[ [link removed] ]J Street Conference 2022

Friend --

Day two of the J Street National Conference kicked off with a keynote
address from Secretary of State Antony Blinken from our main stage.

It was a day of important, powerful and moving speeches.

Advocates and leaders from Israel, Gaza and the West Bank spoke about
painful realities on the ground, the deep toll inflicted by the
occupation, and the importance of international leadership to protect
full, equal democratic freedoms for all.

Political organizers and strategists spoke about the fight to protect
democracy at home, including our recent success in the midterms and the
lasting change our movement is bringing to Congress as we work to elect
and re-elect true champions for our pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy
agenda.

⬇️ Highlights Below ⬇️

Antony Blinken Addresses J Street National Conference

[ [link removed] ]Antony Blinken

In his speech from the main stage, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made
clear that there was much work to be done in the task of securing a safe,
free and equal future for Israelis and Palestinians.

“No peace is possible or sustainable without a strong, secure Israel,
deepening Israel’s integration in the region and in the world, and holding
firm the idea of two states for two peoples,” Secretary Blinken said. “The
reality is that today, Palestinians and Israelis do not enjoy equal levels
of freedom, security, or opportunity.”

“We are committed to preserving a horizon of hope,” he said. “That means
holding firm to the values that make the relationship between the United
States and Israel.”

“When times are challenging, this is when we rise to the moment. I am
thankful that J Street continues to do that, continues to make a
difference. It’s needed now more than ever,” Secretary Blinken said.

[ [link removed] ]Watch Secretary Blinken’s full address here >> 

Fighting for Israel’s Founding Values

[4]Yair Golan Speaks

J Street hosted a wide array of Israeli and Palestinian leaders and peace
advocates who spoke powerfully of their work, their resilience and the
challenges we face together.

“Only through the pursuit of democracy and justice can all Israelis and
Palestinians live in peace and security,” said Nadav Tamir, Executive
Director of J Street in Israel.

Major General Yair Golan, former Member of Knesset and Deputy IDF Chief of
Staff, delivered a powerful articulation of the shared values upon which
the US-Israel relationship was founded. “Democracies can collapse into
themselves,” he said, warning that continuing to ignore Palestinian rights
and freedoms risked threatening to tear Israel’s own society apart.

[ [link removed] ]Merav Michaeli Speaks

Labor leader Merav Michaeli called on Jewish Americans to continue to
support a progressive vision for Israel, even as the right takes power in
the coming days and weeks. “Stand with us. Stand by us. Promote the values
you hold dear for democracy and for human and civil rights,” Michaeli
said.

[ [link removed] ]Watch Merav Michaeli’s Full Address >>

[ [link removed] ]Ayman Odeh Speaks

Hadash Leader Ayman Odeh issued a rallying cry for people of all
backgrounds to stand firm in defense of human rights, pluralism and
democratic government. “Democracy means an end to occupation. Democracy
means a Palestinian state alongside an Israeli state,” Odeh said.

[ [link removed] ]Watch Ayman Odeh’s Full Address >>

[9]Sally Abed Speaks

Uri Weltmann and Sally Abed of Standing Together spoke about their work to
bring Arab Israelis and Jewish Israelis together to rally, organize and
build power for the progressive movement and to campaign for a full and
equal democracy for all.

“As a Palestinian citizen of Israel, I know very well the meaning of
conditional democracy. Because at any given point, my citizenship can be
under threat,” Abed said.

[10]Majd Mashharawi Speaks

Gaza-raised entrepreneur and human rights campaigner Majd Mashharawi
delivered a powerful speech about the stinging injustice of occupation,
inequality and neglect.

“I wanted to talk about how living in a cage and being unfree feels like,”
Mashharawi said. “I wanted to share with you how it feels to live without
a state, to be stateless. How to be treated unequally everywhere you go
just because of who you are, just because of your identity, just because
you’re a Palestinian… I hold the story on my shoulders.”

Must Watch: Water Discrimination in the West Bank

[ [link removed] ]A must watch video

In an exclusive J Street video, Nasser Nawaja from the West Bank village
of Susya shows how water access is being weaponized by Israeli authorities
in an effort to stifle development in his town and push Palestinian
families from their land in occupied territory.

Shot on location in Susya, Navaja shows how two different rules exist on
the West Bank -- one for unlawful settlements, and another for
long-standing Palestinian communities.

[ [link removed] ]Watch and share the powerful video here >>

Defending Our Democracy at Home

[13]Ben Wikler and Tiffany Muller on a panel

Executive Director of the Wisconsin Democrats Ben Wikler and President of
End Citizens United Tiffany Muller spoke of the foundational importance of
protecting and expanding democratic freedoms at home and abroad.

“Voters showed that democracy was front and center in their minds when
they walked into that ballot box,” Muller noted. “The work of J Street to
build and support democracy and peace and justice in Israel is interlinked
inextricably with the work to ensure we have a democracy in the United
States,” Wikler said.

[14]Leah Greenberg

Co-Founder of Indivisible Leah Greenberg and veteran social justice
advocate Ruth Messinger spoke about the fight to protect our democracy,
the threat of antisemitism on the far right, and AIPAC’s harmful
interventions to support anti-democratic Republican candidates and target
progressive Democratic candidates.

“These groups are subverting democracy, subverting democratic values, and
using the power of money,” Messinger said. “There really could be
concerted action, and we could be moving forward collectively to say: This
is simply not how we’re going to choose our next class of leaders,”
Greenberg said.

Ambassador Rabbi David Saperstein and Executive Director of the
Association for Civil Rights in Israel Rabbi Noa Sattath discussed why
democratic freedoms are core Jewish values. “That belief in human rights,
democracy, freedom and peace is needed more now than ever before,” Rabbi
Saperstein said. “This is our time to make a difference,” echoed Rabbi
Sattath.

Much More in Store...

We’ve got even more big names and compelling programming lined up today.

Thank you to everyone who has come together to make the past two days so
exciting, informative and inspirational. I can't wait to join you again
later today.

Logan Bayroff
VP of Communications, J Street


[ [link removed] ]DONATE
[ [link removed] ]Facebook [ [link removed] ]Instagram [ [link removed] ]Twitter
© 2022 J Street | [ [link removed] ]www.jstreet.org | [email protected]

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.



You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]