If Israel Were a Village of 100 People, What Would It Look Like?
If Israel were a village of 100 people, what would it look like?
Even if you know a lot about Israel, this short video produced by New Israel Fund-Israel will concern, educate and move you. It will remind you of the Israel that we want to build, the Israel based on progressive, Jewish and universal values of equality and justice.
Driving Change, Securing Peace
Excerpts from a letter written by Shimon Peres, dated August 11, 2009, to J Street:
"..I wish to congratulate you on your initiative to form a pro-Israel-Palestinian and pro-Israeli-Arab peace organization and the support you have garnered on behalf of this mission in the American political and Jewish communities arena is indeed impressive.
"The Israel that stretches out its hand in peace is not only an Israel that addresses a geo-political reality and discharges its strategic interests: it is an Israel that acts according to the commands of the conscience and values of the Jewish People. We yearn for peace, so as to live in security, but also to be able to flourish in a state that is democratic and enlightened, and as an expression of our ancient heritage and representatives of the Jewish People.
With best regards,
Sincerely Yours,
Shimon Peres
Jerusalem
Rabbi Eric Yoffie's Address to J Street
Address to J Street Convention
October 26, 2009
Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie
President, Union for Reform Judaism
I am grateful for the invitation to be with you at J Street's first national conference. The growth of J Street has been extraordinary in every way. I offer my congratulations to Jeremy Ben-Ami and his associates, and I welcome the opportunity to address you and share my views.
Let us begin with a simple question: What is a pro-Israel organization?
I suggest that pro-Israel organizations are those that possess two characteristics.
First, they are organizations that support the idea that Israel must be a Jewish and democratic state. By "Jewish state" I mean a state with a stable Jewish majority, and by "democratic state" I mean a state that grants full political and civil rights to all who dwell permanently within its borders.
Pro-Israel organizations know that the creation and support of a Jewish and democratic state is the central value of Zionism-indeed, it is the very reason that Zionism came into being. And absent a two-state solution, there will be no such state. I am astounded that those who resist a two-state solution, who speak the language of permanent occupation, and who even refuse to reject expulsion of Arabs from Israel or the territories will be considered by some as pro-Israel, while advocates of a two-state solution will not.
ALLMEP (Alliance for Middle East Peace) is the coalition of over 70 organizations beuilding people-to-people cooperation, coexistence, and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, Arabs and Jews in the Middle East. ALLMEP's members empower ordinary citizens to build peace in their everyday lives. ALLMEP raises awareness and increases resources for these critical efforts.
ALLMEP empowers you, too, to join with a diverse array of fellow citizens in support of practical, non-political work towards peace. At ALLMEP events from Washington, DC to New York to Jerusalem, hundreds of NGO leaders policymakers, pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists, diplomats, private foundations, and the media have gathered for this cause - leading to tripled US funding for such projects worldwide and $9 million annually for Middle East people-to-people activities alone.
Tikkun Olam 
