By Niv Elis
In its second-ever conference in Washington, DC this week, the self-described “Pro-Peace, Pro-Israel” lobby group J Street drew some 2,000 left-leaning Israel supporters.
By its very existence J Street, has sparked a conflicted and sometimes angry debate within the Jewish community as to what it means to be “pro-Israel.” Before J Street, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) held a virtual monopoly in Washington on the term pro-Israel. For AIPAC, it meant supporting a “strong U.S.-Israel relationship” by keeping disagreements out of the public spotlight and, more broadly, supporting the policies of the democratically elected government in Israel, regardless of who was in power. But critics, including many J Street supporters, accuse AIPAC of being more sympathetic to the conservative Likud party and promoting its hard-line policies.
J Street has its own critics, who argue that it provides political cover for those who undermine or delegitimize Israel. After all, they say, how can publicly criticizing Israel and its policies be construed as “Pro-Israel?”
In order to get a better understanding, Moment asked participants in J Street’s conference what being pro-Israel meant to them. These are some of the responses:
“It means supporting the best interest of the state of Israel, which means supporting peace.” -Yahel Metalon, New York, NY
“To me being pro-Israel means caring deeply about Israel, its security, its fate and the fate of the Israeli people. It means hoping for a better Israel, making it a more democratic, safer place for all its citizens to be.” –Shiri Ourian, Moshav Kfar Neter, Israel
“I support a peaceful Israel that is there forever, living in peace, that can count on being secure in its future. I have a dream of seeing Israel at peace forever and would love to see that come to pass in my lifetime.” -Bruce Pollock, Rochester, NY
“I think being pro-Israel is about really having the conversation about the future of Israel, where you want it to go and helping to shape that in the present in every capacity whether it’s social, political, economic, educational, all of it. It’s tying conversation and activism.” -Darya Shaikh, New York, NY
“I have no idea. I’m from Israel. I grew up there and moved to New York in my twenties, so I really can’t answer that question. This conference is the first time I ever felt there was a viable, Jewish American Left that I can associate with. I haven’t felt that since I moved from Israel.” -Avi Criden, Israel
“It means defending Israel, when necessary, against its very real enemies, providing for its security and also defending its democratic institutions and ensuring that it can have a stable future as a prosperous, democratic and peaceful state.” –Ben Alter, New Haven, CT
“It means to be for Israel, for the state, for the survival of Israel. How do you demonstrate it? Don’t hate yourself.” –Isi Tenenbom, Hamburg, Germany
“It means thinking about everything in a slightly different way. I feel a push and a pull, a need to be involved. I’m afraid to be involved. Where do you stop with that involvement? It’s this love conflict and it takes a lot of excitement and motivation to consider things in a different way” –Hilda Blyer, Ottawa, Canada
“I think it’s important for American Jews to be concerned about social justice in at least two countries. In my mind it’s the obligation of American Jews to assert their concern that Israel be activated as a force for peace, in its interest and in America’s interest.” -Marvin Sparrow, Boston, MA
“I guess to support both a physical place, in terms of a home land—a safe place for Jewish people to go and a place where Jewish people from around the world can feel culturally and spiritually fulfilled in some way—and that includes it being a place where people’s rights are respected. Ultimately I think that pursuing peace and respecting the rights of others are a very important part of being pro-Israel. To me being Jewish has to involve justice, and I don’t want to have to choose between those values and having that physical place for safety.” -Daniel Marans, Washington, DC
“I have no f*cking clue. That’s kind of why I’m here, isn’t it? -Raphaela Wyman-Kelman, New York, NY
What do you think it means to be “Pro-Israel?” Leave us a comment and let us know!
Additional reporting by Sala Levin
“…it provides political cover for those who undermine or delegitimize Israel. ”
I would add that J street tries to fracture Jewish public opinion and to move it from supporting AIPAC. The worst repercussions of jstreet/aipac antagonism will be ever more partisan perception of Israel and ME as a whole.