What’s Wrong with Jstreet?

I don’t know if you noticed, but while we try to cater to every Zionist or anyone that wants to learn, many writers here, including me, tend to take a more progressive tone. I myself, am part of an organization called Progressive Zionists, where we see the defense of the indigenous people of the region and the right of Jews to self-determine as progressive ideology, especially for a country that continuously invests in moving things forward.  I’m mentioning it because I see too many individuals and organizations define Progressiveness as this kind of an apologetic approach to Zionism. There is this strange statement that we support Israel, but we feel that so many of the things they do in that country are wrong.

This, my friends, is the definition that has been pushed by haters (or, as I call them, Anti Israel marketing machine) for years. Where it slowly slowly prohibited to love Israel and take on left-leaning, liberal progressive initiatives. As Linda Sarsour, the famous Anti-Semitic activist, once the leader of the women’s march and surrogate of Berney Sanders, clearly stated that you couldn’t be a feminist and a Zionist.

I personally do not accept this definition and do not accept outsiders defining what it means to be a proud progressive Zionist. I’m there to fight Homophobia, Sexism, and pollution. I’m here to support a better life for the Palestinians, and none of that contradicts my love for the country with a track record of helping so much worldwide.

So what does this all have to do with J Street or similar organizations? Well, because the Anti Israel marketing machine has managed to convince some of us that progressive Zionists mean someone who has a connection to Israel but barely supports Israel, especially when the country needs it the most.  So, of course, there are few organizations that cater to the need of these Pseudo progressive Zionists. I call this type of organization the grey zones because its position is never clear. The most famous of these Grey Zones is J Street, who is Zionists whenever they feel like it and not zionists just when they are needed. In other words, I feel very confident in saying that J Street is really not Zionist at all.

Let me bring you some facts.

Who Funds J Street

A few names: Zahi Khouri, a Palestinian richman who often accuses Israel of occupation; Richard Abdoo, a Lebanese-American business who has ties with the National Iranian American Council; George Soros, an Anti-Zionist philanthropist; the Ploughshares Fund, an anti-nuclear organization which funded J Street to support the Iran Nuclear Deal.

But enough about money. Are they pro-Israel? Let’s check out the facts.

BDS

J Street officially claims not to support BDS by any means. Fortunately, actions matter so much more than words.

Daniel Levy, co-founder of J Street is a member of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF). RBF funds not only BDS, but many groups who support BDS as well: Palestine Legal, Jewish Voices for Peace and American Friends Service Committee.

J Street also made an effort to make BDS not illegal in the US.

In 2011, they even invited to a J Street Conference BDS supporters including,:Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace (yes, that JVP), Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative, and Peter Beinhart world famous BDS-promoting Jewish asshole, The name of the conference “Giving Voices to Our Values.” If that title is not self-explanatory, I don’t know what is.

If they defend BDS and call BDS to their parties, they must support BDS and, therefore, don’t really believe in Israel’s self-determination. As they say, if quacks like a duck….

J Street deliberately attacked Israel. They urged the Obama administration not to veto a UN Resolution made against Israel in 2011.

We all have our criticism of the government, but none of us are trying to use US politicians to beat Israel into submission. That’s what J Street really wants: to push an Anti-Israel agenda using a pro-Israel package.

So probably the next question that would come up by my awesome readers is, why do I care? If there are people who a borderline zionists, isn’t it our job just to influence them back? Why do we care that there is an organization that caters to them? Isn’t it better that there is an organization like J Street, so they don’t align themselves with even a worst organization like JVP. My very controversial response is no. I rather have a stronger JVP than J Street. Why? Because J Street confuses people. It gives legitimacy to people that do not deserve it. It tells left-leaning Zionists that your home is where you shouldn’t criticize Israel unconditionally, but you should criticize a lot, much more than any other country. It is also a home for Anti-ZIonists manipulators that do not want to be seen as Anti-Zionists and Anti-Semites but strike against when Israel needs help the most. Between you and me, the most significant internal problem in the Jewish community is not the Clearly self-hating, anti-semitic regressive groups like the Jewish voice for peace but the ones that create confusing messages like J Street and create a false definition of what it means to be a progressive Zionists.

P.s. I consider this organization Public Enemy number one, so why not throw some dirt.

The group was surrounded by controversy since its beginning when J Street contracted Ben-Or Consulting (which offers PR consulting), a group that had 15% of its shares owned by the J Street owner Jeremy Ben Ami. According to the Form 990 (July 2008 – June 2009), J Street paid $61,000 in the reporting year to Gerstein Agne, the consulting firm of Jim Gerstein, vice president of J Street’s board. While not technically illegal, it raises many questions about transparency. Is that money into their pockets?

Coming soon…

Coming soon…