New York Times On J Street -- Plus, Ex-IDFer on Why He Joined J Street Staff

By M.J. Rosenberg - September 9, 2009, 4:07PM

Back in the early 1980's -- before I recovered my senses -- I worked at AIPAC. At that time, twenty-five years after its founding, it would have killed to have a story about it in the Sunday New York Times magazine.

In fact, I don't think AIPAC has gotten this kind of coverage to this day.

J Street deserves this. And Jeremy Ben Ami puts Don Draper to shame. He knows how to sell.. But, as Don Draper would tell you, "you have to have a product." (AIPAC has a very effective and talented spokesperson; but he is selling last year's -- no, the last century's -- line).

Supporting the peace process and opposing the occupation sells. Supporting the status quo? That is like selling a Hummer.

Time is on the side of the good guys. This article heralds a new day.

Those of us at Israel Policy Forum, Americans for Peace Now, Brit Tsedek v' Shalom and our non-Jewish allies (Churches For Middle East Peace, The American Task Force on Palestine and the Arab-American Institute) all share in this moment. But the moment is J Street's.

PS Read an article by J Street's latest hire an IDF combat vet I look forward to the day one of AIPAC's armchair warriors calls out this guy for being a coward and a self-hating Jew!

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J Street has apparently gotten so much flack about its perpetual criticism of Israel and cheerleading for every Palestinian propaganda point that the J Street team has been forced to come up with a “Myths and Facts About J Street” crib sheet. Let me just say that if a Jewish organization has to put out a statement denying that it is anti-Israel, pro–Mary Robinson, is funded mostly by Arabs, and has defended a nuclear-armed Iran, then they might as well pack it in. Suffice it to say, you don’t see the ADL or AIPAC or any other genuinely pro-Israel group in such a defensive crouch.

Moreover, some of its “defenses” are rather, well, pathetic. Let’s take just two. On Mary Robinson, J Street says it never defended the choice of Mary Robinson for the Medal of Freedom Award. The “defense”? They were mute! Only their friends defended her.
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/88551

Posted by AnnaA
September 9, 2009 6:07 PM | Reply | Permalink

AIPAC sought publicity?

Several years ago, I had dinner at Galileo, a Washington restaurant, with Steven Rosen, who was then the director of foreign-policy issues at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The group, which is better known by its acronym, AIPAC, lobbies for Israel’s financial and physical security. Like many lobbyists, Rosen cultivated reporters, hoping to influence their writing while keeping his name out of print. He is a voluble man, and liked to demonstrate his erudition and dispense aphorisms. One that he often repeated could serve as the credo of K Street, the Rodeo Drive of Washington’s influence industry: “A lobby is like a night flower: it thrives in the dark and dies in the sun.”

For AIPAC, evidently, it's always just past dusk.

Posted by San Fernando Curt
September 9, 2009 6:34 PM | Reply | Permalink

Yes. MJ. Yes.

Posted by Tintin
September 10, 2009 9:42 AM | Reply | Permalink

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