Fact checking J Street and its critics

by Ami Eden May 2, 2014 jta.org


NOTE: A calmer look at the recent events.

1) Claim: J Street is beyond the communal pale

J Street might not have rounded up the votes, but in defeat it put to bed the argument that the group falls outside of the communal mainstream. If the Reform movement, the Conservative movement, the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Council of Public Affairs (a body bringing together the largest synagogue movements, several national organizations and scores of local community relations councils) say you belong in the Conference of Presidents, then by definition you are operating within the communal tent. You got a problem with that? Don’t shoot the messenger — take it up with all of the above, not to mention the prominent Jewish and Israeli figures associated with the organization.

2) Claim: J Street is more left wing than the other dovish members in the Conference of Presidents

I’ve heard the arguments, but I don’t see it. Other groups in the conference have pushed for the U.S. government to exert pressure on Israel. J Street hasn’t endorsed a settlement boycott, or even sort of endorsed settlement boycott in contrast to Americans for Peace Now. And in sticking by the Obama administration’s side on Iran through various policy shifts, J Street has at times found itself to the right of some of those on the left in the Conference.

3) Claim: J Street is just like any other left-wing group Please CLICK HERE to keep reading

Read more: http://www.jta.org/2014/05/02/news-opinion/the-telegraph/fact-checking-j-street-and-j-streets-critics#ixzz30abBOA3p

J Street Wins Fresh Support as President Conference Snubs Application

By Nathan Guttman

Published May 01, 2014, issue of May 09, 2014.

the Forward on line 

One day after American Jewry’s pro-Israel umbrella group strongly rejected its bid for admission, J Street, the dovish lobby, posted a tongue-in-cheek thank you note.

Entitled “Thank You, Conference of Presidents,” the post invited readers to sign on to a letter to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations thanking its executive vice chairman, Malcolm Hoenlein.

“Thank you,” the letter said, addressing Hoenlein, “for finally making it clear that the Conference of Presidents is not representative of the voice of the Jewish community.”

The virtual thank you cards are unlikely to reach Hoenlein’s desk. But in the aftermath of the vote rejecting J Street, even some of the umbrella group’s own largest organizational members are voicing frustration with the group that purports to speak for American Jews on issues related to Israel.

The Reform movement, American Judaism’s largest denomination, has been leading the charge for reforming the Conference, which was established in 1956 and tasked with serving as the communal voice on issues relating to Israel and foreign policy.

“As of yesterday, it is clear that the Conference of Presidents, as currently constituted and governed, no longer serves its vital purpose of providing a collective voice for the entire American Jewish pro-Israel community,” said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, in a statement.

The harsh language was followed by a stern warning: “We may choose to advocate for a significant overhaul of the Conference of Presidents’ processes. We may choose to simply leave the Conference of Presidents. But this much is certain: We will no longer acquiesce to simply maintaining the facade that the Conference of Presidents represents or reflects the views of all of American Jewry.”

Please CLICK HERE to keep reading

Read more: http://forward.com/articles/197490/j-street-wins-fresh-support-as-president-conferenc/?p=all#ixzz30W9iVgHk