Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) – The Tell: February 28, 2019
By Ron Kampeas
CALLING ALL PRO-ISRAEL CENTRISTS — Last month, J Street co-hosted an event for new Democrats who back its pro-negotiations policy on Israel. Last night it was the Jewish Democratic Council of America’s turn. The emphasis was on centrist support for Israel, i.e., more focused on the line associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Speakers, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, emphasized combatting the boycott Israel movement but also suggested there was room within the party to agree to disagree on how much criticism Israel deserved. A star of both the J Street and the JDCA events was Elissa Slotkin, the freshman Democrat from Michigan, who was a top national security official under Republican and Democratic presidents. She credited JDCA because it “helps me express my Jewish values in a way I know,” by helping others. The hot dog heiress made it clear that she wasn’t going to go kosher anytime soon: Her breakfast, she told the room, was “a bagel, cream cheese and two slices of bacon.”