and MK Otniel Schneller Kadima argued that J Street was not a pro Israel organization and proposed a statement to that effect which did not pass 52 53 Jeffrey Goldberg at The Atlantic described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s repeated refusal to meet with representatives of J Street as a farce and added He should argue with J Street yell at J Street grapple with J Street but most of all meet with J Street Those Israelis and those American Jews who believe that J Street and the spirit it represents are fleeting phenomena have absolutely no idea what is happening in the Jewish world 53 In May 2013 Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli government appears to be building closer ties to J Street with a group of J Street representatives scheduled to meet for the first time members of the government including President Shimon Peres 54 On March 17 2015 Netanyahu won a resounding victory in Israeli elections His denial of a two state solution happening on his watch and comments he made that are considered by some to be racist motivated J Street at its convention to make clear its opposition to the occupation opposition to BDS opposition to American Jewish support of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and to efforts by organizations like Hillel to limit the discussion on Israel and the peace process Liberal Knesset Member Stav Shaffir encouraged J Street to hone the message of the pro peace camp in Israel as well as the U S and she brought the crowd to its feet repeatedly as she described the battle ahead for a two state solution J Street followed Obama s lead in considering international alternatives to direct negotiations between the Israeli government and Palestinians 55 In February 2017 The New York Times reported that David Friedman U S President Donald Trump s pick to be Ambassador to Israel would formally apologize for previously labeling supporters of J Street as worse than kapos during his conformation hearing 56 J Street urged those who oppose Friedman s appointment to write to their senators and reject his nomination 57 and alongside a number of progressive organizations collected more than 600 signatures from American rabbis and cantors who opposed Friedman s appointment 58 FundingConfidential IRS documents obtained by The Washington Times in 2010 showed that George Soros had been a donor to J Street since 2008 The approximately 750 000 from Soros and his family together with donations from Hong Kong based businesswoman Ms Consolacion Esdicul amounted to about 15 of J Street s funding in its early years 59 In previous statements and on its web site J Street had seemed to deny receiving support from foreign interests and from Soros a bete noire to conservatives 60 61 Jeremy Ben Ami apologized for earlier misleading statements regarding funding from Soros Ben Ami also clarified that donors to 501 c 4 organizations are promised confidentiality by law and challenged critics to make public the contributors to opposing organizations 62 Rabbi Steve Gutow a president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs called J Street irresponsible for its handling of the issue 60 In August 2022 the American Israel Public Affairs Committee AIPAC tweeted that George Soros has a long history of backing anti Israel groups Now he s giving 1 million to help jstreetdotorg support anti Israel candidates and attack pro Israel Democrats AIPAC works to strengthen pro Israel mainstream Democrats J Street amp Soros work to undermine them In response to the tweet the left wing Jewish organization IfNotNow denounced AIPAC for antisemitism tweeting that AIPAC is the antisemitic far right They are not a Jewish org nor claim to be one 63 64 ReceptionIn March 2015 The Forward said of J Street There s no doubt that J Street has shaken up American Jewry Since its inception in 2008 as a lobby political action committee educational group and student movement the organization has disrupted the debate about what it means to be pro Israel 65 NPR s Mara Liasson reported from the J Street conference that took place shortly after Israel s March 17 2015 elections in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised voters there would be no Palestinian state on his watch Noting the American Jewish community was as divided as the Israeli voters Liasson described J Street s role in American Jewish dialog on Israel In the debate now raging in the Jewish community in the United States J Street is the pro two state group and anti Netanyahu pro nuclear deal and generally much more supportive of Obama than AIPAC is 66 At its beginning J Street s role in American Jewish dialog was debated When J Street was initially founded 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 67 Noah Pollak at Commentary predicted that the effort would fall flat and show there are no great battalions of American Jewish doves languishing in voicelessness 68 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 would get hammered and accused of being anti Israel A lot will have to do with the way they actually frame their arguments 12 23 James Kirchick writing in The New Republic called J Street s labeling of AIPAC as right wing ridiculous Kirchick 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 69 According to a March 2008 Haaretz Dialog poll the majority of Israelis do support direct talks with Hamas 70 although this referred solely to the issue of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit 71 Jeremy Ben Ami responded to Kirchick s charges during a May 26 2008 interview published in Haaretz Magazine 15 Kirchick also reacted against J Streets endorsement of the play Seven Jewish Children which many critics consider antisemitic 72 73 74 75 76 To J Street the inflammatory message of Seven Jewish Children is precisely what makes it worthy of production he charges 72 Rabbi Eric Yoffie president of the Union for Reform Judaism called J Street s reaction 77 to the Israeli invasion of Gaza morally deficient profoundly out of touch with Jewish sentiment and also appallingly naive 78 J Street responded stating It is hard for us to understand how the leading reform rabbi in North America could call our effort to articulate a nuanced view on these difficult issues morally deficient If our views are naive and morally deficient then so are the views of scores of Israeli journalists security analysts distinguished authors and retired IDF officers who have posed the same questions about the Gaza attack as we have 79 Despite this rebuttal J Street subsequently invited Yoffie to its 2009 convention and he subsequently praised the organization s stance on the 2014 Israel Gaza conflict which was closer to that of other American Jewish organizations 80 In April 2009 The Washington Post called J Street Washington s leading pro Israel PAC citing the group s impressive fund raising efforts in its first year and its record of electoral success including 33 victories by J Street supported candidates for Congress 5 According to Caroline Glick deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post J Street is anything but pro Israel Through their actions J Street and its allies have made clear that their institutional interests are served by weakening Israel Their mission is to harm Israel s standing in Washington and weaken the influence of the mainstream American Jewish community that supports Israel Lenny Ben David former director of the Israeli branch of AIPAC said J Street hides its real anti Israel face behind a pro Israel mask 81 Shmuel Rosner questioned whether J Street actually represents U S Jewry 82 Noah Pollak questioned the veracity of their polling 83 Barry Rubin suggested that J Street is an anti Israel front for Iranian interests masquerading as a Zionist organization 84 Responding to charges made by Ben Ami in his book A New Voice for Israel Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish Nation that he and others have stifled critical debate within the Jewish community political commentator Alan Dershowitz said It is a fraud in advertising to call J Street pro Israel In addition Dershowitz said that J Street has done more damage to Israel than any other American organization In response to Dershowitz s comments J Street s director of government affairs Dylan Williams stated that Alan Dershowitz s comments provide ample evidence of the self censorship of the American Jewish community from within concerning the real dangers facing Israel 9 Dershowitz in June 2012 said that J Street is completely undercutting the Obama policy with regards to the US position on a military option against the Iranian nuclear program since J Street has said that it opposes a military option while both the US and Israel have said it must be kept on the table In addition he said that absolutely no good has come from J Street s soft policy on Iran Either J Street must change its policy or truth in advertising requires that it no longer proclaim itself a friend of Israel a friend of peace a friend of truth or a friend of the Obama administration 85 In an April 2012 interview Norman Finkelstein described J Street as the loyal opposition to the Israel lobby He said the group was politically aligned with Kadima a political party in the Knesset that opposed Israel s governing coalition Finkelstein also said J Street s leadership was hopeless 86 Chuck Freilich former deputy national security adviser in Israel writing in The Jerusalem Post in February 2013 said J Street leads only to a dead end since only Israelis bear the responsibility for determining their future 87 The Economist writes that many liberal Jews in America are opposed to the occupation and distressed by Israel s increasing religious nationalism The younger generation is therefore gravitating to organizations like J Street whose dovish members include former officials of President Clinton s and President Obama s administrations While earlier generations of Americans saw Israel as a plucky David battling Goliath younger Americans now see a powerful Israel occupying the West Bank But the existence of a mainstream Jewish group that criticizes Israeli policy has made it easier to dissent without being painted as an enemy of Israel or even anti Semitic 88 ControversyOn September 30 2010 The Washington Times reported that J Street facilitated meetings between South African judge Richard Goldstone and members of Congress in November 2009 causing Jeremy Ben Ami to tell The Jerusalem Post on October 1 2010 that his staff had made two or three such phone calls to U S politicians and relayed their response onward but that after those initial inquiries were made his organization decided not to become involved because of Israel s attitude toward Goldstone saying J Street did not host arrange or facilitate Judge Richard Goldstone s visit 89 It was reported that Colette Avital former member of the Knesset from the center left Labor Party and a J Street liaison in Israel said that one of the reasons she resigned from J Street was its connection with Goldstone 90 However this was later denied by Avital herself 91 On December 30 2010 The Washington Times reported that J Street paid tens of thousands of dollars to a consulting firm co owned by its founder and president Jeremy Ben Ami Even if it s technically legal it gets very messy when you have these sorts of deals going on because if you re going to benefit on the other end of it be it 100 percent or 5 percent it raises questions about objectivity and the arm s length in the transaction said Ken Berger president of Charity Navigator Mr Ben Ami declined repeated interview requests but provided a statement through a spokesman I founded Ben Or together with Oriella Ben Zvi in 1998 When I left in 2000 I relinquished all rights to ongoing compensation from Ben Or in any form I have received no payments from the company in the past 11 years and have had no role in the management or operation of the firm 92 In January 2011 liberal Jewish congressman Rep Gary Ackerman D N Y cut ties with J Street over J Street s recommendation to the Obama administration not to veto a proposed U N resolution condemning Israel saying I ve come to the conclusion that J Street is not an organization with which I wish to be associated He also said The decision to endorse the Palestinian and Arab effort to condemn Israel in the U N Security Council is not the choice of a concerned friend trying to help It is rather the befuddled choice of an organization so open minded about what constitutes support for Israel that its brains have fallen out America really does need a smart credible politically active organization that is as aggressively pro peace as it is pro Israel Unfortunately J Street ain t it 93 In a press release J Street noted that it had not endorsed the resolution was advocating policies that would keep the resolution from coming to a vote and if that failed was urging the US to change the resolution language to be in line with US policy 94 At the J Street February 2011 conference s opening speech Rabbi David Saperstein director and chief legal counsel at the Union for Reform Judaism s Religious Action Center for more than 30 years said that he is among J Street s most fervent fans though he shared his concerns regarding J Street s recent recommendation to the Obama administration not to veto a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel Saperstein added If you alienate your mainstream support you risk losing everything 95 96 A Jerusalem Post editorial expressed concern regarding the individuals invited to speak to the J Street February 2011 conference They included Rebecca Vilkomerson executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace whom the newspaper described as an adamant proponent of Boycott Divestment and Sanctions against Israel Mustafa Barghouti leader of the Palestinian National Initiative described as a BDS advocate who took part in the Free Gaza Flotilla and Michael Sfard an attorney who according to the newspaper advocates international lawfare against Israel 95 Israeli Members of Knesset were among those who voiced concern I have my own criticism of the current government but there have to be limits and this organization is doing tremendous damage to Israel said Kadima MK Ze ev Bielski a former Jewish Agency chairman 97 At the same time other MKs attended and spoke at the conference including Daniel Ben Simon Labor Yoel Hasson Kadima Amir Peretz Labor Nachman Shai Kadima and Orit Zuaretz Kadima 98 In March 2011 MK Otniel Schneller Kadima said to Ben Ami during a Knesset committee meeting You are not Zionists and you do not care about Israeli interests Fifty rockets a day are fired on the South and you fight against the American veto against condemnations of Israel You are not Zionists and you do not care about Israel Only here in Israel do we determine Israeli democracy and you cannot determine what Israel s interests are Ben Ami responded by saying An absolute parameter has to be the recognition of the fundamental right of the Jewish people to their own state There are plenty of people even within the American Jewish community who are anti Zionist and who do not recognize that right Second they must recognize Israel s right to defend itself against threats Israel must be strong because it lives in a hard neighborhood as we ve even seen this morning 99 In November 2011 J Street board member Kathleen Peratis visited with Hamas in the Gaza Strip The meeting was controversial in the pro Israel community J Street opposed it ahead of time and condemned it afterward 100 101 102 103 In July 2012 J Street launched an ad campaign against two U S Representatives and Tea Party activists who opposed the creation of a Palestinian state Joe Walsh R IL and Allen West R FL In response West said that J Street s efforts to attack me only embolden my stand for our greatest ally and my spiritual home the State of Israel Walsh s chief of staff commented that If J Street is attacking you you know you re doing something right 104 Both representatives were defeated in the general election J Street has clashed with rival pro Israel group StandWithUs which claims that J Street is too close to funders and advisers who have opposed Israel and Arab governments perceived as consistently hostile to Israel 105 In response Jeremy Ben Ami accused StandWithUs of smear tactics against J Street 106 and having an us versus them good versus evil black versus white world view towards the ongoing Arab Israeli conflict 107 See alsoConference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Diaspora politics in the United States Jewish lobby Jewish Agency Independent Jewish Voices Brit Tzedek v Shalom Americans for Peace Now Jewish Voice for Peace Partners for Progressive Israel Israel Policy Forum Republican Jewish Coalition White House Jewish Liaison National Jewish Democratic Council JCall European based advocacy Yachad NGO UK based organisationReferences a b J Street permanent dead link Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Government of the District of Columbia Accessed on March 24 2016 a b c d e f g h Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax J Street Guidestar December 31 2014 a b c d e f g Form 990 Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax J Street Education Fund Guidestar December 31 2014 a b c d Abramowitz Michael April 15 2008 Jewish Liberals to Launch A Counterpoint to AIPAC The Washington Post Archived from the original on October 9 2018 Retrieved April 29 2008 a b Eggen Dan April 17 2009 Year Old Liberal Jewish Lobby Has Quickly Made Its Mark The Washington Post Archived from the original on December 4 2016 Retrieved May 5 2010 Stockman Farah February 27 2010 Delahunt s journey to Mideast upended The Boston Globe Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved September 22 2010 a b c d e About J Street J Street Archived from the original on August 24 2016 Retrieved April 29 2008 COLUMN ONE THE LONELY ISRAELI LEFT The Jerusalem Post July 30 2009 Archived from the original on November 14 2017 Retrieved November 7 2017 a b Donig Mark August 6 2011 Dershowitz strikes back J Street has harmed Israel The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on October 24 2012 Retrieved August 30 2011 Sasson Theodore April 8 2015 The New American Zionism NYU Press pp 50 54 ISBN 9781479806119 No J Street in Washington DC Snopes May 27 2007 Retrieved April 30 2008 a b c d Besser James March 26 2008 New PAC To Offer Pols A Dovish Mideast View The Jewish Week Archived from the original on April 3 2008 Retrieved April 29 2008 Mozgovaya Natasha September 8 2011 J Street opposes Palestinian statehood bid at UN Haaretz Archived from the original on May 11 2015 Retrieved September 9 2011 Statement of Principles Pro Israel Pro peace Two State Solution Israel Peace J Street Archived from the original on February 20 2011 Retrieved September 7 2011 a b Rosner Shmuel May 26 2008 Rosner s Guest Jeremy Ben Ami Haaretz Archived from the original on May 27 2008 Retrieved May 26 2008 a b c Kamiya Gary April 29 2008 Taking Back the Debate Over Israel Salon Archived from the original on May 1 2008 Retrieved April 30 2008 Hilary Leila Kreiger October 28 2009 J Street s Ben Ami Our stance is like Kadima s The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved March 27 2017 Ben Terris March 26 2015 Jeremy Ben Ami winning a place at the table for J Street The Washington Post Archived from the original on January 26 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 J Street Takes Aim at GOP Senators Who Opposed Iran Deal The Forward JTA January 17 2016 Archived from the original on January 23 2016 Retrieved January 18 2016 How Jews Across the Political Spectrum Are Reacting to a New Iran Era The Forward January 17 2016 Archived from the original on April 27 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 About the J Street PAC J Street Political Action Committee Archived from the original on April 25 2008 Retrieved April 20 2008 About J Street U Who We Are J Street U Archived from the original on July 4 2013 Retrieved April 6 2013 a b c d Deveson Max April 16 2008 Jewish lobby gains new voice BBC News Archived from the original on March 6 2019 Retrieved April 26 2008 The J Street Advisory Council J Street Archived from the original on April 20 2008 Retrieved April 29 2008 Rabbinic Cabinet Archived November 14 2012 at the Wayback Machine J Street Leonard Doyle April 18 2009 US Jewish lobby challenged by pro peace rival The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on April 21 2009 2014 Election Cycle at a Glance Archived April 2 2015 at the Wayback Machine J Street Our Track Record J Street PAC Archived from the original on April 15 2016 Retrieved March 28 2017 Hilary Leila Krieger August 14 2009 Muslims and Arabs among J Street Donors The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on August 19 2014 Retrieved September 18 2014 Population of Israel on the Eve of 2021 PDF Press release Israel Central Bureau of Statistics December 31 2020 Archived PDF from the original on May 12 2021 Retrieved May 24 2021 J Street delegation visits Abbas in Ramallah The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on May 13 2012 Retrieved May 13 2012 Adam Kredo To tell the truth J Street treads on partisan territory as it attacks new pro Israel group as out of step Archived from the original on September 19 2010 Retrieved September 19 2010 Conservatives launch group to attack supporters of Obama s Israel policies Jewish Telegraphic Agency July 13 2010 Archived from the original on September 24 2012 They Don t Speak For Us J Street Archived from the original on September 10 2010 Retrieved September 27 2010 Hilary Leila Krieger December 5 2012 US Senate doesn t pass penalties for Palestinians The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on December 6 2012 Retrieved December 5 2012 Vote Clears Way for Ground Zero Mosque Baltimore Jewish Times Jewish Telegraphic Agency August 4 2010 Archived from the original on March 3 2012 Retrieved August 17 2010 J Street s Statement on Cordoba House Controversy J Street July 30 2010 Archived from the original on August 1 2010 Retrieved August 1 2010 Guttman Nathan March 22 2015 Netanyahu s Reelection Pushes J Street to the Left The Forward Archived from the original on January 23 2016 Retrieved January 23 2016 Herb Keinon October 23 2009 Livni sends support letter to J Street The Jerusalem Post Retrieved March 4 2010 Livni letter backs J Street Jewish Telegraphic Agency October 22 2009 Archived from the original on October 25 2009 Retrieved October 22 2009 Krieger Hilary Leila October 20 2009 Michael Oren rejects J Street conference invite The Jerusalem Post Retrieved March 4 2010 Nathan Kazis Josh December 9 2009 In Shift Oren Calls J Street A Unique Problem The Forward Archived from the original on January 2 2010 Retrieved March 4 2010 Ravid Barak December 31 2009 U S official blasts Israel envoy s unfortunate J Street remarks Haaretz Archived from the original on October 26 2012 Retrieved January 19 2013 State Dept backs its anti Semitism envoy Jewish Telegraphic Agency January 4 2010 Archived from the original on January 7 2010 Retrieved January 22 2010 Mozgovaya Natasha April 16 2010 Israel envoy hosts J Street chief in bid to end rift Haaretz Archived from the original on October 24 2012 Retrieved January 19 2013 Jeffrey Goldberg March 15 2015 Undoing Netanyahu s Damage to U S Israel Relations The Atlantic Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved March 7 2017 Melissa Apter February 17 2010 J Street congressional group snubbed blocked from Gaza Jewish Telegraphic Agency Archived from the original on January 23 2016 Retrieved March 4 2010 Deputy FM Ayalon addresses Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Press release Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs February 16 2010 Archived from the original on February 21 2010 Retrieved February 18 2010 Burston Bradley February 19 2010 I envy the people who hate Israel Haaretz Archived from the original on October 31 2012 Retrieved January 19 2013 Rettig Gur Haviv February 19 2010 Diaspora Affairs J Street 1 Ayalon 0 The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on February 22 2010 Retrieved February 19 2010 Rettig Gur Haviv Keinon Herb February 22 2010 J Street lied about supposed Ayalon boycott apology The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on February 23 2010 Retrieved February 22 2010 Rebecca Anna Stoil March 24 2011 Raucous Knesset committee debates J Street The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved March 30 2015 a b Goldberg Jeffrey March 28 2011 Goldblog is a Pro J Street Blog The Atlantic Archived from the original on April 25 2011 Retrieved March 29 2011 Eichner Itamar May 9 2013 Israel eyeing closer ties with J Street YnetNews Archived from the original on May 9 2013 Retrieved May 10 2013 Nathan Guttman March 25 2015 J Street Newly Combative Takes On the Jewish Establishment The Forward Archived from the original on January 23 2016 Retrieved January 18 2016 Trump s Israel Envoy Pick to Apologize for Calling J Street Supporters Kapos Haaretz February 15 2017 Archived from the original on February 15 2017 Retrieved February 15 2017 Maltz Judy February 12 2017 Maligned by Trump s Pick for Israel Envoy J Street Mobilizes to Block David Friedman s Appointment Haaretz Archived from the original on February 16 2017 Retrieved February 15 2017 Maltz Judy February 13 2017 Over 600 Rabbis and Cantors Sign Petition Opposing David Friedman as U S Ambassador to Israel Haaretz Archived from the original on February 16 2017 Retrieved February 15 2017 Lake Eli September 24 2010 Soros revealed as funder of liberal Jewish American lobby The Washington Times Archived from the original on October 7 2010 Retrieved October 11 2010 a b Eggen Dan September 29 2010 On George Soros J Street acknowledges a wrong turn The Washington Post Archived from the original on May 28 2012 Retrieved October 11 2010 Kampeas Ron September 28 2010 Insiders Why was J Street so scared of Soros Jewish Telegraphic Agency Archived from the original on October 1 2010 Retrieved October 11 2010 Explanation of George Soros amp J Street Funding J Street Press release September 26 2010 AIPAC accused George Soros of undermining American politics Is that antisemitic The Forward August 29 2022 Archived from the original on April 6 2023 Retrieved April 6 2023 In ridiculous claim left wing Jewish group calls AIPAC antisemitic The Jerusalem Post August 26 2022 Archived from the original on April 6 2023 Retrieved April 6 2023 Liam Hoare March 21 2015 the Rocky Rise of J Street The Forward Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 Mara Liasson March 23 2015 In Defending Two State Solution White House Chief Of Staff Slams Netanyahu All Things Considered NPR Archived from the original on August 20 2018 Retrieved April 2 2018 Gorenberg Gershom April 15 2008 J Street on the Map American Prospect Archived from the original on August 10 2011 Retrieved April 30 2008 Pollak Noah April 15 2008 Taking It to the J Street Commentary Archived from the original on April 20 2008 Retrieved May 2 2008 Street Cred May 18 2008 Archived from the original on May 18 2008 Kevin Peraino March 6 2008 Israelis Want to Talk to Hamas Newsweek Archived from the original on July 6 2008 Retrieved July 3 2008 Yossi Verter February 27 2008 Poll Most Israelis back direct talks with Hamas on Shalit Haaretz Retrieved January 19 2014 a b James Kirchick April 12 2009 Self loathing on J Street The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on December 7 2017 Retrieved March 27 2017 Monica Hesse March 17 2009 Jewish Children Comes to D C Already Upstaged by Controversy The Washington Post Archived from the original on February 2 2017 Retrieved September 1 2017 Allison Hoffman March 29 2009 Seven Jewish Children provokes US debate among Jews The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved March 27 2017 Jan Ravensbergen May 4 2009 Packed house for provocative play The Gazette Montreal Archived from the original on May 7 2009 Retrieved October 4 2018 Cnaan Liphshiz May 17 2009 Liverpool cuts funding for festival that includes anti Semitic play Haaretz Retrieved January 19 2013 Gaza Ceasefire now J Street December 28 2008 Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 Eric Yoffie December 31 2008 On Gaza Sense and Centrism The Forward Archived from the original on March 17 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 Statement in Response to Rabbi Eric Yoffie s Comments in The Forward on December 31 J Street January 4 2009 Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 Nathan Kazis Josh July 30 2014 J Street s Gaza War Support Wins Moderate Praise But Alienates Some Backers The Forward Archived from the original on May 2 2015 Retrieved July 30 2014 Tzippe Barrow March 27 2011 Israeli Knesset Confronts J Street CBN News Archived from the original on May 3 2016 Retrieved May 9 2011 Shmuel Rosner July 17 2008 Do US Jews really support necessary compromises for peace Haaretz Archived from the original on July 19 2008 Noah Pollak August 7 2009 Poll me once Poll me twice Commentary blog Archived from the original on October 7 2009 Much skepticism of J Street s polls has accompanied their release and many have pointed out their clever results oriented phrasing But this hasn t diminished their ability when people accuse them of advocating an agenda that has little support among American Jews to point to their own polling and declare themselves the true representatives of Jewish opinion Barry Rubin Exposing the J Street Fraud Why is a pro Israel Lobby Closely Cooperating with an Iranian Regime Front Group Archived October 20 2010 at the Wayback Machine August 24 2009 Lenny Ben David has written a wonderful article on the J Street fraud the anti Israel lobby with the thinnest guise of being a pro Israel lobby Why should a National Iranian American Council board member give at least 10 000 to J Street PAC Perhaps it is because of the very close relationship between the two organizations In other words J Street is getting money and working with the group that supports President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the world s most powerful antisemite who seeks to wipe Israel off the map Alan M Dershowitz June 14 2013 J Street undercuts Obama s policy on Iran The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on February 2 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 Mozgovaya Natasha April 5 2012 Norman Finkelstein bids farewell to Israel bashing Haaretz Archived from the original on April 6 2012 Retrieved April 5 2012 Chuck Freilich February 24 2013 J Street is a dead end The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on February 2 2017 Retrieved March 27 2017 Us and Them The Economist August 2 2014 Archived from the original on September 18 2017 Retrieved September 1 2017 Gil Stern Stern Shefler October 3 2010 J Street under fire after attempting to aid Goldstone The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on December 26 2018 Retrieved March 28 2017 Eli Lake Ben Birnbaum Israel lobby aided Hill visits for U N report author The Washington Times Archived from the original on April 2 2019 Retrieved October 12 2010 Statement by Colette Avital J Street September 30 2010 Archived from the original on August 20 2018 Retrieved October 21 2016 Ben Birnbaum December 30 2010 Jewish group pays PR firm co owned by its president The Washington Times Archived from the original on June 12 2018 Retrieved January 20 2011 Jewish Lawmaker Slams J Street for Position on Anti Israel U N Resolution Fox News January 26 2011 Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 New J Street Policy Statement on Settlement Expansion amp UN Security Council Resolution J Street Press release January 20 2011 Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved February 14 2011 a b Editorial February 27 2011 J Street s fragile alternative The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on March 1 2011 Retrieved March 29 2011 Guttman Nathan February 27 2011 J Street Opens With 2 000 Participants Still Struggles To Define Itself The Forward Archived from the original on April 5 2011 Retrieved March 29 2011 Hoffman Gil February 24 2011 J Street confab sparks schism in Kadima The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on March 4 2011 Retrieved March 1 2011 J Street confirmed speakers J Street Archived from the original on January 24 2011 Retrieved July 31 2011 Stoil Rebecca Anna March 24 2011 Raucous Knesset committee debates J Street The Jerusalem Post Retrieved March 29 2011 Kathleen Peratis November 16 2011 Gaza s Tunnel Economy Is Booming The Forward Archived from the original on March 26 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 Jonathan S Tobin November 28 2011 Board Member s Hamas Flirtation Shows J Street s Radicalism Commentary Archived from the original on February 2 2017 Retrieved January 26 2017 J Street board member initial founder meets with Hamas Washington Jewish Week Archived from the original on November 25 2011 Statement on Kathleen Peratis visit to Gaza J Street November 28 2011 Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 Hilary Leila Krieger July 13 2012 J Street goes on offensive targets 2 US candidates The Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on January 23 2016 Retrieved March 28 2017 News StandWithUs Archived from the original on April 7 2019 Retrieved March 28 2017 Chris McGreal October 23 2009 Who speaks for America s Jews J Street lobby group works to loosen big beasts grip on Congress The Guardian Archived from the original on March 28 2017 Retrieved December 17 2016 Rothstein Roz My conversation with J Street s Jeremy Ben Ami Jewish News Service Archived from the original on March 27 2013 Retrieved May 5 2013 Further readingLichblau Eric J Street a Lobbying Group Is Being Heard as Moderate Voice on Israel Archived March 29 2017 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times May 30 2012 Kirsch Jonathan The J Street Zionist Archived November 22 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles November 17 2011 Hoffman Allison Heads Up J Street chief Jeremy Ben Ami calls the plays for the first self confident alternative Jewish establishment Archived October 31 2010 at the Wayback Machine Tablet Magazine October 28 2010 Kirchick James The Fork in J Street Will the new Israel lobby disavow its extreme left flank Archived November 1 2009 at the Wayback Machine The New Republic October 31 2009 Goldberg Jeffrey J Street s Ben Ami on Zionism and Military Aid to Israel Archived October 25 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Atlantic October 23 2009 Traub James The New Israel Lobby Archived March 12 2017 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times September 13 2009 Guttman Nathan J Street Makes a Strategic Acquisition Archived September 6 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Forward September 4 2009 Guttman Nathan J Street Shows Its Strength In Numbers Archived July 14 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Forward November 13 2008 Rosner Shmuel May 26 2008 Rosner s Guest Jeremy Ben Ami Haaretz Archived from the original on May 27 2008 Ephron Dan A Firmer Hand Washington s new Jewish lobby presses Israel Archived May 28 2008 at the Wayback Machine Newsweek May 27 2008 Ben Ami Jeremy 5 Myths on Who s Really Pro Israel Archived February 7 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post May 8 2008 Lichfield Gideon Hurdles on J Street Archived May 16 2008 at the Wayback Machine Prospect UK April 30 2008 Rozen Laura J Street Hopes to Prod Washington MidEast Policy Towards Center Archived February 11 2009 at the Wayback Machine Mother Jones blog April 15 2008External links nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to J Street Official website J Street PAC Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title J Street amp oldid 1185275587, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, 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