J Street Local held kick-off events in 21 cities on February 4th. The events were packed to the gills with nearly 2,000 new and veteran activists, ready to struggle for change. Watch Jeremy Ben-Ami's remarks, live streamed from Philadelphia, below. 

NOTE: This event was not sponsored by or endorsed by Penn Hillel or the Hillel of Greater Philadelphia. 

More links: 
[Find, and get involved with, a Local near you]
[J Street Local Press Coverage] 
[Slideshow of pictures from J Street Local launch events]  
[Text of Jeremy Ben-Ami's remarks at February 4th Launch events]

At the beginning of August, we set an ambitious goal of taking 50,000 actions by the end of the month to support the President's push for a two-state solution. And with your help, we not only hit that goal - we smashed it!

Together, we stood up to baseless rumors and smears against President Obama; supported the President's balanced approach to resolving the conflict; told our friends and family about the many prominent Israelis who support strong US leadership in the Mideast; and let the President and Special Envoy Mitchell know that they have our support when they "hit the gas" on a two-state solution.

We sent 59,400 emails, made 1,288 calls, and told 3,244 friends about our work. That's 63,932 actions in total!

We've demonstrated the deep well of support from friends of Israel for the President's leadership in achieving a two-state solution now, for ending the stalemate of the past two decades, and for the difficult steps we're asking Israel and its neighbors to take.

Update: After nearly 10,000 J Street members asked The Israel Project to drop their use of the term "ethnic cleansing" to describe stopping settlements, The Israel Project's President Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi finally did the right thing and eliminated the term "ethnic cleansing" from her organization's materials. [1]

 

No way.  The Israel Project, a right-wing media advocacy group, has taken criticism of President Obama's Middle East policy to a new low, equating stopping settlements with "ethnic cleansing."

Their advice to their activists in a privately distributed set of talking points leaked this week?  If you get a question about settlements, change the subject.  If pressed, say stopping settlements is "a kind of ethnic cleansing."

Click here to send a message asking The Israel Project to remove any pro-settlement, fear-mongering talking points from its materials.

Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of a full settlement freeze, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that President Obama "wants to see a stop to settlements - not some settlements, not outposts, not natural-growth exceptions."

Amen. A freeze means a freeze. This is exactly the sort of leadership we need from the President and Secretary of State if we are going to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - the only way to truly secure Israel's future as a Jewish, democratic homeland.

You can bet the Obama Administration is already hearing from hawkish voices on Israel - urging him to make exceptions, allow for more settlement growth, and to go slow. We've got to make sure the President knows pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans support his strong line on settlements, for both Israel's and America's sake and security. Send a message to the President here in support of his "Freeze means Freeze" approach to Israeli settlements.

Newt Gingrich attacked President Barack Obama's policies in the Middle East, promoted military action against Iran, and assailed diplomatic engagement as weakness at this month's AIPAC conference -- to thunderous applause, according to JTA News Service.

Gingrich also told The Jerusalem Post that the President's policy with Israel and Iran was a "fantasy" and that Obama was "endangering Israel" by trying to work toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Rep. Delahunt (D-MA)

On February 4th, Congressman Delahunt introduced House Resolution 130 with 31 original co-sponsors from both parties praising the appointment of Senator George Mitchell as Special Envoy for Middle East Peace.  The resolution currently has 65 co-sponsors.

"There's a fresh breeze blowing in Washington when it comes to American policy toward Israel and the Middle East," said Jeremy Ben-Ami, executive director of J Street, of the resolution introduced by Rep. William Delahunt (D-Ma). "This resolution and last week's letter to Secretary of State Clinton calling for humanitarian aid for Gaza demonstrate how broadly Congress supports the new administration's effort to engage constructively in resolving the difficult conflicts facing the Middle East and earning the trust once again of all the parties to those conflicts."

J Street members - along with Brit Tzedek v'Shalom members - are calling their Representatives to encourage them to cosponsor House Resolution 130 here. You can view J Street's press release on the resolution's introduction here.

This past Sunday, 60 Minutes aired a powerful, thoughtful, and sobering report on the danger that Israeli settlements pose to the chances for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Watch the segment here.

Since the airing of the segment, 60 Minutes' Bob Simon has been under attack for supposed "anti-Israel bias." CAMERA (the Orwellian-named Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) alerted their activist network - flooding the 60 Minutes' offices and their advertisers with angry phone calls charging media bias. Jewish community leader Abe Foxman fired off a letter calling the piece a "hatchet job on Israel." J Street members are writing letters of support to Bob Simon here.

Last weekend, Israeli Defense Forces launched a major military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, leaving hundreds dead and wounded - pushing the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict further down a path of never-ending violence.

As friends of Israel, we felt immediate pressure from friends and family to pick a side. Did we think that Israel's actions were fully justified or disproportionate? Did Hamas bring this on itself by firing rockets and provoking Israel or are the strikes an act of aggression against a people trapped in misery and poverty? Couldn't we see who's right and who's wrong?

At this moment of extreme crisis, we're showing that, among those who care about Israel and its security, there is a constituency for sanity and moderation. There are many who recognize elements of truth on both sides of this gaping divide and who know that closing it requires strong American engagement and leadership.

Click here to sign our petition calling strong U.S. leadership to bring about an immediate ceasefire, read our policy FAQ about the ongoing conflict, and find out what else you can do. 

Eight JStreetPAC Endorsed Candidates pose for a picture.

JStreetPAC scored some exciting victories on Election Day, with 33 winning candidates.

Nine of our candidates will join Congress in January: Jeff Merkley will represent Oregon in the U.S. Senate, and Gary Peters (MI), Eric Massa (NY), Debbie Halvorson (IL), Dan Maffei (NY), Mary Jo Kilroy (OH), Jared Polis (CO), Chellie Pingree (ME) and Tom Perriello (VA) will join the U.S. House of Representatives. They join 24 incumbent Members who we supported and who won re-election. Together they will provide a strong voice in Congress advocating for peace and diplomacy in the Middle East.

Click here to learn more about all of our endorsed candidates from the 2008 cycle.

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) just launched a new disturbing attack ad. This one reads, "Barack Obama's Friends: Pro-Palestinian. Anti-Israel. Hostile to America."

It's just the latest in a series of revolting, Swift Boat-style attacks from the RJC in the Jewish media in the past month.

Publications serving the Jewish community should stop running RJC attack ads filled simply with lies and distortions. Will you sign the petition to stop the RJC's fear mongering and hate peddling?

Click here to sign our "No More Republican Jewish Coalition Smears" petition.