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-ranging discussion, we explored: - How we got here. Ben reflected on how, inside the Obama Administration and in the years after, the Democratic Party’s pro-Israel talking points became disconnected from the reality on the ground – and how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has shifted from a niche policy issue to a central values test for Democratic voters. - Where Democrats go from here. We explored why the old AIPAC-era playbook – unconditional support, public silence, hugging Netanyahu – has collapsed. We laid out a new lane that avoids both reflexive pro-Israelism and maximalist anti-Zionism, emphasizing authenticity, accountability and real US leverage. - The situation on the ground now. The ceasefire may have stopped the bombing, but it hasn’t resolved the crisis. We discussed the dire conditions in Gaza, the risk of treating the ceasefire as closure and why both Hamas and Netanyahu have incentives to maintain an unacceptable status quo. There’s much more in the full conversation, and Ben’s candor made this one of our most clarifying discussions yet. We hope you’ll give it a watch and share it with anyone trying to understand where Democrats go next.

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 – accomplished during the visit. Trump gave MBS full head-of-state treatment, but there was no real progress on Saudi-Israel normalization. As Dan emphasized, Israel simply isn’t prepared to say what the Saudis need to hear – especially on Palestinian statehood. MBS’s complicated domestic and global image. For young Saudis, MBS has opened up society – social freedoms, expanded roles for women, cultural transformation – all while remaining firmly authoritarian. And the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Dan noted, will never be erased from US-Saudi relations. How Gaza reshaped Saudi politics. Saudi leaders initially expected the Gaza war to be short, like previous rounds. Instead, the war triggered an intense, visceral public response. Young Saudis mobilized around Gaza in ways their government could not ignore – and the leadership became far more outspoken as a result. A rich conversation about a relationship that will likely shape Middle East politics for decades – and one that Washington can neither ignore nor approach blindly.

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 • Dr. Guy Shalev, Executive Director, Physicians for Human Rights–Israel • Tania Hary, Executive Director, Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement

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 Administration’s efforts to undermine elections and the Roberts Court’s rulings dismantling long-standing guardrails, we’re now, as Michael put it, in “brand new territory.” - Democratic complacency and alienation. Michael called out the Democratic establishment, saying too many voters feel trapped between “a fascist and a Party defending the status quo.” - Building a broader coalition. To truly win power – and wield it – Democrats need a diverse coalition of candidates who reflect the full range of the party’s voters, not a narrow ideological lane. After saying goodbye to Michael, we turned to Israel, Palestine and the week’s news on our issues – from Jared Kushner’s visit to the region to continue implementing the 20-point plan, to Trump’s demand that Netanyahu be pardoned to the resignation of Minister Ron Dermer, one of Netanyahu’s closest confidants, to visits by the Syrian and Saudi leaders, to our advocacy work demanding settler terrorists be sanctioned by the US.

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 – and why engagement, not fear, must guide our community moving forward. The ADL’s “Mamdani tracker” – and why, when Jewish institutions fight hate selectively, they risk stoking fear instead of advancing safety for all New Yorkers. Reflections on Phylisa’s recent trip to Israel/Palestine with J Street – watching Israelis breathe again after the ceasefire and visiting the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, where Israeli authorities have issued demolition orders. A thoughtful, grounded conversation about democracy, fear and the work of staying in the fight.

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 regional dynamics are all shifting in real time. We explored: What the ceasefire means for Gaza’s future. Why support for Israel has dropped significantly in the US – and what that means for the relationship going forward. Whether sanctions or even arms restrictions in the West Bank might be necessary tools to influence a right-wing Israeli government. How conditioning US aid to Israel, once a political third rail, is now part of the mainstream debate. And the big question: Can Israel truly thrive on the world stage without ensuring rights and dignity for Palestinians? We’re not going back to the October 6th way of thinking. So what’s the new path – for Israel, for the US and for those of us who still believe in a just and secure future for both peoples? Tune in.

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 finally come together. He walks us through: - What really shifted in recent weeks to move both the Israeli government and Hamas toward an agreement - The behind-the-scenes guarantees and commitments international partners have given for Gaza’s recovery - And why he believes this time is different – and what it means to say, finally, that the war is over Tune in for a rare, firsthand look at how diplomacy actually unfolds, and what this moment could mean, should mean, for Israelis and Palestinians.

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 ongoing struggle to bring the hostages home. We came together with our partners in the Progressive Israel Network to face the grief of that day and everything that’s followed – and to remember the moral responsibility to keep fighting for the living, even as we mourn the dead.

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! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Yehuda pushed us to explain ourselves, to think outside our comfort zones and to wrestle with the hardest questions about Jewish identity, Zionism and moral responsibility. Yehuda reminded us that disagreement has always been a source of strength in Jewish life, and that imagination about what Israel could be has too often been replaced with a narrow discourse of loyalty. The most pressing challenge Israel faces, which we couldn’t agree more with, is the question of ruling over millions of Palestinians – and our job is to bring Jewish values to bear on that reality. Our conversation circled back to humility. Our values, as Yehuda said, don’t mean anything unless they’re put into practice. For us, that means holding onto the core belief that Zionism should be about participation in a collective project – one rooted not only in nationalism, but in the moral vision that defines Judaism itself.

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 directly from Eid Hathaleen, a non-violent activist from Umm al-Khair whose cousin was murdered by a violent settler in July, and Yehuda Shaul, a former IDF soldier and leading Israeli anti-occupation policy expert.

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 VP of J Street U. Tova Kaplan, a senior at Harvard who co-founded Students for Freedom, pushing back against government attacks on academic freedom and student rights. Read about Students for Freedom’s work. We dug into the big questions: What does antisemitism on campus actually look and feel like nearly two years after October 7? What happens when Trump twists the fight against antisemitism into an excuse to go after free speech?

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 in Doha. Hannah previewed our next advocacy push on the Hill: Prohibiting US arms from being used in Netanyahu’s war in Gaza or annexation of the West Bank, punishing settler violence and urging US recognition of Palestinian statehood.

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 conversation turned to Washington, where Democrats in Congress are responding with notable urgency. We walked through two major letters that drew wide and diverse Democratic support: One urging the resumption of lifesaving medical visas for children in Gaza, the other calling for an immediate surge of infant formula and humanitarian aid. We also attempted to capture the bigger picture surrounding the future of the Democratic Party, following votes on two Israel/Gaza-related DNC resolutions and a decision by DNC Chair Ken Martin to postpone any final votes and establish a task force on the issue. What will it take to unite the Democratic Party behind a new approach, and has that process already begun? We hope you enjoy watching, and we look forward to seeing you again next week.