J Street - Word on the Street

J Street
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J Street conversations is the audio home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans. We share regular discussions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and American politics with politicians, advocates, legal experts, pollsters, student leaders, and more.

  1. 3d ago

    Netanyahu vs. the World

    This week on Word on the Street Live, we dug into Netanyahu’s latest fights – with world leaders, with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and increasingly with American Jews – and what they tell us about the road ahead. At the UN, Netanyahu used the global stage for a speech that sounded more fit for a campaign event at home than something made for diplomats in the room. And we talked about the sad irony that every time Netanyahu comes to the US, he seems to deepen the political and communal rifts here – even as he insists that Americans have no place weighing in on Israel’s future. Shifting then to Israeli elections, the latest polling still gives Netanyahu a real path back to power. The numbers also point to a pretty complicated picture for folks in the J Street world who care deeply about both Israelis and Palestinians, as even an anti-Netanyahu government could have a large right-wing bloc in the Knesset. Meanwhile, something important is shifting in Washington. We talked about the Senate vote to investigate human rights abuses in the West Bank, and some potentially groundbreaking legislation in both the House and Senate that would put consequences on settlement construction. Tune in to hear the rest because we sure covered a lot of ground.

    Netanyahu vs. the World

  2. Sep 24

    Spotlight on Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed, Jewish voters, and what’s happening with J Street U & Hillel

    This week, it’s Word on the Street… in Michigan! The Wolverine State has become ground zero in battles over Israel in partisan politics and on campus. Jeremy’s co-host today was Lauren Haines, a 2025 Michigan grad and former national president of J Street U. She’s now a member of the J Street Digital Team and our in-house Michigan expert! Lauren and Jeremy were joined first by Adir Waxman, the current Vice President of J Street U for the Midwest and a sophomore at Michigan, studying French Horn Performance and Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Adir shared his experience when the J Street U affiliate at the University of Michigan was informed that they had to either disaffiliate from J Street or leave Hillel - an important part of Jewish life and experience on campus at the University of Michigan. Adir shared why remaining a part of J Street U is so important to chapter members and why J Street’s work is important to him personally. The conversation touched on the most difficult generational questions facing younger Jewish Americans right now, how we can build community across divides, and how we can make space for disagreement while also building connection. Next, we welcomed Samuel Bagenstoss and Eli Savit, two leading Jewish Michigan Democrats who helped lead a letter signed by more than 500 Jewish voters in Michigan urging Jews in the state to vote for Abdul El-Sayed. Samuel and Eli shared more about why they chose to be a part of this effort and what the conversation around the Senate race has been in the state’s Jewish community. We talked about the places where there is tension, but also where there is agreement - about our Jewish values, about protecting our democracy and imposing checks on Donald Trump, about how we can build bridges, and about working towards peace for Israelis and Palestinians. Give the full conversation a listen!

    Spotlight on Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed, Jewish voters, and what’s happening with J Street U & Hillel

  3. Sep 18

    A High Holiday Reckoning on Zionism with Rabbi Zachary Truboff

    This week, we wanted to mark the High Holidays on Word on the Street Live. We knew a conversation with a rabbi about teshuvah, or repentance, would go deep – and Rabbi Zach Truboff did not disappoint. Rabbi Truboff, author of Zionism in Crisis, opened with how October 7 left him both deeply connected to Israel and deeply alienated from parts of what he was seeing. We talked about what national trauma does to our ability to see reality clearly, and what it might mean for Zionism itself to undergo teshuvah. We got into Jewish power and the danger of using religious language to turn our own actions into something righteous and beyond question. We also talked about the much-discussed release of the documentary NAZA, and the questions the filmmakers are forcing Israeli society and Jews from all over to confront about the war in Gaza. We’ll leave you with the passage Emily read from Zach’s book, and encourage you to listen to the full conversation because this write-up simply doesn’t do it justice: “A state built on ethnic purity, even if born out of trauma, will structurally be inclined to view minorities as existential threats. This in turn fuels a cycle of fear, repression, and violence. That is not a prophecy. It is a historical pattern, one that Jews of all people should recognize because they have been on the receiving end of it for the last two centuries.”

    A High Holiday Reckoning on Zionism with Rabbi Zachary Truboff

  4. Sep 18

    ICYMI: Christian Nationalism’s Threat to Democracy

    Jeremy and Ilan had a fascinating conversation with Congressman Jared Huffman about his new book, No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism. The book is remarkably personal. Rep. Huffman takes us from his childhood in an offshoot of the Mormon Church and his eventual departure from the faith to his years in Congress, where he’s watched Christian nationalism grow into an increasingly powerful political movement. We don’t want to give too much away and would rather have you hear it from Jared himself. But we dug into the history of the movement, what he believes January 6 revealed about Christian nationalism, and the different factions now operating within it. We also talked about Christian Zionism and why Israel plays such a central role in parts of the movement, as well as how Christian nationalism intersects with antisemitism. There’s a lot more in the book and in our conversation, so we hope you’ll tune in – and pick up a copy of No Prophets while you’re at it.

    ICYMI: Christian Nationalism’s Threat to Democracy

  5. Sep 4

    Where are we headed in November?

    We’re just about through with primary season. In this week’s Word on the Street Live, we took a step back to look at what we learned about the national political landscape – and what it could mean for November. We talked through the House and Senate maps, the races J Street is watching most closely, and why states like Michigan, Georgia and Ohio are already shaping up to be some of the most important (and most watched) contests of the cycle. We also talked about AIPAC: Its growing toxicity in the Democratic Party, the impact of big money on democracy and why JStreetPAC approaches our political work differently. Plus, we shared some of our biggest surprises, toughest losses and favorite wins from the primary season. There’s a lot at stake between now and November, and our team will be doing our best to make sure our candidates have the support they need to win.

    Where are we headed in November?

  6. Aug 27

    What could change if Netanyahu loses?

    Israeli pollster and analyst Dahlia Scheindlin took us from freshman year to senior year, with a crash course into how Israeli elections actually work, the latest polls, Gadi Eisenkot’s rise and the many moving pieces that could determine the next government. One important caveat Dahlia wants us to remember: Don’t count Netanyahu out. Israeli elections have a way of surprising us, and there’s a cautionary tale in assuming today’s party standings will hold. But the bigger question is what a change in government would actually mean. Would it change Israel’s approach to Gaza? To the West Bank? To the United States? And how much should Washington expect from – and press – whichever government emerges? There are a lot of moving pieces to Israel’s upcoming election, and we’ll keep tracking them here on Word on the Street. Give the conversation a listen.

    What could change if Netanyahu loses?

  7. Aug 13

    Palestinian and Arab Voices Belong in DC

    This week on Word on the Street, Ilan spoke with Alia Awadallah, a Palestinian American who served in the Biden Administration, and Rebecca Abou-Chedid, a Lebanese American who has spent her career working in Arab American advocacy and Middle East policy. For too long, there’s been a real imbalance in Washington. I remember when there could be five Jewish voices at the policymaking table on Israel-Palestine for every one Arab or Palestinian voice. We talked about whether that’s finally changing, and what it means when the people with the deepest lived experience have too often been overlooked. We also talked about the attacks Arab and Palestinian American government officials face, including from parts of the Jewish community, and the impossible (and hypocritical) expectation to constantly defend their identities, politics and motives. The biggest takeaway? These are exactly the voices Washington needs at the table. Voices that bring a fuller and more comprehensive perspective to a policy debate that has too often treated Palestinians and Arabs as an afterthought.

    Palestinian and Arab Voices Belong in DC

  8. Aug 6

    Michigan After the Vote

    Our guest, Michigan local and Democratic organizer Jessica ‘Decky’ Alexander, said the state’s Democratic Senate primary felt seismic – not just for Michigan, but for the national Democratic Party. Decky spent the past year and a half listening, organizing and talking directly with Jewish Michiganders. She originally supported Mallory McMorrow, who dropped out of the race last month, before backing Haley Stevens. Throughout the primary, Decky also kept a line open to yesterday’s winner, Abdul El-Sayed, sharing concerns she heard from across the American Jewish community. Now, as someone helping convene Jews in Michigan to support El-Sayed in November, her question to the voters she talks to is simple: What do they need to see and hear from Abdul now? One thing she made clear: There is no single “Jewish vote.” Michigan Jews supported Haley, Abdul and Mallory – and many of the issues Abdul campaigned on resonate deeply with Jewish voters and Democrats across the state. We also dug into AIPAC: The astonishing amount of millions they poured into the race and the tricky line between exposing its role and turning it into the one-and-only political boogeyman while other special interest groups played the spending game. After Decky left us, we shifted gears to Gaza, Israel and Iran – asking whether we’re finally seeing the beginnings of something different, or just another turn of the same merry-go-round.

    Michigan After the Vote
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J Street conversations is the audio home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans. We share regular discussions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and American politics with politicians, advocates, legal experts, pollsters, student leaders, and more.

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