J Street Conversations

J Street
  • 4.6 (9)
  • News

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. 6d ago

    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

  2. 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

  3. Aug 6

    ICYMI: What are we settling for? [with Donniel Hartman]

    [Recorded on July 29, 2026] Donniel Hartman on what Israel needs to see differently – and why “better” isn’t good enough. “Thou shalt not be mediocre.” That line from Rabbi Donniel Hartman, a leading Jewish scholar and President of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, stuck with me. We had a wide-ranging conversation about Israel’s standing in the world, the trauma Israelis are living through, and the enormous gap between where we are and where we need to go. But what I found most compelling was Donniel’s insistence that the answer can’t simply be better arguments against Israel’s critics. We have to ask more of ourselves. What’s stopping us from clearing the rubble in Gaza? What’s stopping us from building hospitals? What’s stopping us from making Palestinian lives better where we have the ability to do so? And what does it mean to articulate a vision of Israel that’s not just “better than today,” but actually worthy of our deepest Jewish values? Donniel was also candid about how hard that conversation is in Israel right now. People are frightened. They don’t want to hear moral criticism when they’re worried about their kids’ safety. So, he argues, you have to walk people slowly, step after step – establish trust, acknowledge their fears and then challenge them to imagine something more. That may mean making people uncomfortable. The Hartman Institute, he said, is going to try.

    ICYMI: What are we settling for? [with Donniel Hartman]

  4. Jul 23

    The IDF Veteran Who Showed Ro Khanna the West Bank

    Nadav Weiman’s name has been in the headlines recently after he joined parts of Congressman Ro Khanna’s tour of the West Bank. We wanted to hear directly from him about what happened. Nadav walked us through the moment their vehicle was surrounded by armed settlers, who blocked the road and intimidated the group while soldiers stood alongside the settlers. Nadav connected the dots about the larger story between the settler movement and the IDF. We also talked about the Palestinian village of Umm al Khair, where Rep. Khanna met the family of Awdah Hathaleen. Next week marks one year since Awdah was shot and killed by settler terrorist Yinon Levi, someone Nadav has encountered many times over the years. The conversation turned to Gaza. Nadav told us that his organization, Breaking the Silence, began collecting testimonies from soldiers just days after Israel launched its response to Hamas’ October 7 attack. We discussed the thread that runs through many of those accounts, why some of the stories were difficult even for Nadav to believe, and what they reveal about the dehumanization of Palestinians in Israeli society. We closed by looking ahead. Can new leadership change the trajectory Israel is on? And if so, will confronting the occupation finally become part of the conversation?

    The IDF Veteran Who Showed Ro Khanna the West Bank

  5. Jul 16

    What Do Anti-Zionist Electoral Wins Mean for Jews?

    We just tackled one of the biggest conversations happening in American Jewish life right now: What do the recent primary victories by anti-Zionist and sharply Israel-critical candidates actually mean for the Jewish community? We were joined by Alana Zeitchik, Julie Zebrak, Rabbi Alissa Wise and, for part of the conversation before technical issues got in the way, Gili Getz. We unpacked why these races are resonating so differently with different Jews – and whether they represent a shift among the electorate on Israel, or something broader about the desire to rupture the status quo.

    What Do Anti-Zionist Electoral Wins Mean for Jews?

  6. Jul 13

    The Old Israel Playbook Is Dead. Now What?

    After a whirlwind of travel, Jeremy and Ilan were finally back behind the microphones together for this week’s episode. Ilan just returned from leading a delegation through Israel and the West Bank, where he met with Israeli opposition leaders as the political landscape shifted almost in real time. We unpacked who may actually be positioned to challenge Netanyahu, whether the opposition understands just how dramatically American opinion has changed, and why simply being “not Netanyahu” isn’t enough, especially when it comes to improving life for Palestinians. That led to a bigger conversation about what comes next in the United States. If the old bipartisan consensus on Israel has collapsed, what’s the new playbook? We talked about why Democrats can’t keep getting boxed into lose-lose fights over Israel while Republicans define the terms of the debate, and why the party needs a clear vision of its own. We also discussed why even establishment figures like Rahm Emanuel – a past guest on this very show, who delivered a major speech in Tel Aviv today – are embracing ideas that would have been politically unthinkable just a few years ago. Next, we dug into the latest twists with Iran, debated whether the ceasefire is really falling apart, as President Trump claimed, and looked at where the region may be headed next. There’s a lot changing at once – in Israel, in Washington and among American voters. We covered a lot of ground and even previewed a few upcoming conversations we’re excited to bring you. We hope you’ll give it a listen.

    The Old Israel Playbook Is Dead. Now What?

  7. Jul 3

    ICYMI: Brad Lander on Healing the Divide over Israel and Palestine

    [Recorded on July 1, 2026] Listen in on an incredible Word on the Street Live with Brad Lander days after his decisive Democratic primary victory in NY-10 to discuss what the campaign’s implications are for the future of the Democratic Party, the American Jewish community and the increasingly difficult conversation over Israel and Palestine.

    ICYMI: Brad Lander on Healing the Divide over Israel and Palestine

  8. Jul 1

    ICYMI: Hawks got their war. Now what?

    Recorded on June 24, 2026 | Ilan sat down with Iran experts Nate Swanson and Ari Tabatabai to unpack one of the most remarkable foreign policy reversals in recent memory.

    ICYMI: Hawks got their war. Now what?
See All (95)

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    J Street
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    J Street Conversations

You Might Also Like