J Street: New Jewish Lobby Group to Tackle Big Brother
J Street: New Jewish Lobby Group to Tackle Big Brother
By Richard Van Slyke
April 29th, 2008
April 15th, 2008 was a landmark. Mostly unnoticed, a new lobby group was officially founded: J Street. It is being described by the few who wrote about it as an organization of Jewish Liberals. Strangely, it seems like whenever people advocate policies that make sense, they are labeled as liberals. This tells you right away that there must be a good side to J Street.
So what exactly is J Street?
They present themselves as pro-Israel and pro-Peace, and the voice for security and peace in Israel.
Their web site shows two impressive lists of members: the Advisory Council, and the Supporters.
The Advisory Council is comprised of former members of the Israeli government as well as former members of the U.S. government, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, scholars, rabbis, Jewish peace groups and other Jewish organizations.
The supporters include former Israeli ministers and former members of the Israeli government at various levels, a former senior member of the Mossad and former members of the Israeli armed forces.
They are admittedly the alternative to AIPAC (the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) and its Christian Extremists allies.
Let’s just say that the word “alternative” is a little premature. To be an alternative, you have to exist; and although the organization has been officially created, an internet search turns out more hits about a non-existent Washington D.C. street than about the organization. Existing, in the political world, is not just about being; it’s also about presence.
So what will it take for J Street to have a presence that will impact peace in Israel? The forces they face are tremendous. Compared to AIPAC, J Street is less than a midget. AIPAC’s budget is approximately $100 Million, while J Street has yet to reach its goal of $1.5 Million. And money is only part of the problem. The lack of coverage of J Street by the U.S mainstream media is a sign of the reach of AIPAC.
But AIPAC has been around for over fifty years, while J Street is barely a newborn.
To understand the role that J Street could play, one needs only to look at how its opposing forces came to be what they are today. Both AIPAC and the Christian right play on the same human factors:
For the general public, they use a mix of fear and ideologies.
For the business community, they use greed and market control as incentives.
They have been very successful in their strategies but the results have been disastrous.
Fear and ideologies have given rise to a level of violence that is unacceptable by all parties. And the majority of the business community has suffered for the benefit of only a few very large businesses.
This is exactly what justifies the need for an organization like J Street.
What is happening in Israel affects more than just the Middle East. And a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict would no doubt ease a lot of the tensions around the world. But this is also he biggest obstacle faced by J Street. A reduction in armed conflicts would mean the loss of billions of dollars for the military-industrial complex. And a stable Middle East doesn’t fit into the plan of the major oil corporations who historically have relied only on unstable governments or “friendly” dictatorships to gain control of the resources. Change will not happen without hurdles.
The next question is, of course, what is J Street’s strategy? And will they stay on course according to their affirmed goals?
Many organizations dealing with politics that disturb the established powers face identical threats: some of the members succumb to pressure from powerful entities and modify their ideologies accordingly; or they get slowly infiltrated by individuals who end-up gaining controlling power. This is the reality of politics and power and would not be an unusual occurrence.
However, by looking at the cast of founding members, it would be safe to say that this has little chance to happen to J Street. Most members of this group already had their chance to join other forces and chose to take a different path. Some probably were previously part of what they now disagree with and realized it was the wrong path.
Experience is the crafter of wisdom.
As for the threat of infiltration, it is obvious that this is not just any group. It’s a community with longstanding ties, in which most members know well where everyone else stands, not only within the group but also outside of the group. There is no doubt that the dove’s eggs are well protected.
So the least we can say is to wish them good luck. But just saying “good luck” and waiting to see what happens would be a very feeble show of support. If you believe that there is a chance for change in Israel, go to J Street’s web site. If you like what you see, spread the information. What level of support you decide to give is up to you, but keep in mind that whatever your beliefs are and wherever you live, the success or the failure of this organization will definitely impact you.
J Street’s web site:
http://www.jstreet.org
