Welcome to the J Street’s Congressional Resource Page. As you navigate the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Middle East diplomacy, we hope you will consider J Street as a nuanced and helpful source of information, insight and analysis.
As the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans, we pride ourselves on openly and honestly evaluating the challenges facing the US, Israel and the Middle East today. We advocate for pragmatic, principled policies that advance peace and security while living up to our shared democratic ideals, both at home and abroad. We give voice to the views, concerns and values of the majority of American Jews.
We hope you find this site to be a useful resource and encourage you to reach out to us at any time if we may be of assistance to you.
Contact us:
Policy Team
Dylan Williams
Senior Vice President for Policy and Strategy
Debra Shushan
Director of Policy
Cooper Boyar
Associate Director for Congressional Education
Government Affairs Team
Hannah Morris
Director of Government Affairs, lobbyist for Mid-Atlantic and Florida
Benji Schwartz
Assistant Director of Government Affairs, lobbyist for Northwest and Southwest
Regev Ortal
Senior Government Affairs Associate, lobbyist for the Capital/South and Sun Belt
Kat Descamp-Renner
Government Affairs Associate, lobbyist for New England the Midwest
Educational Resources
1. Delegations to Israel and the Palestinian Territory for Members of Congress and congressional staff
J Street Education Fund missions are motivated by the organization’s love for Israel and concern for Israel’s long-term future as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people. Our objective is to provide Members of Congress and congressional staff with a balanced view of critical issues affecting the US relationship with Israel and, in particular, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Participants should emerge with an in-depth understanding of the facts on the ground, the politics of the moment and the options for American leadership to help resolve the conflict.
Our next Congressional Delegation will take place February 17-24, 2023. To learn more about our delegations, please contact Cooper Boyar at [email protected]
JSEF StaffDel sample itinerary
2. Israeli Government Explainers
Explainer: A Post-Netanyahu “Change” Government in Israel
Who’s who in the new Israeli government?
3. Download J Street’s 117th Congress Briefing Book
5. Video Resources
Israel’s Post-Netanyahu Government: What It Means for Israel, Palestinians and Relations with the US
Featuring:
Gabriel Mitchell, Director of External Relations, Mitvim
Dr. Debra Shushan, Director of Government Affairs, J Street
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Overview
Featuring:
Dr. Debra Shushan, Director of Government Affairs, J Street
Security Issues and Annexation
Featuring:
Dan Rothem, Israeli Security Expert and Independent Analyst
Realities of Occupation
Featuring:
Yehuda Shaul, Founder of Breaking the Silence; Former Israeli Combat Commander
Domestic Israeli and Palestinian Politics and Public Opinion
Featuring:
Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, Israeli Public Opinion Expert; Fellow at The Century Foundation
Dr. Khalil Shikaki, Director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research; Founding Senior Fellow of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University
US Policy Options for Progress
Featuring:
Ilan Goldenberg, Former Chief of Staff to the Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations at the Department of State; Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in American Politics and How to Message It
Featuring:
Jess Smith, Chief Operating Officer, J Street
Laura Birnbaum, Political Associate, J Street
JCPOA Reentry
Featuring:
Kelsey Davenport, Director for Nonproliferation Policy, Arms Control Association
Dr. Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director, International Crisis Group
Dylan Williams, Senior Vice President for Policy and Strategy, J Street
Aid to Israel and Annexation: a Conversation with Rob Malley and Andrew Miller
Israel’s Agreements with the UAE and Bahrain: Peace without the Palestinians?
Evictions in East Jerusalem: How Radical Settler Organizations are Changing Facts on the Ground
6. American Jewish public opinion polling
J Street has regularly commissions polls to keep track of American Jewish public opinion on Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The respected polling firm GBA strategies conducts these polls, including polls of American Jewish voters on every election night since 2010. This large body of data makes clear that American Jews consistently and overwhelmingly support pro-Israel, pro-peace policies and the tough diplomacy needed to solve problems in the Middle East.
Click here for our most recent November 2020 election night polling