In the wake of Hamas’s brutal Oct. 7 massacre and the war
that followed, most of the American Jewish community stood where they always
have—on the side of Israel’s right to self-defense. But a vocal minority chose
another path: undermining Israel at one of its darkest hours.
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Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel, Dec. 19, 2023.
Photo by Moshe Shai/Flash90. |
Organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, and
increasingly, even J Street, have not merely criticized Israeli policy. They’ve
crossed a moral line—providing rhetorical ammunition to Israel’s enemies,
weakening U.S. support and sowing confusion in the American Jewish community.
Their rhetoric may be cloaked in humanitarian language, but
their actions—and now their slander—raise an urgent question: Have these groups
done harm to Israel during wartime?
Start with JVP. This group responded to Hamas’s atrocities
not with condemnation but with justification. Within days, JVP blamed Israeli
“apartheid” and “occupation” for the slaughter of 1,200 men, women and children
in southern Israeli communities. They demanded an end to U.S. military aid,
accused Israel of war crimes and staged disruptive protests in congressional
offices and on major highways.
This is not moral clarity—it’s moral inversion.
IfNotNow, a group that claims to represent young progressive
Jews, joined the ceasefire chorus almost immediately, even before Israel had
buried its dead or begun rescuing the 251 people taken hostage and dragged into
Gaza. In August 2025, its activists led protests outside Trump Hotel and
Columbus Circle in Manhattan, demanding that Washington halt arms shipments to
Israel.
One wonders if they would have protested U.S. arms to
Britain in 1941.
But perhaps the most troubling shift has come from J Street,
long the self-described “pro-Israel, pro-peace” lobby. Until recently, many in
the Jewish community believed that while J Street could be sharply critical of
Israeli policy, it still operated from a place of concern for Israel’s
survival. That illusion collapsed this week.
In a shocking turn, J Street president Jeremy Ben-Ami
announced that he now believes Israel may be committing genocide in Gaza. In a
Tisha B’Av newsletter, he wrote:
“I have … been persuaded rationally by legal and scholarly
arguments that international courts will one day find that Israel has broken
the international genocide convention.”
He went further: “Until now, I have tried to deflect and
defend when challenged to call this genocide. … I simply won’t defend the
indefensible.”
And as if anticipating the backlash, he added: “How can it
be that Israel—the state founded by a people who experienced genocide—could
itself be committing this most heinous of crimes?”
Ben-Ami’s words are not merely irresponsible. They are
inflammatory. Genocide is the most serious accusation one can level against a
nation. It is not a policy critique; it is an allegation of premeditated,
systematic mass murder. And to make that claim while Israel fights an enemy
that openly calls for its annihilation is a betrayal of both truth and decency.
This is not a fringe activist speaking. This is the head of
a Washington lobby with access to lawmakers and influence in the halls of
power. When Jeremy Ben-Ami accuses Israel of genocide, it sends a signal to the
media, to Congress and to Israel’s enemies: The Jewish consensus is cracking.
These groups insist that they are acting in defense of
Jewish values. But their words and actions have made Israel’s job harder, not
easier. They have given cover to anti-Israel resolutions, weakened bipartisan
support and contributed to a global narrative that blames Israel for a war it
did not start and never wanted.
When Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran see Jewish groups denouncing
Israel in terms indistinguishable from their own propaganda, they see
weakness—and opportunity. These terror regimes aren’t interested in nuance.
They are interested in victory. And when J Street speaks of genocide, they
hear: “Keep going. The Jews are turning on each other.”
Let’s be clear: Israel does not demand silence. Israelis
themselves debate every aspect of this war. But there is a line between loyal
criticism and disloyal defamation. These groups—and now, J Street, most
shamefully—have crossed it.
They do not represent most American Jews. Polling shows that
a clear majority support Israel’s war against Hamas and understand that Hamas
is a genocidal terrorist organization, not a national liberation movement. Most
American Jews understand that this is not a war of choice. It is a war of
survival.
We can debate strategy. We can question policy. But accusing
Israel of genocide—while under rocket fire, while grieving its dead, while
rescuing hostages—is not righteous. It’s reckless. And it’s very, very wrong.
At moments like this, solidarity matters. So does truth. And
the truth is this: When Jewish leaders like Jeremy Ben-Ami repeat the slanders
of Israel’s enemies, they don’t defend peace. They damage the one Jewish state
we have.
That’s not dissent. That’s betrayal.
Stephen M. Flatow
This column originally appeared on JNS.ORG. You can read it and others by me here.
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