J Street Conversations

Today, we sat down with Dan Shapiro, former US Ambassador to Israel and senior official in both the State Department and Pentagon, for a conversation that cut straight to a central question many Americans are asking: How can the US influence Israel’s choices, especially after the horror in Gaza? Dan brought decades of experience and a perspective shaped by both principle and pragmatism. This wasn’...

In our latest Word on the Street, we were joined by Ben Rhodes for a conversation that felt, honestly, like one we’ve been waiting to have in public. Ben’s recent New York Times piece has stirred up exactly the kind of debate Democrats need heading into 2026 and 2028, and our discussion dug into the political, moral and strategic stakes in a way that felt unusually direct for this space. In a wide...

This week on Word on the Street Live, we dug into Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s high-stakes visit to Washington – his first since 2018 – and what it reveals about the future of the US-Saudi relationship in the shadow of the war in Gaza. I was joined by Daniel Benaim, who helped lead US engagement with the Saudis during the Biden Administration. We discussed: What was – and wasn’t – acco...

J Street held a timely conversation with leading Israeli and Palestinian humanitarian experts examining the ongoing crisis in Gaza, even amid a ceasefire. Speakers explored the human impact of current policies — including restrictions on aid and medical access — and outlined what must change to meaningfully address urgent civilian needs. Featuring: • Bushra Khalidi, Palestinian Policy Lead, Oxfam...

We were joined by longtime political strategist and labor leader Michael Podhorzer for a Word on the Street Live conversation unpacking what last week’s election results really tell us about the state of American politics – and what it will take to pull the country out of its democratic crisis. In a wide-ranging discussion, we explored: - A new kind of political terrain. Between the Trump Administ...

On Monday, Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, will walk into the White House – marking the start of a new chapter for US-Syria relations. The J Street Policy Center hosted a briefing on the current situation in Syria and Lebanon, where the political dynamics are also rapidly shifting. We were joined by regional experts Ibrahim Al-Assil and Jasmine El-Gamal.

This week on Word on the Street Live, we unpacked Democrats’ sweeping victories across the country – and what they reveal about the state of the country one year into Trump’s second term. Then we turned to New York, where Phylisa Wisdom of New York Jewish Agenda joined us to explore Zohran Mamdani’s win in NYC. We discussed: What Mayor-elect Mamdani’s victory means for New York’s Jewish community...

Join J Street for a special conversation marking 30 years since the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. This call was moderated by J Street's Shimrit Braun Kamin and featuring Yael Patir, Israeli policy expert and former J Street Israel Director, and Aaron David Miller, veteran American diplomat who worked closely with Rabin during the Oslo years.

We held a conversation with Naomi Steinberg, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at HIAS to explore how HIAS’s work — from the US to across the world — reflects the Jewish call to speak out against injustice and stand with those being targeted.

This week on Word on the Street Live, we spoke with Congressman Adam Smith – Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee and one of the most thoughtful foreign policy voices in DC – about what comes next after the ceasefire. The conversation was frank, forward-looking and packed with insight. Congressman Smith calls this a “transitional moment” – one where US policy, Israeli politics and...

J Street Chief of Staff Adina Vogel-Ayalon spoke with Kareem Alsalqawi, a doctor working in Gaza’s hospitals, Angela Mattar, a coexistence activist, and Khalil Sayegh, a Gaza-born policy expert to reflect on the ongoing struggle for survival, justice and dignity in Gaza.

We sat down for a rapid response briefing with Gershon Baskin – one of Israel’s most seasoned hostage negotiators, and someone who’s been in direct touch with the people making this ceasefire happen. In our conversation, Gershon takes us inside the backchannels – sharing what he’s been hearing from Steve Witkoff, Arab leaders across the region and even Hamas officials about what made this deal fin...

We heard from three extraordinary Israelis whose lives were forever changed that day. Sharone Lifschitz, whose parents were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz – her father, Oded, was murdered in Gaza. Elana Kaminka, whose son, Lt. Yannai Kaminka, was killed by Hamas while fighting to protect his trainees. And Emmanuelle Elbaz-Phelps, a journalist who’s helped Israel reckon with its trauma and the ongoi...

This week on Word on the Street Live, I sat down with New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg, one of the sharpest observers of our political moment. She predicted the rise of Christian Nationalism decades ago – and now it’s reshaping our country.

This week on Word on the Street Live, we stepped back from the news cycle for a different kind of conversation. With Yehuda Kurtzer of the Shalom Hartman Institute, we dove into the themes of the High Holidays – reflection, atonement, forgiveness and renewal – and how they speak to this complicated moment for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Thanks for reading Word on the Street! Subscri...

J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami, Policy Chief Ilan Goldenberg, Chief of Staff Adina Vogel Ayalon, and Policy Fellow Frank Lowenstein discuss today's meeting in DC between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu and examine the proposed Gaza deal.

Olive trees uprooted, farmland turned into wasteland. Water lines cut and tanks punctured, leaving families without drinking water. Homes torched in the dead of night, families terrorized by violent settlers ransacking their communities. And the perpetrators walk free. These are the scenes across Area C of the occupied West Bank, in Palestinian villages like Umm al-Khair in Masafer Yatta. We heard...

This week on Word on the Street Live, I spoke with three Jewish student leaders on the front lines of campus debates over Israel, Palestine and antisemitism: Hannah Gabelnick, a senior at Princeton and co-chair of J Street U there, who also leads Princeton’s Reform Jewish Community. Matan Berg, a junior at the University of Michigan and former J Street U chapter president, now serving as Midwest V...

This week on Word on the Street Live, Ilan was joined by our good friend Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, whose new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers, comes out Tuesday, September 16. After Randi signed off, my colleague Hannah Morris, Director of J Street Government Affairs, joined me to reflect on the latest developments after Israel’s strike on Hamas leadership...

Democracy Under Fire in Israel and the US, featuring Ambassador Norm Eisen by J Street

This week on Word on the Street Live, we took stock of a fast-moving moment in both Israel and Washington. We began with the situation on the ground: The devastating hospital bombing in Gaza, reports of confirmed famine, and the growing frustration inside Israel itself as hostage families and hundreds of thousands of protesters defy Netanyahu and demand a ceasefire deal. From there, the conversati...

This week on Word on the Street Live, we sat down with Congressman Ro Khanna – and it was one of the most open conversations we’ve hosted yet. Ro has always been willing to say things that many in Congress avoid: Calling for the US to recognize a Palestinian state, pressing for restrictions on arms shipments to Israel, championing Congressional War Powers and naming Gaza as a defining moral issue...

Featuring Gaza Humanitarian Foundation whistleblower Tony Aguilar and leading Israeli aid advocate and Gisha Executive Director Tania Hary in conversation with J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to further escalate the war in Gaza is the equivalent of being stuck in a ditch and deciding that the solution is to dig deeper. Peter Lerner – a 25-year IDF veteran who served as its international spokesperson joined us on Word on the Street Live to unpack the life-or-death stakes of the extremist government’s decisions. Speaking from a military perspective, Pe...

Jeremy and Ilan report from the ground - in Hebron, near Gaza, and across Israel/Palestine