The Rebbe's Table - This Sunday, May 23

At this Sunday's Rebbe's Table, guest Isaac Luria from J Street will be joining Rabbi Dan in a discussion/debate about Israel. We encourage everyone to come with their opinions and questions to add to what will be a lively discussion starting at 10am at City Winery (155 Varrick St).

Isaac Luria writes in an email that went out today:

Conversation has raged online and offline about Peter Beinart's bombshell essay entitled "The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment" that came online at the New York Review of Books website late Sunday evening.

We immediately saw in Beinart's argument J Street's reason for existing.

Because the American Jewish establishment is failing to cultivate a healthy American Jewish community conversation on Israel or effectively support the necessity of peace for Israel, we needed to create a political home for those of us who are looking for a way to support Israel that aligns with our liberal and progressive values.

To continue this vital conversation, I wanted to send along a few links of some of the best reaction to the Beinart piece, including a response to some criticism by Beinart himself.

* Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street's founder and President, posted the following statement in a response to the piece.

* Jonathan Chait penned an eloquent response, agreeing with Beinart's central point and disagreeing with parts of the piece. Click here to read it. Beinart responded to Chait in The Daily Beast here. And Chait responded to Beinart's response here.

* The Forward posted a thoughtful editorial in response to Beinart and Jeffrey Golberg's commentary here.

* David Rothkopf puts the Beinart piece in historical context in an essay entitled "It is time for Israel to understand the new normal." Click here to read it on Foreign Policy.

I also hope that you see in Beinart's moving essay and the commentary left in its wake why what we're doing together at J Street is so vital to the future of Israel as a Jewish, democratic home, to peace efforts in the region, and to the future of the American Jewish community.

-Isaac Luria
Vice President of Communications and New Media
J Street
May 21, 2010