On Monday I receieved three e-mails from three very different organizations. One is JStreet, a "pro-Israel, pro-peace" political action committee in D.C. that promotes dialogue on U.S. policy in the Middle East and supports politicians who advocate for a two-state solution. These politicians are constantly attacked as anti-Israel, and are financially disadvantaged without support from the Israel lobby. This political branch of the pro-peace movement isn't about campus activism, boycotting, or public awareness campaigns. It recognizes that the influence of AIPAC on Congress is at the heart of Israel's inability to demilitarize, and that a blank check (rather, an unquestioned third of all foreign aid) is the worst thing one democracy could give to another.

So it operates from within the beast, fighting fire with fire....


Dear Jessica,
As a Tea Party wave threatens to sweep the nation, we here at JStreetPAC are determined to do everything we can on behalf of key progressive allies who are committed to Israel and Middle East peace. With just 13 days left until the critical November election, Senate Candidate Joe Sestak (D, PA-Sen) and our progressive friends need our help more than ever.
In particular, the neoconservative Emergency Committee on Israel and the Republican Jewish Coalition have focused on Joe Sestak because of his sensible pro-Israel, pro-peace views - as well as his ties to JStreetPAC. Just this week, the RJC announced they are spending $1 million dollars on attack ads, including ads during tonight's World Series game.

Joe Sestak is not alone in this fight. At JStreetPAC, we are proud to share the progressive values of Reps. Raul Grijalva (D, AZ-03) and Maurice Hinchey (D, NY-22) and challenger Anne Kuster -- and to join them in applying these core values to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

If the radical right defeats Joe Sestak and our progressive allies, they would be well on their way to scaring the President and the political establishment away from a meaningful and bold push for a two-state solution. It's that simple.

This is no time to sit on the sidelines and watch some of JStreetPAC's most important progressive endorsees this cycle get beat by Tea Party opponents.
-In upstate New York, another JStreetPAC ally Maurice Hinchey is under furious attack by former New York City Mayor Ed Koch and by Rupert Murdoch's New York Post.
They say he's "hostile to Israel." Why? He won't sign hawkish, one-sided Congressional letters on Israel, and he's staked out moderate pro-Israel, pro-peace positions in nine terms in Congress.

-In Arizona, co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus Raul Grijalva was cruising for a solid victory through much of the campaign until large right-wing funders launched ads attacking Grijalva's opposition to Arizona's new immigration law.
Now, with just two weeks left, the race is suddenly tight, and Grijalva needs our help immediately to get more ads on the air and to fight back.

-In New Hampshire, JStreetPAC's newest endorsee Anne Kuster has a strong shot at holding an open seat against a former Republican House member. She is a bold progressive who's made clear that JStreetPAC is where her heart is on Israel and the Middle East. Polls show her race neck and neck.
We need these valuable allies to win as we head into a make or break year for the peace process.

We can't sit on the sidelines -- we have to help right now to keep these vital progressive allies in the Congress.
We'll be in touch,
- Isaac


The second group is Ta'anit Tzedek, led by Rabbis Brian Walt and Brant Rosen....

Dear Ta'anit Tzedek Supporters,

Three short notes:
1) Fast Day and Phone Conference Tomorrow: "Why we sailed to Gaza" with Maireed Maguire and Yonatan Shapira

We are writing to remind you of our fast day tomorrow, October 21, and of the phone conference at 12 noon EST on "Why we Sailed to Gaza" with Mairead Maguire, Irish Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and Yonatan Shapira, former elite Israeli pilot.
Yonatan Shapira was a passenger on the Jewish Boat to Gaza and Mairead Maguire, who was denied entry to Israel earlier this month, has traveled to Gaza by boat three times.
2. "What is at stake in Gaza: A Jewish Fast for Gaza perspective" Rabbi Brian Walt's Talk at World Council of Churches meeting
Three weeks ago, I (Brian Walt) participated in the World Conference of Churches United Nations Advocacy Week. I was invited as the co-founder of Ta'anit Tzedek - Jewish Fast for Gaza. I have posted a complete copy of my talk on our website and a long excerpt on my blog. It was an honor to represent you at this meeting and I would love to hear your feedback on my comments and encourage you to share it with others.
3. News from Physicians for Human Rights in Israel
I just received a shocking email from Physicians for Human Rights in Israel about the death of a toddler with leukemia who died while waiting for permission to get medical treatment in Israel. This toddler is only one of many in Gaza who suffer needless pain and suffering and in some cases even death as they are waiting for permission to get medical treatment outside of Gaza. This is only one of the inhuman consequences of the immoral siege. When I read this, I was reminded why we are fasting tomorrow.
Thanks for your continued commitment,
Rabbis Brant Rosen and Brian Walt
Co-Founders Ta'Anit Tzedek-Jewish Fast for Gaza


The third group is Interfaith Peace-Builders, which sends delegations of Americans of all backgrounds to Israel and Palestine. The delegates keep blogs and update constantly to share their stories and experiences. Here's a snippet from one of their trips:


Sheikh Jarrah: Samoud

Effusive welcomes, gifts from people who have little to give, unrefusable offers of cool drinks and strong coffee, incredible spirit and amazing resistance...ahh, here is the Palestine I know and love! It's in Sheikh Jarrah.

For the Palestinian families of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, the Nakba is quite literally at their doorstep. Jewish settlers have moved not just into their neighborhood, but right into their homes, evicting them with the help of the police. This is just one of a myriad number of efforts to ethnically cleanse Jerusalem of its native Palestinian Arab inhabitants and maintain a Jewish demographic majority.

The evicted families have been stubbornly living in tents in their own backyards, facing harassment, humiliation and often violence from settlers. If Palestinian residents of the neighborhood go to the police to complain about settler violence, they are more likely to find themselves arrested than helped. And, in the final Orwellian absurdity, at least one family has been fined by Israeli authorities who claim the tent they sleep under in their own yard is an "illegal dwelling"--erected without a building permit. The tent has been torn down and confiscated seventeen times. They keep putting it back up.

We meet with several generations of the Hanoun and Rawi families and one of their lawyers, a man diligent enough to represent them in a court system completely stacked against them. At first the women are fairly quiet while the men do most of the talking. But when someone asks one of the women a direct question, the most amazing stories of resistance come pouring out. "Every time we're attacked, I get stronger," says a mother from one of the families. "Before I faced them, I was afraid of the police, but now I have no fear. Now I'm as strong as any man in the neighborhood and maybe more so." Other women echo her sentiments. Since many of the women of the families don't work, they play an important role in Sheikh Jarrah's resistance, maintaining a physical presence near their houses during the day and confronting police and settlers.

These women are awesome. They are exploding the stereotype of the meek, submissive Muslim woman and teaching us all about resistance. If only to meet them, the trip has already been worth it.

P.S. Samoud is an Arabic word generally translated as “steadfastness,” as in being a total badass who won't back down for anything. A generally abundant Palestinian trait.

--Laura Durkay