Alas, J50 Really Did Pull Their Punch
#1346 November 1, 2026
In September the J50 major Jewish organizations’ conferees in Jerusalem omitted expressly referencing and rejecting “the two-state solution” in their Zionism-championing declaration. In that week’s Here & Now email, I could only guess why. Last week ZOA’s Mort Klein, who was there, gave a speech revealing why – these conferees’ boards wouldn’t let them. For shame!
Alas, J50 Really Did Pull Their Punch
Back in September, 50 major Jewish organizations, including bigs in America, met in Jerusalem for an international conference at which, said Jewish Voice, they issued “a sweeping declaration affirming Zionism as an integral component of Jewish identity.” For its full text plus my comments on it, view my #1340, “J50 Declaration Leaves Key Point Out,” on our website, https://confrontingjewishissues.com/jrv1340/
Given my limited admiration of most major American Jewish organizations, I assessed that their ringing declaration, by me good as far as it went, earned, by me, a Hogwarts scale grade of “Exceeds Expectations.”
That omitted key point was not expressly vehemently rejecting “the two-state solution,” which would fatally rip from Israel historic Jerusalem and defensible Judea-Samaria biblical hill country heartland. I put it to you:
“Ask yourself, what would ‘Zionism’ be without historic Jerusalem and Judea-Samaria biblical hill country heartland? And, even if you don’t buy what part of Israel is the Jewishly meaningful, would not reducing our people’s Jewish national home into a nine-miles-wide in the lowland middle literally overlooked by Arab-sovereignty highland reduce it to a Jewish national ghetto?”
Why did the J50 conferees’ not expressly reject “two-states”? I guessed:
“My guess is this sweeping declaration affirming Zionism as an integral component of Jewish identity omitted Jerusalem and Judea-Samaria heartland because so many of our Diaspora Jews, including here in America, personally, and hence their organizations, advocate or at least acquiesce in this fatal “two-state solution.’”
But guess, shmess, last week a knowledgeable explanation was voiced by a major American Jewish organization president who was present, ZOA’s Morton Klein.
After describing the experiences of Jewish hostages held in Gazans’ homes – “they hate us and wanted to hurt us … even the children can’t wait to kill Jews” – Klein at Philly ZOA’s gala October 21 continued (per my transcription from the video, but reading Mort is a pale substitute for watching him passionately say it):
“This is the religion and the culture that we’re dealing with. So we shouldn’t be surprised that there are ten to fifteen, and you probably don’t know this, there are ten to fifteen Arab terrorist attacks against Jews every single day, ten to fifteen terrorist attacks.
“That’s why ZOA and the Israeli government and 80% of Israelis oppose establishing a Palestinian Arab state in Judea and Samaria. A Palestinian state would simply be a larger more dangerous Gaza on Israel’s longest border. That’s what it will be.
“And let me tell you something. We met with Gideon Saar the foreign minister of Israel a number of months ago. All the heads of the so-called major Jewish organizations, fifty, and Gideon Saar begged us please come out publicly opposing a Palestinian state. He said Israel’s getting enormous pressure to give away land and set up a state and it would be a nightmare for us. Please come out publicly and fight against this.
“Do you know not a single Jewish group has come out opposing it, not a single Jewish group, not ADL, not AIPAC, not American Jewish Committee, not Bnai Brith, not the Reform Movement, not the Conservative Movement, not the Orthodox Union, none of them, and when I talked to them, saying the foreign minister wants us to do this, will you do this, they said it’s too controversial, we can’t do it. They said my board won’t allow me to do it. The only organization that has come out publicly vehemently and repeatedly in TV, radio and op-eds is the Zionist Organization of America.”
What I would have you do, my friends, is click this link to the video of Philly ZOA’s gala last week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-lSe1ES9Ns&t=2516s
or
Listen to Mort (starting minute 21)
to Amb. Jeff Bartos, Senate-confirmed U.S. Representative for United Nations Management and Reform (minute 58)
to Leo Terrell, Trump-appointed Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division in the United States Department of Justice (starting 1:15).
It doesn’t get any more inspiringly Jewish People and Jewish Homeland supporting than this.
C. SPIEGLER:
Hi, Jerry! I would like to mention two items:
First, there is already a Palestinian State, called Jordan, whose majority of its citizens are Palestinian, including their Queen;
Second, next Tuesday, I urge all the Jewish voters to vote for the Republican and Democrat candidates who are pro-Israel and will fight Anti-Semitism in Congress. Several of our friends who always voted for Democrats are switching their votes to Republican. Not because they like them too much, but because the alternative is worse!
Am Israel Chai!
MYRON SUGERMAN (forwarding):
Jerry, as always, your emails are those of Jewish pride, the below Here & Now #1346 is an imperative for our fellow Jews to read.
I am sending your email to my 1,800 recipients.
…. Of all the organizations that wasted people’s monies going to Israel to show the world that when push comes to shove, they can be pushed and shoved into accepting two-state catastrophe, whereas the one and only organization with B&B (brains and balls) is Mort Klein and the Zionist Organization of America.