opinions & letters
AIPAC Needs to Rethink
Its Strategy Before It Does
Any More Damage
BY RABBI SEYMOUR ROSENBLOOM
A t this moment in American history, our
democracy faces an unprecedented threat
from within. Conspiracy theorists and extremists
willing to overturn our election results have made
their way not only into the national debate but into
Congress and even the White House during the last
administration. It is incumbent on all of those who work in
politics and support the nation’s core democratic
ideals to think carefully about their actions, their
impact and the future of our country.

That’s why it was so shocking to hear the CEO
of AIPAC — one of the largest lobbying groups in
Washington — tell The Washington Post in an inter-
view last week that the idea of there being a red
line for the type of politician the group would fund-
raise for was something he’d have to “think about.”
Howard Kohr’s response was alarming — and a
deflection at best. Ever since it announced its slate
of 2022 endorsements, AIPAC has been under sus-
tained criticism, even from many of its top support-
ers, regarding its decision to endorse and fundraise
for 109 Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020
election results following the insurrection on Jan. 6.

Very few seem to buy the explanation that AIPAC
is a “single issue organization” as an excuse for
endorsing and fundraising for political candidates
who threaten our democratic values (values which,
by the way, AIPAC frequently cites as cornerstones
of the shared foundations of the US-Israel relation-
ship and the rationale for American aid to Israel.)
For the overwhelming majority of Democratic
voters and Jewish Americans like myself — whose
shared history bears the scars of what happens
when a democracy is overthrown — there can be
no excuse for supporting candidates who openly
threaten democratic rights and freedoms.

There can be no excuse for fundraising for the
likes of U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, who sought a par-
don from Donald Trump after plotting to reject
the results of the 2020 election. No excuse for
fundraising for U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, who pro-
motes the deadly, racist and antisemitic “Great
Replacement” conspiracy theory — putting her in
the company of leading white nationalists.

How does this tactic serve AIPAC’s stated
mission of strengthening bipartisan support
for Israel? Former head of the Anti-Defamation
League Abe Foxman called the group’s approach
a “sad mistake,” adding that “those who under-
mine America’s democracy undermine America,
It’s long overdue for
AIPAC’s CEO to “think
about” the impact of the
group’s actions.

and a weak America will not be able to stand and
support its ally Israel.”
As AIPAC’s pro-Israel, pro-peace alternative,
J Street, has said repeatedly: You cannot claim
to support a strong US-Israel relationship while
attacking the shared democratic foundations of
that relationship.

This tactic is also driving a wedge between
AIPAC, Israel and the American Jewish commu-
nity — especially younger American Jews. It’s a
community that is overwhelmingly repelled by
former President Trump, that understands the
nature of the threat to our democracy, and that
actually holds quite nuanced, principled views on
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

That division is further exacerbated by AIPAC’s
decision to form a super PAC — the cynically titled
United Democracy Project — in order to defeat a
number of mainstream progressives who don’t
share the group’s hawkish view on Israel and have
been openly critical of settlements and indefi-
nite occupation. The super PAC has spent over
$20 million in Democratic primaries — including
millions donated by Republican billionaires — to
defeat candidates like Michigan Rep. Andy Levin.

Levin, a proud Jew and a self-described Zionist,
committed the apparent “sin” of opposing settle-
ments and supporting a two-state solution with
too much conviction. It was enough to earn him
$4 million in AIPAC super PAC spending aimed
at defeating him, spending which was successful
when he lost his race earlier this month.

Is this what we want for the future of pro-Is-
rael politics? To align support for Israel with the
darkest actors in U.S. politics and deceptive cam-
paigns that totally lack transparency?
As many American Jews and Democrats have
pointed out, surely a group that is supporting
109 pro-insurrectionist Republicans has no place
telling Democrats whom to vote for, especially
when they’re using money donated by Republican
mega-donors to do it.

It’s long overdue for AIPAC’s CEO to “think
about” the impact of the group’s actions. About
whether it’s really in the interest of Israel’s future
to be opposing mainstream pro-Israel, pro-peace
Democrats while supporting far-right, anti-dem-
ocratic Republicans. About the health of a bipar-
tisan US-Israel relationship if anti-democratic,
pro-settlement extremists are victorious in Israel,
and anti-democratic, pro-conspiracy theorist
extremists are victorious here.

In the meantime, perhaps the rest of us in the
Jewish community and in the Democratic Party
should think about whether AIPAC can be a wel-
come political actor among us if they continue to
ignore the clear majority in our community who
know there can be no excuse for supporting
those who threaten our future. JE
Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom is the former rabbi of
Congregation Adath Jeshurun in Elkins Park. He
is a member of J Street’s Rabbinic and Cantorial
Cabinet and the co-chair of the Public Affairs
Committee for J Street’s Philadelphia chapter.

letters Blank Space Preferred?
Parents of preteens sometimes counsel them to
say nothing when they have nothing nice to say.

With regard to your editorial “The Trump Wars,”
that advice may not be exactly apt, since the edi-
torial said nothing that was either nice or not nice,
nor did it say much of anything, if anything, at all.

In short, said editorial was 100% vacuous.

So, my advice to you is out of consideration for
those to whom you address yourself, when you
have nothing of any interest or value to say, say
nothing. If you want to advertise that you have
nothing worth saying to say, you can make that
clear by running a large blank space where a
thoughtful editorial might have gone.

Trump’s conduct warrants prison. JE
M. Louis Offen, Philadelphia
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