CONTACT: JESSICA ROSENBLUM, [email protected]

WASHINGTON—Over 3500 delegates will attend J Street’s 2017 national conference in Washington, DC, from February 25-28, making it the largest gathering of American Jews since President Trump took office.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), and former Secretary of State Madeline Albright will headline an impressive list of speakers, which also includes Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat and sitting Knesset members representing four parties in the Israeli parliament.

J Street was founded in 2008 to give a political voice to pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans and to defend their values. That role has never been more important than now. This will be the first J Street conference to convene without President Obama in the White House, marking a transition for the organization into a fighting and principled opposition standing up for Jewish and democratic values.

This will be the sixth and largest conference ever organized by J Street. There will be a heavy representation of the next generation of American Jewish leaders, including around 1200 students.

Press coverage is welcome. Journalists can register online. Journalists can also register onsite at the convention center, beginning on Sunday, February 26 at 8:30 am.

The conference will kick off on Saturday evening, February 25, with exploration of the multi-generational commitment to Israel. The program, “Stories of Our Past; Dreams for Our Future,” will feature a live production of the popular Israel Story podcast, followed by feature speaker Israeli columnist and satirist Mika Almog, the granddaughter of the late President Shimon Peres. The event will be held at DAR Constitution Hall (1776 D St., NW) at 6:30pm.

The rest of the conference proceedings, through the gala dinner Monday evening, February 27, will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mt Vernon Pl., NW).