There is a diversity of opinion in the Jewish community when it comes to Israel, the Middle East and what it means to be “pro-Israel.” This spectrum is not always accurately represented in the statements by some large communal organizations – especially in a time of crisis like this. There is no reliable polling data, as of yet, on the attitudes of the American Jewish community to the events of the past week.  However, the tens of thousands of pro-Israel American Jews who are joining with statements made by J Street, Americans for Peace Now, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom and others calling for a ceasefire, are a testament to broad support for our positions.

J Street reflects the concern of the majority of the Jewish community about Israel’s security and survival. And J Street represents a majority view in the Jewish community that active American leadership in bringing peace to the region is in both Israel’s short and long-term interests. In fact, 87 percent of American Jews believe that the US should play an active role in helping the parties resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The majority of American Jews believe that a peace agreement with a strong military would provide better security for Israel than military superiority alone.  J Street represents its internet subscriber-ship of nearly 100,000 people and stands united with other organizations in the pro-Israel, pro-peace community including Americans for Peace Now, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the Israel Policy Forum and B’Tselem.

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