Brit Tzedek v'Shalom

Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace

Washington, DC — The Hyde-Capps letter signed by 108 House Members from both parties, which was sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last Friday commending her role in brokering an Israeli-Palestinian agreement on the Rafah border-crossing, "demonstrates a significant and rapidly rising level of awareness in Congress that to support Israel is to support a negotiated, two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," said Diane Balser, CEO of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom which staged a massive grassroots effort in support of the letter.

Brit Tzedek, which is the country’s largest Jewish grassroots peace organization, mobilized its network of over 30,000 nationwide to urge their Representatives to sign on to this important vehicle for registering Congressional support for persistent and vigorous US engagement in bringing the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table. The Chicago-based organization just opened its DC office to direct its national advocacy efforts in the week leading up to the mobilization. The office is led by former Senate staffer Rob Levy.

All told, Brit Tzedek supporters contacted 181 different Congressional offices, and their impact was acknowledged from Rhode Island to California, in many cases with personal notes from the Congressional staff. In Massachusetts where Brit Tzedek has three chapters, 8 of the 10 members of the Congressional delegation signed on. Similarly, 5 of the 9 members of the Washington state delegation, where Brit Tzedek has two chapters, added their names to the letter with confirmation coming from Rep. Richard Larsen’s office that contact with Brit Tzedek members had been a key factor in last minute decision to back the effort. Meanwhile in Kansas, board member and Kansas City chapter leader Allan Abrams, successfully solicited the support of Rep. Dennis Moore when he spoke at Abrams’ synagogue.

"Polls have consistently shown over the years that the majority of American Jews support a negotiated, two-state solution to the conflict and active US engagement in bringing that about," says Balser, "It is very encouraging to see Congress follow suit. Brit Tzedek was honored to play a role in bringing a pro-Israel, pro-peace voice to Capitol Hill."