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This Week: 💥 J Street Drops Millions Against AIPAC Republicans | ⏰ It’s
Time For The US To Sanction Settlements | 🛟 Saving Democracy From
Christian Nationalism | 🚧 Word on the Street | 📝 From the Policy Center |
🎥 Politics and Pumpkin Bread | 📖 This Week’s Must-Reads | 🗳️ Our
Pro-Democracy To-Do List | And much more.

Shana Tova from all of us at J Street. Wishing all a new year filled with
love, reflection and peace. 

💥 J Street Drops Millions Against AIPAC Republicans: This week, the J
Street Action Fund announced the five Senate and House races where it will
go on offense against AIPAC-backed, anti-democratic candidates in its
largest-ever Super PAC investment totaling $3 million.

* The investment targets Reps. Mike Collins in the Georgia Senate race,
Max Miller in OH-07, Derrick Van Orden in WI-03, Ryan Mackenzie in
PA-07 and Mariannette Miller-Meeks in IA-01.

* “J Street Action Fund’s investment in these targeted races represents
the views of a majority of Jewish Americans who understand that we
need to preserve American democracy and fight xenophobia in all its
forms to keep our communities safe,” Tali deGroot, Vice President of
Political and Digital Strategy at J Street said in a [ [link removed] ]press release.

“While AIPAC supports deeply unqualified, antisemitic and
anti-democracy candidates to preserve blank-check support for the
Netanyahu government, J Street is committed to exclusively supporting
candidates who will fight for peace and democracy in the US and
abroad,” she continued.

🥄 🍨 [ [link removed] ]Get the scoop on Axios >> 🥄 🍨

⏰ It’s Time For The US To Sanction Settlements: After decades of
international condemnation of the West Bank settlement project, the UK,
France and Canada are the first major Israeli allies to take concrete
action against it – banning imports from Israeli settlements and
sanctioning those who finance, facilitate or support their expansion. 

* The decision comes amid raging settler violence in the West Bank and
Israel’s [ [link removed] ]recent decision to publish tenders for construction in E1
and further thwart goals for Palestinian statehood. 

* “Support for Israeli security and strong opposition to the settlement
project are not in contradiction; they go hand in hand. Israel’s
closest allies are making clear that the status quo is no longer
acceptable,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said in a statement on
the decision.

“We call on the US government and the European Union to pursue similar
action, including both settlement trade bans and targeted sanctions on
individuals, businesses and other entities that support and enable
settlement construction.” [ [link removed] ]Read the full statement here >>

✏️ [ [link removed] ]Tell Congress: Sanction the Settlement Project >>
📞 [ [link removed] ]Sign the petition and we’ll follow up with everything you need to
contact your representatives and demand that the US join its allies.

🛟 Saving Democracy From Christian Nationalism: Congressman Jared Huffman
of California joined Word on the Street Live this week to discuss his New
York Times bestseller, No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from
Christian Nationalism, which covers the evolution of the movement, its
complex factions and the threats it poses to our diverse democracy.

* The beliefs driving the movement: “[Christian nationalists believe]
God is gifting these self-declared prophets and apostles with these
special spiritual powers to speak the direct word of God, to issue
revelations and prophecies, and to actually govern the theocracy that
they're trying to impose upon us… These are VIPs in Trump's Washington
and in Speaker Mike Johnson's speakership… and they are on an absolute
collision course with democracy,” the Congressman warns.

* “Evangelicals who are steeped in Christian Zionism will support the
modern state of Israel on anything it says and does, and they believe
it is their religious duty to do that. So they're just fine with
everything in Gaza. They're all in for annexation,” Congressman
Huffman explains about Christian nationalists’ radical vision for
Israel.

“And the real fine print for Jews – and why this is a dilemma for
Israel and for American Jews – is that it's all premised on mass
conversions of Jews to Christianity. It always has been,” he
continues.

[ [link removed] ]Watch the full conversation here >>

🚧 Word on the Street: J Street’s Substack is your one-stop-shop for
commentary, video conversations and policy pieces throughout the week.
[ [link removed] ]Subscribe here >>

* [ [link removed] ]Israel’s Buffer Zone Strategy Is a Strategic Disaster
“For a time, that [security buffer] approach also felt intuitive to
many Americans. But it produced long wars, enormous costs,
international isolation and grave violations of American values
without delivering the absolute security it promised. As the trauma of
September 11 receded, more Americans came to understand how badly the
‘war on terror’ framework had distorted US strategy,” J Street Chief
Policy Officer and Senior Vice President Ilan Goldenberg argues in
this week’s Substack post.

“If the central failure [leading to October 7] was analytical
arrogance, misplaced priorities and inadequate readiness, seizing more
territory does not solve it. A wider buffer cannot compensate for
leaders who dismiss intelligence that contradicts their worldview,” he
continues.

A prescription for perpetual war: “The phrase ‘buffer zone’ makes this
strategy sound clinical and bloodless. It is neither. These areas
contain actual human beings who do not want to be displaced or live
under Israeli military control.” [ [link removed] ]Read the full piece here >>

📝 From the Policy Center: J Street’s Gallanter-Winograd Policy Center
publishes timely analyses of policy priorities and the diplomatic role the
US plays in the Middle East.

* [ [link removed] ]Explainer: The UK, France and Canada’s West Bank Sanctions
In the Policy Center’s latest explainer, J Street Policy Fellow Frank
Lowenstein and Policy Assistant Liam Hamama examine the significance
of these landmark sanctions, their impact on the Israeli economy and
what they symbolize.

"The most significant lasting aspect of these new measures may still
be the political and diplomatic message they send. The unprecedented
extent of the sanctions reflects both longstanding frustration among
European governments over Israel’s efforts to undermine any prospects
for a Palestinian state, and widespread public opposition to Israel’s
conduct in Gaza and the West Bank,” they write. [ [link removed] ]Read the full
explainer >>

🎥 Video of the Week – Politics and Pumpkin Bread: The seasons are
changing, and our political discourse is too – becoming more polarized and
hostile around Israel and Palestine. Join J Street Social Media Content
Creator and Strategist Andie Riedel for a baking journey and a hard
conversation about productive disagreements.

[ [link removed] ]Watch here >>

Like what you see? Check out what J Street is up to on [ [link removed] ]Instagram,
[ [link removed] ]Threads, [ [link removed] ]Facebook and [ [link removed] ]X. 

📖 This Week’s Must-Reads/Listens:

* [ [link removed] ]New Poll: 67% of Jewish Voters Plan to Vote for Democrats as 75%
Disapprove of Trump, 82% View Vance Unfavorably
“A national poll of Jewish voters conducted two months before the
midterm elections found broad support for Democratic congressional
candidates, consistent with a similar poll conducted in May 2026, and
continued strong disapproval of President Trump and his policies.”

“Key findings include: 67% of Jewish voters plan to support a Democrat
for Congress, compared to 26% who plan to support a Republican and 25%
of Jewish voters approve of President Trump’s job as president, while
75% disapprove.”

* [ [link removed] ]Ousting Netanyahu Won't Fix the U.S.-Israel Relationship
“A different Israeli prime minister could certainly help signal that
Israel is turning the page. But it would be a mistake to think that
replacing Netanyahu is enough. The real problem is that Israel's
conduct under Netanyahu's leadership has been at odds with the values
that Americans hold dear – and Americans are noticing,” writes Hadar
Susskind, president and CEO of New Jewish Narrative writes in Haaretz.

* [ [link removed] ]From 20 Points to 23 Countries: A Historic Diplomatic Breakthrough
"If this is indeed the direction taking shape in Washington, it is
excellent news for Israel. But Israel needs not only to respond but
also to offer a strategic goal. This goal should be greater than Gaza,
Iran, and normalization with Saudi Arabia: a regional arrangement of
23 countries – Israel, a demilitarized Palestinian state, and all the
Arab League countries,” J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir writes in
Times of Israel.

🗳️ Our Pro-Democracy To-Do List:

[21][ ]  NEW: [ [link removed] ]Tell Congress: Sanction West Bank Settlements

[23][ ]  [ [link removed] ]Tell Congress: Pass the Antisemitism Response and Prevention
Act >>

[25][ ]  [ [link removed] ]Tell Congress: Pass the Ceasefire Compliance Act >>

[27][ ]  [ [link removed] ]Don't Let Netanyahu Punish American Jews >>

[29][ ]  [ [link removed] ]Demand an investigation into ICE killings >>

[31][ ]  [ [link removed] ]Take part in 'Every Voice, Every Vote' >>

[33][ ]  [ [link removed] ]Tell your representative: Support the West Bank Violence
Prevention Act >>

[35][ ]  [ [link removed] ]198 Methods of Nonviolent Action to Fight Authoritarianism
>> 

[37][ ]  [ [link removed] ]Find pro-Israel, pro-democracy, pro-peace candidates at
JStreetPAC.org >>

[39][ ]  [ [link removed] ]Order J Street Merch >>

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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 23-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.



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