“Pro-Israel, pro-peace” may not sound like a controversial mantra for a political action committee, but in the world of Israeli-American foreign policy advocates, it’s loaded with meaning. J Street, a non-profit group of Jewish lobbyists and educators, was founded in 2008 on the premise that supporting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suspending Jewish settlement building in the West Bank is the best way to achieve peace in the Middle East. Now, on the heels of a well-attended inaugural conference in Washington, the group has established a chapter in Santa Cruz. The new local group will be part of a nationwide conference to discuss J Street’s goals on Feb. 4 at Temple Beth El in Aptos.
“A lot of us in the Jewish community have felt alienated in Israeli politics,” says Howie Schneider, co-chair of the Santa Cruz chapter of J Street. “The loudest voices on Israeli foreign policy have been from the hawkish right. So the people who want peace haven’t really had a voice. We’re hoping to change that.”
Established Jewish lobbying groups like the hardline American Israel Public Affairs Committee have long been a force to be reckoned with in Washington. J Street, with its progressive approach, has been ruffling feathers in Washington ever since President Obama invited the group’s founder, former Clinton adviser Jeremy Ben-Ami, to a private November meeting along with other powerful Jewish groups. Obama, unlike his predecessor George W. Bush, supports a stop to Jewish settlement building in the West Bank as one of several ways to help bring peace to the region—a policy that puts him at odds with AIPAC and in line with J Street.
In Aptos, Rabbi Paula Marcus of Temple Beth El is a well-respected leader of the local Jewish community. She says J Street’s open-minded approach is sorely needed in order to achieve peace in Israel. “J Street is really the new kid in town. Most people realize that a two-state solution is a necessity, they just disagree on how to get there. Whatever happens, we need to move forward soon, because if we don’t then our options will become very limited.”
Marcus adds that despite Santa Cruz’s reputation for progressive American politics, when it comes to Israeli politics, the town is as divided as any.
“In Santa Cruz you find the same polarization as you find in a lot of places when it comes to Israeli policy,” says Marcus.
J STREET holds its inaugural Santa Cruz meeting at Temple Beth El, 3055 Porter Gulch Rd., Aptos, on Thursday, Feb.4 at 7pm. The event will feature local speakers and a teleconference that links Jewish groups and J Street chapters around the country.
