Where Is the Progressive Jewish Community Right Now?

The progressive Jewish community (as it relates to Israel) is made up of a handful of pressure groups that actually do political work: J Street, Americans for Peace Now, the Israeli Policy Forum, and Brit Tzedek. They all follow the same basic line: A two state solution is good for Israel, and the American Jewish community should reject AIPAC's rightward tilt in favor of a US policy that pressures Israel more publicly and forcefully to make peace.

Over the past weeks, all of these groups came out with nearly identical "online actions" aimed at influencing the next Administration. All of them have come out in favor of US pressure to force Israel to halt it's assault. This is pretty good, in light of the fact that the Zionist parties they are most closely linked to - Labor and Meretz - have come out in favor of the assault. Labor's Ehud Barak is Defense Minister, and as such he is actually leading the Israeli war effort.

The similarities don't end there. None of these groups has seen fit to cooperate closely with the others to forge a united platform to address the current crisis. None of the list building exercises they are engaged in constitute actual pressure on anyone; in large part, they are collecting email addresses of people who are already on some other groups email list. Since the groups aren't cooperating closely or sharing data, we have no idea if the collective list size of these groups is stagnant, declining or rising.

We also observe that none of them appear to be calling for local, on the ground activities related to grassroots organizing against the war. Across America, rabbis are preaching solidarity with Israel 'at it's hour of need.' A very small number will preach that what Israel needs most of all is pressure from the United States to make peace, end the occupation, dismantle settlements, end the siege of Gaza, negotiate with Hamas, free Palestinian prisoners, divide Jerusalem, and accept a limited number of Palestinian refugees. [That's what peace looks like, and these folks know it.]

This is a list of all the remotely useful activities that progressive Jewish organizations should already have done:

• Create a downloadable flyer with arguments against the current violence, or at least asking Jews to publicly demand an immediate ceasefire and break with Israeli PR talking points.
• Ask supporters to call the Israeli consulates expressing outrage at the death and destruction rained down on Gaza, and speaking as American Jews who support Israel.
• Conduct a united, nationwide effort to hold gatherings where supporters of peace can find each other, hear expert analysis from respected community leaders, and brainstorm about the best ways of mobilizing progressive Jews at this time.
• Call for a demonstration in New York or Washington D.C. that will condemn the invasion while refusing to accept support from enemies of Israel. The current wave of demonstrations will not attract 'respectable' progressive Jews, so let's have one of our own. Can't we find a minyan in either of those cities willing to brave the cold for an hour? Will it have to be grassroots activists like myself putting out the call, while you dither about the language of your next press release? Must we give the Israel-haters the entire public stage?
• Engage in online activism that can make a difference: ask supporters to send emails to Israeli consulates, leaders of the Reform and Conservative denominations, and the Conference of Presidents.
• Write an open letter to the progressive Jewish foundation community criticizing them for being stingy with peace organizing in the Jewish community, pressuring progressive Jewish groups to stay out of foreign policy, and creating an artificial division between "progressive Jewish" and "progressive Jewish on Israel."
• Ask your rabbinic cabinets and board members to write articles and statements right away making their positions widely known. Now, not after the scale of the tragedy makes is easier.
• Have supporters write letters to the editor aimed at the Jewish press expressing dismay at the violence.
• Ask your leaders to contact the columnists and editors they know, and get them to generate stories about American Jewish opposition.
• Highlight your relationships with Palestinian, Arab and Muslim voices in the United States that are outraged, but still want to develop positive relationships with progressive Jews.
• Pay for a blog ad campaign that appears on progressive Jewish websites like Jewschool or Jewcy, as well as DailyKos and Haaretz.com. Send out an alert raising money for Physicians for Human Rights - Israel, to address urgent needs.

Are you listening?! More can be done, even with the limited resources at your disposal. Your silence when the Lebanon war began in 2006 stands as an indictment you have yet to overcome. You all KNOW that this round of violence is counter-productive, should end as soon as possible, and is related to in part to pre-election posturing. Say so! Loudly! And do it in statements that are short, unified, and aimed at influencing American public opinion outside the Jewish community.

To quote Thomas Paine: "Lead, follow, or get out of the way."

PS: I write this as a lover, not a hater. If reps from any of these groups wants to reply here, shoot me an email.

UPDATE: You might see this new post (1.3.09) as a continuation of this article.