J Street in Manhattan

I was out and about in midtown Manhattan the other day and I happened on this group of peaceful demonstrators. J Street. Actually they looked like they were holding a reunion of some kind or were having a good old party because they were all smiling and taking pictures of themselves and each other. However they all held signs and wore the same t-shirts so they had to be standing for something.

J Street, I'd come to find, is an "...organization [which] gives political voice to mainstream American Jews and other supporters of Israel." The signs they were holding up all instructed the next portion of their mission statement; the belief "...that a two-state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict is essential to Israel's survival as the nation home of the Jewish people and as a vibrant democracy."

Still I couldn't help but wonder how posing for pictures at the New York Public Library helped the two-state solution. I poured over their online statement about themselves and guessed that perhaps it was J Streets support of "diplomatic solutions over military ones, including in Iran; multilateral over unilateral approaches to conflict resolution; and dialogue over confrontation with a wide range of countries and actors when conflicts do arise," as a big part of their efforts.

J Street seems to be a necessary organization when there are instances like the more than five year capture of Gilad Shalit still on the minds of many in the community. Israeli soldier Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas forces and has been denied Geneva Convention rights, Red Cross visitation, and been used as a bargaining chip in the release of thousands of Palestinians.

Still the rancor on the streets of Manhattan seemed largely peaceful and fun. The members of J Street that I saw were posing for pictures, engaging passersby with information, and holding their signs high and proud.

J Street is a 501 (c) (4) non-profit corporation and a registered lobby. J Street holds a political action committee who endorsees federal candidates called J Street PAC. And J Street has a legally independent 501 (c) (3) non-profit education fund.

J Street claims to be interested in advocating forcefully in the policy process. They maintain presence in Congress, in the media and among their own Jewish community to ensure that "public officials and community leaders clearly see the depth and breadth of support for [their] views on Middle East policy."

Check out their website if you'd like to learn more.

Source:

http://jstreet.org/