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
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.
Watch Secretary Blinken’s full address here >>Â
Fighting for Israel’s Founding Values
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.
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.
Watch Merav Michaeli’s Full Address >>
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.
Watch Ayman Odeh’s Full Address >>
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.
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
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.
Watch and share the powerful video here >>
Defending Our Democracy at Home
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.
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
