views commentary In Defense Of AIPAC — From A Liberal I to present themselves to its members (in voted for Obama. Twice. I also voted 2016 Bernie Sanders declined the invita- for Hillary and her husband (twice). tion). I support, financially and otherwise, President Obama spoke at Policy Democratic candidates, and I receive daily updates from the Democratic Party. Conference in 2012 and proudly announced that “America And I support AIPAC, passion- stands shoulder to shoulder ately and wholeheartedly. when it comes to Israel’s secu- As I see it, it’s very simple. rity.” Sen. Lindsay Graham, AIPAC is indispensable to Israel’s R-Kentucky, told the crowd in survival. My logic is, to me, irre- 2011 that it’s “good to celebrate futable: Israel doesn’t exist with- something we all agree on and out U.S. aid (about $3.7 billion that’s our support for Israel.” annually), and U.S. Congressional When candidate Donald support doesn’t exist without Trump criticized Obama at the AIPAC. So, without AIPAC, I hon- Mark Jacobs Policy Conference podium in estly believe Israel’s very survival 2016, the very next morning is in peril. I recognize that many AIPAC President Lillian Pinkus people — including lots of Jews made an unannounced appear- — will disagree with me, but I ance and distanced the organization think they’re wrong. from Trump’s remarks. Each year at the So why is it that so many Jews, espe- conference, an impressive and eloquent cially young and liberal ones, are unin- array of bipartisan leaders — from ultra- volved and sometimes even hostile to liberal to ultra-conservative — praise AIPAC, an organization that exists solely to strengthen U.S./Israel relations? Is that AIPAC for its extraordinary work in gar- nering broad support in such a divisive based on some thoughtful analysis or political world. just a failure to take the time to under- AIPAC frequently sponsors biparti- stand what AIPAC really does? san trips to Israel, including the recent As one of AIPAC’s “lay leaders,” I “Bipartisan Allies Mission” involving often have people tell me that they lost the leadership of College Democrats of interest in AIPAC when it “became so America and the College Republican Republican.” They saw the political lean- National Committee. These young men ings of many of its members and con- cluded that the organization doesn’t rep- and women saw firsthand how bipar- tisan AIPAC is, and they learned how resent their values, and so they stopped essential that strategy is to AIPAC’s abil- listening. ity to succeed. But if they were to take a closer look, AIPAC’s sister group, the American they just might see that they’re missing Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), has the larger picture. The political whims brought 50 percent of Congress members of AIPAC’s members have always shifted from both parties to Israel. These trips over time, but that’s actually irrelevant do wonders in creating real and lasting because the organization itself is fiercely bonds and friendships among people bipartisan. These aren’t mere words. with vastly different political views. AIPAC really does walk the bipartisan walk; it’s actually the group’s most endur- ing principle. AIPAC’S EDUCATION EFFORTS From an educational standpoint, AIPAC Yet, the misconceptions about AIPAC provides its members with mountains continue and, sadly, many good, bright of information. Members get exposed to pro-Israel people have bought into a regular lectures, conferences ( featuring false narrative and walked away. So, it’s both Democratic and Republican speak- especially important to enlighten people ers), articles, breaking news, updates and about AIPAC, starting by separating fact analyses. Many AIPAC members, I would from fiction. say, are thoroughly versed on Israel THE FACTS ON AIPAC issues. Leaders of the organization, in my AIPAC, most people don’t know, openly experiences, are walking encyclopedias declares its support for a two-state solu- on Israel and the Middle East. It’s actually tion. “The two-state solution,” said a quite impressive. senior AIPAC official recently, “has been I believe that too few people — includ- and continues to be the goal that we ing Jews — fully understand the true aspire to.” crisis in which Israel finds itself. The The organization does not endorse Webster Dictionary defines “war” as prime ministers in Israel or presidential “a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or candidates in America. Every year at nations.” Israel is, by any account, in such Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., a situation today — at this very moment. major leaders from both parties speak. It is under regular missile attacks (in Each presidential election year, the orga- both the north and the south); it is sub- nization routinely invites all candidates 8 February 22 • 2018 jn jected to constant shootings, stabbings and bombings; and is targeted for boy- cotts, divestiture and sanctions. Its enemies mince no words in their declared intentions, openly stating their goal is to “wipe Israel off the map” (anti-Israel protesters in Iran last sum- mer unveiled a digital countdown clock showing 8,411 days until the “destruction of Israel”). Sad to say, but let’s be real, Israel is literally at war — and has been every day since it was founded in 1948. In 2014, approximately 4,600 rockets were launched toward Israel. Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system (with strong support from President Obama) intercepted about 90 percent of these rockets. But the enemy’s rockets now, according to all reports, are far more advanced. Many “zigzag” closer to the ground to evade detection. In response, Israel has developed the next generation of missile defense known as “David’s Sling,” which appears to be effective but ( fortunately) has not been tested in any massive air attack. A real-life weaponry race is being played out in the Middle East, pitting Israel against a potential onslaught of missile attacks from all sides. Israel’s future just might depend on the outcome of this race. Will the missiles penetrate Israel and threaten its existence or will Israel’s defense system successfully inter- cept them? FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL That’s exactly the kind of issue AIPAC is focused on. Israel needs that $3.7 billion a year to defend itself, and that aid is hardly assured forever. Every two years, AIPAC must educate and persuade a new class of Congress members to support Israel, many of whom have little knowl- edge or affinity for the Jewish state and often with a constituency that wouldn’t think twice to eliminate all aid to Israel. We hear that all the time at AIPAC, especially recently. But AIPAC doggedly makes the case for congressional sup- port, an enormously difficult task. Its detractors will sometimes dismiss this by suggesting that America will always support Israel, so it’s really no big deal. Nothing could be further from the truth. That’s actually an extraordinarily naïve and dangerous position and Jews, of all people, should know better based on their history of going from acceptance to persecution in multiple countries around the world. The reality is that getting (and then keeping) congressional support for Israel is a very heavy lift, requiring an inexhaustible amount of time and effort. The AIPAC staff, only about 300 people nationwide, diligently does its job with a sober grasp of what’s on the line. They have to always think long-term, constant- ly nurturing relationships that will hope- fully prove helpful one day in the future, perhaps as long as 10 or 20 years away. Each day they tirelessly make their case to lawmakers and staff from both sides of the aisle. Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on most things, but many of them sing the praises of AIPAC, who deal with them in a serious, fact-based and respectful manner at all times. NEVER COMPLACENT AIPAC has its flaws, of course, and doesn’t shy away from criticism. When a group’s goal is something as mindbog- glingly difficult as safeguarding Israel. then naturally there are going to be mis- steps and regrets. This is tough stuff. There’s no how-to manual for exactly how best to execute this work, and AIPAC always seeks participation and debate from a wide range of diverse people, including African Americans, Latinos, veterans, LGBT groups, evangeli- cals and others, many of whom are active in the organization and regularly attend the annual Policy Conference in huge numbers. The Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah,” literally means “the hope.” That hope, according to the lyrics, is for the Jewish people to “be a free people in their own land.” It’s a beautiful song with a haunting melody that tugs at the hearts of most Jews throughout the world. The song is played at the kickoff of AIPAC’s Policy Conference, alongside the “Star- Spangled Banner.” It’s a powerfully emo- tional moment to behold: the two flags standing side by side, symbolizing an alliance that — one would hope — is and will remain rock solid. But as AIPAC honors that alliance, it knows it cannot ever become compla- cent. It knows all too well what too few people fail to realize: It must work its tail off to keep as many of those 535 congres- sional seats pro-Israel, and it doesn’t give a damn whether those seats are blue or red. So, to people — especially self- described liberals and young people — who have walked away from AIPAC out of some misperceived view that the organization doesn’t speak for them, I urge you to re-familiarize yourselves with what AIPAC really is and what it really does. Stay at the table, listen to your fel- low pro-Israel supporters, and lend your voice and your talent to what you think is right. You just might discover that your views and AIPAC’s are a lot more aligned than you ever possibly imagined. • Mark Jacobs is a member of the Michigan AIPAC Council and the Michigan Director for African- American Outreach.