Jeremy Ben-Ami

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. He attended Collegiate School, also in Manhattan. His grandparents fled persecution in Russia in 1882 and emigrated to "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.

He graduated from Princeton University and received a Juris Doctor degree from New York University.

Career

Ben-Ami was 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. 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.{{cite news |access-date=April 26, 2008}}

Viewpoints

In March 2011, Ben-Ami commented:

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. 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....". Abraham J. Edelheit found the book's thesis to be one that Peter Beinart has already discussed, and that while he 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". Joseph Finlay, reviewing for Jewish Quarterly, wrote that Ben-Ami's critique of contemporary American Jewish leadership is 'entirely unoriginal' and 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 BDS and pro-Palestinian activists".

Views during the Gaza War

During the Gaza War, Ben-Ami criticized the conduct of the Netanyahu government, calling for de-escalation and echoing J Street's call to end the war. 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 genocide. I have, however, been persuaded rationally by legal and scholarly arguments that international courts will one day find that Israel has broken the international genocide convention."

Personal life

Ben-Ami married Alisa Biran in 2001. Biran, who was working in fundraising at a music school, happened to be the daughter of a cantor from Ben-Ami's childhood synagogue.

References

References

1. Katz, Mandy. "The Man on J Street: The Story of Jeremy Ben-Ami". Foundation for Middle East Peace.
2. Kelemen, Michele. (October 27, 2009). "New Lobby Pushes Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Mission". [[National Public Radio]].
3. [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
4. (October 4, 2011). "The Man on J Street: The Story of Jeremy Ben-Ami | Page 2 of 8".
5. Maryam Saleh, Ryan Grim. (2019-12-14). "The Wax and Wane of J Street’s Influence Over U.S.-Israel Policy". The Intercept.
6. Besser, James D.. (March 22, 2011). "For The Love Of Israel?". [[The Jewish Week]].
7. (2011). "A New Voice for Israel : Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish Nation". Macmillan.
8. (May 6, 2011). "Jeremy Ben-Ami's "A New Voice for Israel: Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish Nation" (book review)". Washington Post.
9. (2011). "A New Voice for Israel: Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish Nation". The Jewish Book Council.
10. "A New Voice for Israel". Jewish Quarterly.
11. Ben-Ami, Jeremy. (November 17, 2024). "Senators: As Friends of Israel, Vote To Disapprove What The Gaza War Has Become". Word on the Street.
12. (January 22, 2024). "Time for Diplomacy". J Street.
13. Ben-Ami, Jeremy. (2025-08-03). "Genocide".
14. Magid, Jacob. (5 August 2025). "J Street head says he’s now convinced Israel committing genocide in Gaza". [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]].
15. Mandy Katz. (March–April 2010). "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". Moment Magazine.