On September 17, StandWithUs, CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America), and ZOA (Zionist Organization of America), are co-sponsoring a screening of the controversial film The J-Street Challenge, followed by Q&A with one of the producers, political activist Dr. Charles Jacobs, on his first visit to Teaneck.
The film will be screened at the Cedar Lane Cinema. Its world premiere was in Miami this past February, and it has since been screened all over the country. Jacobs is an internationally known activist and the co-founder of the David Project, the American Anti-Slavery Group, and Americans for Peace and Tolerance. The controversial documentary film, featuring a range of views including those of Harvard’s Alan Dershowitz and Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens as well as J-Street leaders Jeremy Ben-Ami and Peter Beinhart, offers its own views of the activities, impact, and funding of J-Street. J-Street opted not to participate in community events in support of Israel, and and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations’ voted against admitting J-Street as a member this past spring.
“We think J-Street is doing something that no one else has ever done, which is to use American Jewish political capital to force the Israeli government to do what it doesn’t want to do, which is to establish a two-state solution with who they think are legitimate peace partners,” Jacobs told JLBC.
“Everybody knows we can put aside Israeli policy, can write against Israel’s policies, but since we are in the diaspora, are not riding the buses, don’t have children serving, and aren’t living in Sderot, we don’t get involved in forcing Israel to do what it has chosen what not to do,” he added. “It’s not the traditional role of the diaspora to do this,” he said.
“Their goal is to pressure the Israelis with American power to establish a two-state solution,” he said.
Jacobs said the film gave J-Street lots of screen time to say what its positions are, and interviewed an array of the most prominent and most eloquent pro-Israel speakers from left to right, from Ruth Wisse to Bret Stephens to Daniel Gordis. “We also invite them [J-Street] to debate with us on a panel after every showing, and they decline. We always give any J-Street supporters the first couple of questions at the Q&A,” he said.
Jacobs said he agreed that the tide has begun to turn against J-Street since the Gaza War began this summer. “Even liberals understand more now that the Arab side doesn’t want there to be a Jewish state,” he said. Still, “they have done well with the administration, which uses them as a cover to press Israel. And, they have done well on college campuses,” Jacobs added.
Cedar Lane Cinema is at 503 Cedar Lane and will be showing the film on September 17 only. The community is invited to a producer’s reception (7:30 p.m.) before the film (8:00 p.m.) and a Q&A after (approximately 9:00 p.m.). The film is also now available for purchase on Amazon. For more information visit thejstreetchallenge.org.
By Elizabeth Kratz
