This Week: Lawmakers Mobilize Against Trump’s Political Arrests ✍️ | Jewish Leaders: Stand Up to Trump’s Authoritarian Attacks on Students ✊ | Nick Kristof on Covering Today’s Atrocities 🎙️ | At a Time of Crisis, a Movement Rises 🕊️ | Reject Anti-Palestinian Terrorism, Reject Ben-Gvir 🛑 | This Week’s Must Reads 📖 | Our Pro-Democracy To-Do List 🗳️ | And much more.

✍️ Lawmakers Mobilize Against Trump’s Political Arrests: After Mohsen Mahdawi’s arrest, our movement called on Congress to act. On Wednesday, a total of 68 Members of the House Democratic Caucus – led by J Street champion Rep. Becca Balint – signed a letter condemning Trump’s anti-democratic, anti-Palestinian student crackdown and demanded answers following the arrest of Mohsen Mahdawi. Read the letter and find out if your representative signed here >>

More is Needed: Call your representative to thank them for taking a stand – or to make clear that you expect them to do more about these continued political arrests and deportations. Confirm your call here to help us track our advocacy impact >>

✊ Jewish Leaders: Stand Up to Trump’s Authoritarian Attacks on Students. A lot of issues divide Jewish America – whether it’s our opinion of what Israel’s government is doing, what constitutes antisemitism or who speaks for our community. But as Trump tears apart the foundational pillars of democracy, free speech and lawful immigration that have made this country a safe and welcoming home for our community – this moment demands a unified call.

Political Arrests of Pro-Palestinian Students: "These dystopian arrests are corrosive to all that has made this country a secure home for Jewish Americans for generations – from the opportunities of higher education to the embrace of immigration to the core protections guaranteed by our Constitution." Read our full statement >>

Our Generation’s Time to Answer the Call: “The overwhelming majority of Jewish America needs to stand up and make clear that this is not how the fight against antisemitism, against hate and against bigotry should be conducted,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami wrote. Read the full blog post >>

J Street Pushes Back: We were proud to join more than two dozen American Jewish organizations in filing an amicus brief in federal court expressing concern over the arrest, detention and potential deportation of Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk.

🚨 Sign and share our petition. Tell Trump he doesn’t speak for us >>

🕊️ At a Time of Crisis, a Movement Rises: 60 Israeli civil society and peace organizations – Jewish and Palestinian – have come together in an unprecedented coalition to demand a different future and to transform the Israeli peace camp into a cohesive and powerful force for change.

The People’s Peace Summit: On May 8-9, this coalition will host The People’s Peace Summit in Jerusalem: A historic gathering of Israelis and Palestinians determined to end the war, bring everyone home and resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a political agreement grounded in freedom, security, equality and justice for both peoples.

Learn more about the coalition and the Summit >>

Join or host a global solidarity action in your area >>

🎙️ Nick Kristof on Covering Today’s Atrocities: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nick Kristof recently returned from Israel and the West Bank, and joined Jeremy to discuss the brutal impact of war on civilians, the failures of Israeli, Palestinian and American leaders, and the moral depravity of allowing this situation to continue.

“People have really kind of tuned out of Gaza,” Kristof said. “I think that Prime Minister Netanyahu thinks that he has a much freer rein to get away with things there, and I think as a result, he’s showing a lot less restraint.” Watch, listen and share a recording of the conversation >>

🛑 Reject Anti-Palestinian Terrorism, Reject Ben-Gvir: Israeli Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir led a US-designated terrorist organization – the Jewish Defense League – has a whopping 13 convictions in Israel – mostly for hate crimes and terror-related activities – brags about sabotaging Gaza ceasefire agreements, and now, for the first time, is being welcomed into the US with open arms by Trump.

Minister Ben-Gvir and his Jewish Supremacy are Not Welcome Here: J Street, UnXeptable and other major Jewish organizations are joining together to say Ben-Gvir is not welcome here. Add your name if you agree >>

🗽 J Street New York: Join the rally against Ben-Gvir’s visit on April 24 in the Upper East Side. J Street will have signs and merch available. Learn more and RSVP >>

📖 This Week’s Must-Reads:

Princeton: A Tale of a Prime Minister, Protesters, Pagers and Presidents: In his latest Word on the Street, Substack Jeremy discusses the response to protests at Princeton University. Read here >>

Even Trump Understood: Netanyahu is Not Israel: “The polls show that an overwhelming majority of Israeli citizens understand how harmful Netanyahu is to them and their country. The time has now come for supporters of Israel around the world to stand with the citizens and no longer with a corrupt leader who has turned the country into a tool for his personal interests.” Read here >>

My ‘Mixed Multitude’ Passover Seder Was a Ringing, Singing Celebration of Diversity: “The poem by Primo Levi that begins my haggadah echoes the line in Exodus that tells us the Israelites fleeing Egypt were joined by an ‘erev rav’ – a mixed multitude. [...] During these days when we are experiencing a strange and sinister attack against diversity, the mixed-multitude gathered around my seder table felt all the more significant and celebratory.” Read here >>

🗳️ Our Pro-Democracy To-Do List:

Find Pro-Israel, Pro-Democracy, Pro-Peace candidates at JStreetPAC.org >>

Vote for the Hatikvah Slate for the World Zionist Congress >>

Pro-Democracy Actions Near You: Find a local action where you can make a concrete difference in your community and around the country. Sign up for in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities here >>

Mark Your Calendar for the People’s Peace Summit, May 8-9, and sign up to join or host a global solidarity action in your area >>

Tell Ben-Gvir that he and his extreme agenda are not welcome here >>

Sign up for J Street’s 2026 National Convention >>

Share these actions with a friend!

✅ A massive thanks to everyone who signed our anti-deportation petition and called their members yesterday. For a 48-hour turnaround, 68 House Members signing on is a very strong response.

Check out and share the regularly updated Democracy To-Do List on our website >>

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J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the Jewish people. Working in American politics and the Jewish community, we advocate policies that advance shared US and Israeli interests as well as Jewish and democratic values, leading to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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