AIPAC’s Evolution Empowers Us
AIPAC’s latest move reinforces what makes it effective – each of us.
Over the past year, we’ve seen the proliferation of anti-Israel candidates across the country. Many of these individuals promote policies that are not just bad for the U.S.-Israel relationship but are fundamentally at odds with the American values and interests that our community champions.
Recognizing this threat and this trend, AIPAC adjusted its approach to help pro-Israel Americans be even more effective in helping support our friends and defeat anti-Israel opponents.
The announced changes—doubling down on organized, direct contributions from AIPAC members to candidates, and moving away from organizational endorsements and PAC checks—are necessary steps that put us in the best position to be successful.
In an era when many prove too stubborn to change, AIPAC has again proven that one can be ironclad in its mission while flexible in its tactics. This thoughtful approach has served us well in the past and will require even greater commitment and leadership from all of us – something we’ve all proven capable of achieving.
I know from personal experience.
For more than three decades, my community was represented in Washington by a strong friend who prioritized Jewish safety, the security of our schools and synagogues, and support for America’s alliance with the Jewish state. But six years ago, and before AIPAC engaged in the political fight, a vehemently anti-Israel challenger, Jamaal Bowman, unseated him in the Democratic primary and took his seat on Capitol Hill.
Our community wasn’t organized, and we were unable to stop it. Bowman would go on to be one of the most outspoken members of the anti-Israel Squad.
When he was up for re-election in 2024, our situation was different. We were determined to organize at the grassroots, and we could do so because AIPAC gave us the tools we needed to have the greatest impact. I was proud to be among the incredible grassroots movement with many residents of Westchester who got involved in the race. We mobilized for George Latimer, an honorable leader and a staunch supporter of the Jewish community.
I proudly watched as my congregants mobilized together with others across the country to join in the effort. It wasn’t relevant that AIPAC’s PAC wrote Latimer a check. What mattered was that the pro-Israel community could contribute directly to his campaign in a direct and organized way.
Bowman and The Squad saw what was happening. They launched a “Reject AIPAC” campaign, pushing inflammatory antisemitic smears (like “AIPAC is buying politicians”) that have become a calculated tactic for the far-left. In truth, Bowman and his anti-Israel allies were attacking me, my congregation, and our greater community, because our ability to mobilize had become a threat.
Undeterred, we organized and gave what we could individually give to support the Latimer campaign. It was personal for each of us, because our sitting member of Congress did not represent us, and in fact, through his vitriol, rhetoric and policies, made his Jewish constituents and their families less safe.
Together, we won. When Congressman Latimer was sworn into office, I knew I had played a part, along with the incredible lay leaders and volunteers, in making it happen.
This race showcased the sheer power of organized political giving and modeled how a community can make a difference when our passion for a worthy cause like Israel and Jewish peoplehood merges with determined action. AIPAC was the vehicle for us to contribute our individual resources in the most direct and impactful way possible.
The demand that elected officials disavow AIPAC has become a fixture of this election season, but it is an attack on “AIPAC” in name only. The true target, no matter how much they might deny it, is each and every one of us. For no matter how much they claim to “support the Jewish community,” the anti-Israel political class does not support us. Because a Jew who is being told to bifurcate his Judaism from his support for Israel is being asked to commit to the BDS of the soul. That’s why support for the health and wellbeing of the US-Israel relationship is so intrinsic to us in the American Jewish community.
And we aren’t backing down. In fact, we’re just getting started.
The changes AIPAC announced last week double down on the strategy that helped us beat Bowman and has helped defeat dozens more anti-Israel candidates across the country. AIPAC is increasing our capacity and sharpening our focus to fight for candidates who share our values.
The far-left wants to sideline American Jews from politics.
Unfortunately for them, we won’t stop. And neither will AIPAC.
