(Under
pressure from key members including Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the Obama administration ultimately vetoed
the resolution on Feb. 18.)
J Street
even lost the backing of a key politician, Rep. Gary Ackerman, the former chairman
of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, over its
opposition to the US veto. Ackerman accused J Street of being “so open-minded
about what constitutes support for Israel that its brains have fallen out.”
Founded
in 2008 as a progressive Jewish political alternative to more conservative
pro-Israel organizations, such as AIPAC, J Street often takes heat over its
self-definition as pro-Israel while advocating a two-state solution for Israel
and the Palestinians.
“As we
see it, the cause of the Palestinian people – the creation of an independent
state of their own – is essential to our cause as well,” Jeremy Ben Ami,
President of J Street, told reporters Sunday.
“Those who seek to silence criticism of
Israeli policy in the name of fighting de-legitimization of Israel are making
an enormous mistake. Do not ask us
to stand by quietly as the present Israeli government charts a course that
erodes its Jewish character, undermines its democratic principles and leads to
international isolation,” said Ben Ami.
Its
pro-peace principles brought in almost 3,000 attendees this weekend, but it was
boycotted by the Israeli Embassy which did not send a representative. “I think
Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren made an enormous mistake
by not attending the conference,” Ben Ami said.
But
several liberal Knesset members and 50 US congressmen did show up, as well as
an impressive array of respected expects from the Middle East community. Invited guest speakers included Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, head of the Cordoba Initiative (derogatorily known as the ‘Ground
Zero Mosque’), and Mona Eltahawy, the outspoken international public speaker on
Arab and Muslim issues.
Their
presence was in line with J Street’s principles of finding ways for American
Muslims and Jews to work together despite often serious cultural, political and
religious divides.
J
Street’s main lobbying focus is on promoting democracy and prosperity in the
Middle East, as well as urging Congress to continue funding the Palestinian
Authority. J Street appears to
have become an expert on handling the often hot-button issue of Muslim-Jewish
issues.
Speaking
at a seminar entitled “Working Together,” Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf encouraged
those present to “battle to eliminate the myths that many people propagate to
divide us through hostility.”
“The real battlefront is not between
Arabs and Jews, nor Muslims and Jews, nor Muslims and the West,” he said. “The real battlefront is between peace
loving people in all faith communities against the radical extremists in all
faith communities.”
That many
of us have been taught that ‘the other’ is our enemy – all Jews or all Muslims —
is a huge mistake, said Imam Feisel:
“Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned against extremism in
religion. Perfection lies in
moderation.”
Hel
warned of the problems of the “politicalization of religious differences and
politicalization of religion.”
“This politicalization of religion is
one of the most dangerous developments in the last century,” he said, adding
that we all have differences, and
we need diversity of religion, but let’s not politicize them. What we do together has a huge impact on
the rest of the world.”
Elissa
Barrett, Executive Director of the Progressive Jewish Alliance, the West
Coast’s leading Jewish social justice organization said one the most effective
ways of overcoming this fear of other is by working together.
“We must place curiosity about each
other over or assumptions about each other.”
A good
way to accomplish this, she said, was working together through community
organizing.
“It’s so easy to speak to other people
in the choir; investment in charge is speaking to those whom we do not always
agree with,” said Barrett.
She said
her group became more active with the Muslim community “after 9/11, when we saw
members of the Muslim community being rounded up for questioning, and we
decided to step forward and get involved to help our Muslim neighbors. Now our
group actively takes steps to speak out against Islamophobia in Los Angeles.”
Edina
Lekovic, Director of Policy & Programming, Muslim Public Affairs Council,
agreed, saying their group had also found that establishing relationships was
the best way of dealing with assumptions of each other.
“This is how authentic relations are
created, we are working together to fight both anti-Semitism and Islamaphobism
outside our communities.”
“Our
relationship must be strong enough so we can survive our differences. We have to have strong relationships so
that people don’t walk away from the tale when an international event (such as
Israel’s war on Gaza) can divide them.”
Rabbi
Andrea London, co-chair Jewish Council on Urban Affairs Muslim Initiative in
Chicago, Illinois, concurred and focused on the “many common values between
Jewish and Muslim communities” adding that “one of the most common is that of
justice.”
They had
developed relations, she said, by sharing communal work, “including building
coalitions through education, cultural events, and social justice programs to
build bridges together.”
