Welcome to Word on the Street
Making the case that there’s more than yellow lines and road kill in the middle of the road - there’s also civil dialogue, solutions and hope.
Welcome to Word on the Street, my first venture into the world of Substack and regular blogging.
Starting this Substack is my way of dealing with the flood of incoming across my news feeds from prolific writers with deafening megaphones pushing the debate over Israel toward the extremes. I find far too much of what I read either filled with anger at everything Israel does or driven by knee-jerk defense of its every action - even now as it’s led by an extremist government that is taking its democracy apart and failed to provide basic security to its people last October 7.
As tensions on Israel-related issues rise and polarization deepens, folks ask me if there’s any space left for nuanced, middle-ground voices.
It’s my take that, when those at the poles pull to the extremes, it leaves a lot of space in the center of the conversation for balanced, thoughtful commentary. That’s the space I look to fill - personally and through the organization I lead, J Street.
So this weekly (that’s my goal at least) column will be my personal contribution to balanced and nuanced conversation on these issues.
While nothing I say or write can ever be viewed as all that distinct from what J Street does and thinks, Word on the Street will represent my own personal writing. I alone will be responsible for the content.
If you’re getting this first edition, you’re someone who’s already in touch with me or J Street, and I’ve taken the liberty of hoping you’ll also be interested in reading my latest thinking on Sunday mornings.
If you’re not interested, of course, just simply feel free to unsubscribe. You can find the link to do so at the end of this email.
On a more optimistic note, if you think someone might enjoy reading what I have to say - please this along and urge others to subscribe.
The timing of this new venture is no coincidence.
With all that’s at stake, there’s much I plan to write about:
Of course, the election in just two weeks and the implications for policy and politics of how the Jewish community votes. Bold prediction: yet again, roughly 70 percent of Jewish voters will support Harris and oppose Trump, and concern over shifts in the Jewish vote to the right will be proven wrong.
How can Israel find a path out of this mess to get to conflict resolution? Step one: recognize that the problem and the solution is about much more than just Israelis and Palestinians. I’m on a mission to shift the pro-diplomacy camp away from using the phrase “two-state solution” which closes ears and minds at this point to getting behind a broader regional, comprehensive vision for security. I call it the “23-state solution” (and, of course, one of the 23 has to be a state of Palestine).
I want to make the case for the “middle of the road.” I know the old canard that there’s nothing there but yellow lines and road kill, but that’s not a real argument against compromise, moderation and the search for solutions with those with whom we disagree. After all, would we really rather be in the gutters at the sides of the road? I’ll lay out my case for J Street positioning itself at the “50-yard line” of the American Jewish community.
I want to challenge how Jewish institutions and leaders call for ‘unity’ in the Jewish community. I see behind these innocent-sounding appeals, an effort to enforce message discipline - to shut down debate and dissent. Unity and uniformity are two different concepts. Pushing those who criticize Israeli policy or even the existence of a Jewish state out of the Jewish communal tent in the name of ‘unity’ is a strategic mistake. I’ll also continue to press the argument that to be “pro-Israel”, one needn’t - and shouldn’t - refrain from criticizing the Israeli government’s actions and policies.
And why are Jewish leaders of a certain generation (mine) lamenting “where they went wrong” with their kids? They look at young, progressive Jews and hear their critiques of Israel and say, “perhaps it was a mistake to center American Jewish identity around active pursuit of justice, because now these young Jews are rebelling against Israel. Where did we go wrong?” I view it in the exact opposite way: these young Jews have deeply absorbed the values we’ve instilled, and now they’re doing precisely what they should - forcing us to look in the mirror and confront whether our own behaviors - and those of the state of the Jewish people - live up to the values we said were core to our identity. I look forward to spelling that argument out!
In the weeks ahead, I plan to write about all of this and more. I imagine I’ll spark a few debates - even within my own organization. I hope so! After all, argument and debate are the hallmarks of a strong and thoughtful people.
I look forward to your thoughts on all these issues and more. Thank you for reading all the way through!
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Dear Jeremy,
Thank you so much for starting these posts! I cannot tell you how much I have appreciated your letters to J Street members over the last difficult years, especially this last one, and the work of J Street overall.
Personally, I have been advocating for peace and justice for Israel and the Palestinians for 45 years, when I was a new college graduate and found a like-minded group of friends.
As Rabbi Hillel said so long ago, the time is NOW.
Thanks, Jeremy, for doing this and organizing your thoughts weekly for the rest of us. Moral, political, Jewish, and liberal Zionist clarity in the midst of this war, loss of life, and extremist right-wing Israeli policies is essential today as at any time in my life.