J Street 'Explains' "What It Means to Be Pro-Israel" - A few Musings

J Street obviously with a very different perspective to that of AIPAC!

J Street has today (Tuesday) been concluding its Spring National Leadership Summit with an “Advocacy Day” on the Hill. (I didn’t attend/wasn’t invited). (J Street’s National Conference will be early in 2026 which G-d willing I’ll attend (if J Street comps me). As I’ve noted before; I’ve attended every J Street Convention since their first some 15 years ago.

I’m setting aside for now, currents ”disputes” between various organizations over actions taken by different groups regarding Middle East issues. (Think that’s more-than-sufficiently euphemistic!)

Over the past few months, besides offering a few responses to Jeremy Ben-Ami: I’ve written a couple of pieces re J Street
1) J Street?
2) Commenting on J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami "What Does it Really Mean to Be Pro-Israel?"A few comments re J Street's Jeremy Ben-Ami on What it Means to be Pro-Israel
(Along with a more general one Friends of Israel?

For the last few months; J Street’s head, Jeremy Ben-Ami has been posting a Substack column “Word on the Street” - a few of which of which I’ve responded to - in a “Cordial exchange of views.”

This past weekend latest piece by Ben-Ami “Defining Pro-Israel in 2025”. It also included a link to J Street’s new 25-page brochure, “What It Means to be Pro-Israel”

People can read the pamphlet and react for themselves. (I don’t think there was anything really new in the J Street pamphlet that people who are familiar with J Street don’t already know. But it’s a useful compilation of J Street’s views (and what J Street believes, means to be Pro-Israel. (Below the one page in the pamphlet in which J Street discusses AIPAC and contrasts itself to AIPAC.)

To me: J Street’s positions on “domestic and social” issues - and whether I might actually agree or disagree with many of them) is irrelevant. I would say probably most American Jews would and do agree with J Street’s social issues (basically the entire Democratic Party.)

(I likewise question some of the posts and reposts on non-Israel made by ZOA’s longtime head Mort Klein - ostensibly just reflecting his personal views. (Such questioning led to me being blocked on X - but definitely not silenced! - by Klein)

It goes beyond whether you accept J Street’s repeated critique of AIPAC - my former, longtime employer - and Israel (or AIPAC’s frequent critique of J Street). Or J Street’s views about what Israel should or should not be doing - and how the US can get Israel to do what J Street believes Israel should do. (Or whether some or many of J Street’s actions are actually “Pro-Israel” at all.)

Beyond or this; One existential difference between the two organizations is that AIPAC central, guiding mantra is that it believes the organization’s sole policy focus should be on US-Israel issues; and base its judgement of candidates, Congressmen and Senators solely on their views, statements and actions about these issues.

For J Street - besides having their vocal views about what they believe Israel should be doing; their judgement of candidates extends to other issues. And they’re not going to support candidates who are “bad” on those other issues. And of course J Street take as one of their arguments

AIPAC - despite the critiques of its actions - truly is both bipartisan and single issue (which leads to other issues and debates)

I obviously am fully-conversant with all the arguments about what policies and actions are “best” for Israel. But that’s for another time. (And meanwhile of course the haters of Israel are very evident as we see every day.)

To be continued!