{{Short description|American lawyer and activist (born 1962)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Jeremy Ben-Ami |image = Jeremy Ben-Ami 2019.jpg |birth_date = {{birth year and age|1962}} |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |spouse = Alisa Biran |education = [[Princeton University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[New York University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]]) }} '''Jeremy Ben-Ami''' (born 1962)<ref>{{cite web|last=Katz |first=Mandy |title=The Man on J Street: The Story of Jeremy Ben-Ami |url=http://www.fmep.org/analysis/analysis/the-man-on-j-street-the-story-of-jeremy-ben-ami |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140405174749/http://www.fmep.org/analysis/analysis/the-man-on-j-street-the-story-of-jeremy-ben-ami |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 5, 2014 |publisher=Foundation for Middle East Peace |access-date=April 5, 2014 }}</ref> is an American lawyer and activist who is the founder and president of [[J Street (advocacy group)|J Street]], a liberal advocacy organization dedicated to promoting American leadership to end the [[Arab–Israeli conflict|Arab-Israeli]] and [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict|Israel-Palestinian]] conflicts peacefully and diplomatically. He is also the executive director of JStreetPAC, which endorses and raises money for federal candidates.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114215622 |title=New Lobby Pushes Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Mission |last=Kelemen |first=Michele |date=October 27, 2009 |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] |accessdate=January 12, 2011 }}</ref>
==Early life and education== Ben-Ami grew up in [[New York City]]. He is the son of the late Eve and the late Yitshaq Ben-Ami. His father was born in [[Mandatory Palestine]], but moved to the United States. Ben-Ami grew up in a Jewish home and became Bar Mitzvah at Temple Rodeph Sholom in Manhattan.<ref name="auto">[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/18/style/alisa-biran-jeremy-ben-ami.html Alisa Biran, Jeremy Ben-Ami], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 18, 2001</ref> He attended [[Collegiate School (New York)|Collegiate School]], also in Manhattan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://momentmag.com/the-man-on-j-street-the-story-of-jeremy-ben-ami/2/|title=The Man on J Street: The Story of Jeremy Ben-Ami | Page 2 of 8|date=October 4, 2011}}</ref> His grandparents fled persecution in [[Russian Empire|Russia]] in 1882 and emigrated to "[[Ottoman Palestine|what was then Palestine]]" and his father would go on to join the Zionist paramilitary group [[Irgun]]. His grandparents were among the first Zionist settlers and his father was said to be the first Jewish baby boy born in [[Tel Aviv]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Maryam Saleh, Ryan Grim |date=2019-12-14 |title=The Wax and Wane of J Street’s Influence Over U.S.-Israel Policy |url=https://theintercept.com/2019/12/14/j-street-israel-jeremy-ben-ami/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728080837/https://theintercept.com/2019/12/14/j-street-israel-jeremy-ben-ami/ |archive-date=2024-07-28 |access-date=2025-07-29 |work=The Intercept |language=en-US}}</ref>
He graduated from [[Princeton University]] and received a [[Juris Doctor]] degree from [[New York University]].<ref name="auto"/>
==Career== Ben-Ami was [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|President Bill Clinton]]'s Deputy Domestic Policy Adviser, and later Policy Director on [[Howard Dean]]'s presidential campaign. He was most recently Senior Vice President at [[Fenton Communications]].{{when|date=May 2026}} Earlier he was the Communications Director for the [[New Israel Fund]] and started the Israeli firm ''Ben-Or Communications'' while living in Israel in the late 1990s.<ref name="Abramowitz2008-04-15">{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Abramowitz |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/14/AR2008041402647.html |title= Jewish Liberals to Launch A Counterpoint to AIPAC |newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] |date=April 15, 2008 |accessdate=April 29, 2008 }}</ref> Ben-Ami has worked with Jewish peace groups, including the [[Center for Middle East Peace & Economic Cooperation|Center for Middle East Peace]] and the [[Geneva Initiative-North America]].<ref name="Besser2008-03-26">{{cite news |first=James |last=Besser |url=http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c39_a5882/News/International.html |title= New PAC To Offer Pols A Dovish Mideast View |newspaper= [[The Jewish Week]] |date=March 26, 2008 |accessdate=April 29, 2008 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080403074343/http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c39_a5882/News/International.html |archivedate = April 3, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Deveson2008-04-16">{{cite news |first=Max |last=Deveson |url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7349371.stm |title= Jewish lobby gains new voice |work= [[BBC News]] |date=April 16, 2008 |access-date=April 26, 2008}}</ref>
==Viewpoints== In March 2011, Ben-Ami commented:
{{quote|We are witnessing a troubling trend across the board — with Israelis narrowing the boundaries of what's acceptable on a number of fronts.... There are efforts to narrow the definition of 'who is a Jew' that leaves many non-Orthodox Jews out of the tent, to narrow who can be a citizen by imposing loyalty oaths or other conditions, and now to narrow the definition of who's a friend to only those who agree politically... Israel's goal—as a small state in an unfriendly neighborhood—should be... to broaden not narrow its base of support, and each of these steps take it in the wrong direction.<ref>{{cite news|title=For The Love Of Israel?|url=http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/israel/love_israel|newspaper=[[The Jewish Week]]|date=March 22, 2011|first=James D.|last=Besser}}</ref>}}
Ben-Ami's 2011 book, ''A New Voice for Israel'' articulates a philosophy and an agenda for pro-Zionist, pro-peace Judaism based on religious and humanist values. He argues for a two-state solution and for U.S. efforts to promote the same. He also analyzes the dynamics and politics of Israel in the U.S. Jewish community.<ref name="ANVFI">{{cite book | title=A New Voice for Israel : Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish Nation | publisher=Macmillan | year=2011 | isbn=978-0-230-11274-2 | first1=Jeremy | last1=Ben-Ami}}</ref> Reviewing the book, [[Sari Nusseibeh]] wrote "Ben-Ami provides an arsenal of logistical and moral arguments stressing that not only is Israel's occupation over another people a threat to the Zionist dream and American interests in the region, but that it also runs counter to rabbinic values....".<ref name="NusseibehReview">{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/jeremy-ben-amis-a-new-voice-for-israel-fighting-for-the-survival-of-the-jewish-nation/2011/05/06/gIQAklGsuI_story.html | title=Jeremy Ben-Ami's "A New Voice for Israel: Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish Nation" (book review) | newspaper=Washington Post | date=May 6, 2011 | accessdate=December 13, 2011 | first1=Sari | last1=Nusseibeh | authorlink1=Sari Nusseibeh}}</ref> Abraham J. Edelheit found the book's thesis to be one that [[Peter Beinart]] had already discussed, and that while Ben-Ami offers convincing evidence that Israeli policies are alienating young Jewish Americans, he fails to "explain how J Street will achieve anything but cementing their criticism of Israel".<ref name="CritReview">{{cite web | url=http://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/a-new-voice-for-israel-fighting-for-the-survival-of-the-jewish-nation | title=A New Voice for Israel: Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish Nation | publisher=The Jewish Book Council| first1=Abraham| last1= Edelheit| year=2011 }}</ref> Joseph Finlay, reviewing for ''[[Jewish Quarterly]]'', wrote that Ben-Ami's critique of contemporary American Jewish leadership is "entirely unoriginal" and too gentle and that instead it is necessary to create "massive pressure on Israel to end the occupation, both directly and via national governments across the world. It needs to harness the energy of [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions|BDS]] and pro-Palestinian activists".<ref name="JQ">{{cite web | url=http://jewishquarterly.org/2011/09/a-new-voice-for-israel/ | title=A New Voice for Israel | publisher=Jewish Quarterly| first1=Joseph| last1= Finlay}}</ref>
=== Views during the Gaza War === In 2024, during the [[Gaza war|Gaza War]], Ben-Ami criticized the conduct of the [[Benjamin Netanyahu|Netanyahu]] government, calling for de-escalation and echoing J Street's call to end the war.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ben-Ami |first=Jeremy |date=November 17, 2024 |url=https://jstreetdotorg.substack.com/p/disapproval |title=Senators: As Friends of Israel, Vote To Disapprove What The Gaza War Has Become |access-date=2025-12-04 |work=Word on the Street}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Time for Diplomacy |date=January 22, 2024 |publisher=J Street |url=https://jstreet.org/press-releases/time-for-diplomacy/ |access-date=2025-12-04}}</ref> On 3 August 2025, he published an article on his [[Substack]] in which he said, "Until now, I have tried to deflect and defend when challenged to call this [[Gaza genocide|genocide]]. I have, however, been persuaded rationally by legal and scholarly arguments that international courts will one day find that Israel has broken the [[Genocide Convention|international genocide convention]]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ben-Ami |first=Jeremy |date=2025-08-03 |title=Genocide |url=https://jeremybenami.substack.com/p/genocide |access-date=2025-08-07 |website=Word on the Street}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= J Street head says he’s now convinced Israel committing genocide in Gaza|url= https://www.timesofisrael.com/j-street-head-says-hes-now-convinced-israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza/|website=[[The Times of Israel]]|date=5 August 2025|last=Magid|first=Jacob|publisher=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]|access-date=27 August 2025}}</ref>
==Personal life== Ben-Ami married Alisa Biran in 2001.<ref name="auto"/> Biran, who was working in fundraising at a music school, happened to be the daughter of a cantor from Ben-Ami's childhood synagogue.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mandy Katz|url=http://www.momentmag.com/Exclusive/2010/04/Ben-Ami.html|title=The Man on J Street: The Story of Jeremy Ben-Ami; He's Been Called a Judas, But Unruffled, Continues Lobbying U.S. Policymakers to Push Israel Toward Peace|work=Moment Magazine|date=March–April 2010|accessdate=June 13, 2011|archive-date=September 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927122326/http://www.momentmag.com/Exclusive/2010/04/Ben-Ami.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{commons cat}} *[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-benami Jeremy Ben-Ami] blog archives at ''[[The Huffington Post]]'' *[http://www.jstreet.org/about/staff Staff] biography at [[J Street (advocacy group)|J Street]] *{{C-SPAN|9266109}} *{{IMDb name|3060478}} *[http://us.macmillan.com/anewvoiceforisrael A New Voice for Israel] official book site at [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] *Ben-Ami, Jeremy [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/opinion/10iht-edbenami.html Tel Aviv, Then and Now] ''[[The New York Times]]'', April 9, 2009 ;Articles *Goldberg, Michelle [https://prospect.org/article/ever-was/ Same As It Ever Was?] ''[[The American Prospect]]'', April 7, 2009 *Traub, James [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/magazine/13JStreet-t.html The New Israel Lobby], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 9, 2009 *Jacobson, Louis [http://paw.princeton.edu/issues/2009/10/07/pages/4377/index.xml A moment with ... Jeremy Ben-Ami '84, on speaking out about Israel], ''[[Princeton Alumni Weekly]]'' October 7, 2009 *Goldberg, Jeffrey. [http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/10/j_streets_ben-ami_on_being_a_z.php J Street's Ben-Ami on Zionism and Military Aid to Israel], ''[[The Atlantic]]'', October 23, 2009. *Katz, Mandy [https://web.archive.org/web/20100405054443/http://www.momentmag.com/Exclusive/currentyear/currentedition/Ben-Ami.html The Man on J Street: The Story of Jeremy Ben-Ami], ''[[Moment (magazine)|Moment]]'', March/April 2010. * Hoffman, Allison. [http://www.tabletmag.com/news-and-politics/48730/heads-up/ Heads Up: J Street chief Jeremy Ben-Ami calls the plays for the first self-confident alternative Jewish establishment], ''[[Tablet Magazine]]'', October 28, 2010. * [[Jonathan Kirsch|Kirsch, Jonathan]]. [http://www.jewishjournal.com/twelve_twelve/article/the_j_street_zionist_20111117/ The J Street Zionist], ''[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]]'', November 17, 2011. * Shabad, Rebecca. [https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/lobbyist-profiles/199776-dc-voice-for-two-state-solution/ A DC Voice for a Two-State Solution], ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'', March 4, 2014.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ben-Ami, Jeremy}} [[Category:1962 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American emigrants to Israel]] [[Category:American lobbyists]] [[Category:American Zionists]] [[Category:Date of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:New York University School of Law alumni]] [[Category:Princeton University alumni]] [[Category:American founders]] [[Category:Collegiate School (New York) alumni]]