[ ]J Street [ ]
Friends, 

I’m sure many of you are experiencing the same range of emotions that I am
as we witness Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Horror at the unprovoked violence. Anxiety over mounting casualties. Fear
for the war crimes and indiscriminate bombardments that may yet inflict
untold horror and suffering.

And yet, at the same time, we are awed by the resolve and spirit of the
Ukrainian people and their leadership. By the brave Russians taking to the
streets to rally against Putin’s aggression, as they protest against
teenagers being sent to die in an inexcusable war.

For those of us who are Jewish, this conflict hits particularly close to
home.

Ukraine is home to one of the world’s largest Jewish communities, and
President Zelenskyy himself is Jewish. Both on our staff and in our
communities, a significant number of us have personal or ancestral ties to
Ukraine or Russia, or family and friends for whom we hold deep concern.

J Street has joined 176 allied Jewish, progressive and refugee
organizations to urge the White House to offer immediate refuge to all
Ukrainian students, visitors and workers currently in the United States
through a temporary protected status authorization.

President
Putin’s attack on Ukraine marks the largest and most prominent attack on
democracy, diplomacy and peace in recent history.

For those of us committed to the battle for justice, freedom and human
rights, it is a striking reminder of how vital and connected our shared
struggle for these values is around the world.

Together, we’re battling forces of autocracy, ultranationalism, militarism
and ‘might-is-right’ rule, perhaps personified at their absolute worst by
President Putin’s unprovoked war against the Ukrainian people.

While it should perhaps no longer surprise us, it has been truly alarming
to see right-wing nationalists -- from Donald Trump to Fox News pundits to
Benjamin Netanyahu -- seek to excuse or defend Putin’s authoritarianism,
even as bombs rain down on civilians in cities across Ukraine.

Today, I am perhaps more thankful than I’ve ever been that Donald Trump no
longer sits in the Oval Office.

This historic, challenging moment calls for rational and steady democratic
leadership, clear judgment to avoid unnecessary escalation, and determined
diplomacy to rally international support for Ukrainians and to impose
severe consequences on Russia’s leadership.

The struggle for peace and democracy for Israelis and Palestinians of
course remains J Street’s core mission. Yet we recognize that our work is
but one facet of a broader struggle pitting proponents of peace, diplomacy
and human rights against hawks, militarists and ethno-nationalists.

J Street knows where we stand. We stand for peace and for diplomacy. We
stand for justice, equality, democracy and human rights.

And we will stand up for those values whether against anti-democratic
forces here at home, the pro-occupation right in Israel, or global
autocrats like Putin.

The weeks ahead will be challenging. Even as the battle rages in Ukraine,
there may be political skirmishes here at home if a deal is reached to
return to the Iran nuclear agreement. And, I can tell you -- having just
returned from a delegation to Israel and Palestine -- that tensions there
are reaching another boiling point, heading toward the Spring holidays of
Passover, Ramadan and Easter.

Through it all, J Street will continue to search for ways to live up to
our values -- and to promote our belief that peace and democracy must and
will prevail, in Ukraine, in Israel and Palestine, here in the US, and
around the world.

I truly hope
you and your loved ones are safe and well, and I thank you again for being
a part of this movement.

Please reach out to our team if you have any further thoughts to share.

Jeremy Ben-Ami
President, J Street

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J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace 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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