Israel Matzav

Proud to be on J Street's enemies list

When I was a kid in the late 1960's and early 1970's, there was a politician who maintained an enemies' list. He was a Republican - naming him a conservative would be inaccurate - and most of his enemies were Democrats who opposed the Vietnam war that he prosecuted.

The list keeper's name was Richard Nixon and he was eventually forced to resign because his paranoia in keeping that list and other activities over-stepped the bounds of the law. The backlash from Richard Nixon was Jimmy Carter, and the results of those four years in office are still being felt today in places like Iran and Afghanistan.

There's another keeper of an enemies list in Washington today. It's a group and the people on the list are far more impressive than the group itself. It's called J Street, and the people on its enemies list cut across the political spectrum.

To the Editor:

J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami attacks me in his Op-Ed titled "Making the case for 'Yes.' " I am proud to find myself among Alan Dershowitz, Elie Wiesel and Joe Lieberman on J Street’s “enemies list.”

My opponent, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), is one of J Street’s biggest supporters in Congress. She also held a fund-raiser with Helen Thomas in May that J Street attended.

The choice is clear for pro-Israel voters.

Ben-Ami and J Street threw a cocktail party recently in Chicago on the eve of Tisha B’Av, the Jewish day of mourning for Jerusalem. En route to the synagogue, I dropped in and challenged Ben-Ami to host a community forum for me and my opponent, the way real pro-Israel groups do.

He said no. J Street’s leaders are not interested in debate, only division.

In its attack ad, J Street includes several Jews in the evil “Chorus of No,” but none in the good “Community of Yes.” Recently, Ben-Ami also asked the Obama administration to single out Jewish charities that J Street opposes.

For J Street, being “pro-peace” means attacking Jewish leaders and institutions. It is the wrong approach, at the wrong time.

Joel Pollak
GOP nominee, U.S. Congress
9th District, Illinois

That's pretty august company for a young kid like Joel Pollak to be in. It's also well-deserved. I wish I was eligible to vote for Joel in November. I'm not. But I've been urging Mrs. Carl's parents (who made aliya from Illinois-9) to vote for him, and I'd like to urge any of you who vote in that district to vote for Joel too.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:54 PM