Teaneck–Political activist Dr. Charles Jacobs recently spoke at the screening of the movie he co-produced, The J Street Challenge: The Seductive Allure for Peace in Our Time, at Teaneck Cinemas. The film was viewed by an audience of approximately 100 people.
The film presents J Street’s mission and related actions through speeches by J Street leaders and supporters from J Street’s own website. It also investigates the background of J Street and its founders, J Street’s organizational funding, and its alliances with organizations and individuals who are known to be hostile to Israel. J Street’s founder and executive director, Jeremy Ben Ami, declined to be interviewed for the film.
Jacobs stated that this film was made because “J Street is a new and different challenge, a challenge we never faced before. J Street lobbies the American government to force the Israeli government to do what it has chosen not to do.”
The film features such notable Jewish figures as Harvard professors Alan Dershowitz and Ruth Wisse; Caroline Glick, deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post; Rabbi Daniel Gordis, senior vice president of the Shalem College in Jerusalem, and Bret Stephens, columnist for The Wall Street Journal.
“The biggest problem with J Street” said Dershowitz, “is that it doesn’t tell the truth. … “It pretends it is pro-Israel and pro-peace. It is neither.
The film asserts that J Street disproportionately blames Israel for the lack of peace and ignores the hatred and incitement promoted by the Palestinian leadership. “There is no such thing as an Arab-Israel conflict,” stated Wisse. “There is an Arab war against Israel.”
The screening was sponsored by the Zionist Organization of America and co-sponsored by CAMERA and StandWithUs. Laura Fein, executive director of ZOA of New Jersey, said, “The ZOA has been on the forefront of opposing J Street. We expose the organization for what it is–an anti-Israel wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Jacobs, who is also the co-founder of the David Project, The American Anti-Slavery Group and Americans for Peace and Tolerance, spoke to a small group before the screening at an exclusive patrons’ reception. He also introduced the film before the screening and took questions at the end.
Jacobs has traveled the country showing his film is such places as Miami, Denver, New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago. “We wanted to bring big groups as a community to watch the film together, to feel together and to debate together,” said Jacobs, “because these are daunting times.”
He also stated that he plans to produce a version of this film specifically for college students since this population is particularly vulnerable to the allures of J Street. “What J Street does on college campuses,” said Jacobs, “is block real pro-Israel activity.”
The next screening of the film will take place at Kehillath Shalom Synagoguge in Cold Spring Harbor, New York on October 19th. In addition, groups may request a screening through the J Street Challenge website thejstreetchallenge.com, and DVDs can be ordered on Amazon.
By Tova Domnitch
