The heat of summer is one reminder that we are nearing the days of deep contemplation in the Jewish calendar. Tisha’ b’Av, observed starting on July 29, is the first of these. Historically, it is the receptacle for the numerous tragedies in our history. In modern times and for progressives, it is an occasion to reflect on what needs to be done to repair our world. This year, we are, of course, deeply concerned about the threat of annexation, among many other crises. Regardless of our respective beliefs, our tradition offers us ‘a way back’ from the brink of another tragedy.
Rabbi Gerry Serotta will lead us in study and Alex Kohl will enrich our experience with musical accompaniment.

The Trump Administration’s advancement of a one-sided pro-settlement agenda has shattered long-standing bipartisan policy and seeded the ground for the government of Prime Minister Netanyahu to pursue unilateral annexation of the West Bank. While the United States traditionally has opposed either party’s attempts to take unilateral actions on the conflict, the Trump Administration’s actions have spurred conversations around how a future Biden administration could rebalance the dynamic and reinvigorate conditions for negotiations. One suggestion is for the United States to formally recognize a Palestinian state. What would the implications of this step be?
Please join J Street’s Director of Government Affairs, Dr. Debra Shushan and Ilan Goldenberg, the director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security and former member of the State Department negotiating team on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for this important conversation.

Voting is the language of American democracy. The ability to participate in civic life is at the core of what it means to be an American, yet it took more than a century for the franchise to meaningfully expand to people of color, women, people with disabilities, people who are low-income, and Native Americans. Today, some elected leaders are still working to silence people who were historically denied access to the ballot box.
J Street will be featuring this valuable training focusing on the history of voter suppression, what voter suppression looks like today, and how we can fight for voting rights with advocacy tactics to ensure greater access to voting in the time of Covid and racial injustice.