Over the weekend, Dartmouth J Street U members joined hundreds of college students and thousands of activists from across the country at a three-day National J Street Conference in Washington, D.C. Eleven Dartmouth students attended, with 10 beginning their trip in Hanover and another joining the group from an off-term in Washington, D.C. The students return to campus on Monday night.
The conference, hosted by J Street, a national lobbying group with chapters on college campuses, included keynote speeches and discussion panels.
Aligning with J Street's pro-Israel, pro-peace mission, which advocates a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the sessions at the conference covered Israeli public opinion, the impact of human rights organizations on Israeli politics and the extent of support for a two-state resolution in Congress. United States Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., Chief Negotiator and Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and U.S. Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Martin Indyk spoke throughout the weekend.
J Street U co-chair Zachary Kamin '14 said the trip offered members the opportunity to actively participate in the lobbying process.
"We have a lot of '17s coming, which I'm really excited about," Kamin said on Thursday before leaving for the trip. "I'm pretty amazed that it's their second or third weekend at school, and they're already willing to take a trip to D.C. with a student organization."
Lily Ma '17, who was not previously a member of J Street U, said she decided to participate because she wanted to learn more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Middle East politics.
Both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel students attended the conference, allowing her to hear several points of view.
"The student discussion sessions have up to 900 people, and it's really inspiring to see this many people who are so passionate about something and trying to make it happen," Ma said.
Zach Kratochvil '16, a member of J Street U, said he believes both in the importance of the work at the conference and the power of student participation.
"This is a way to signal to our leaders, both in the administration and in Congress, that there is widespread support for a two-state solution," Kratochvil said. "There are also just some really amazing people involved in this organization, both from our campus and across the nation."
Both Ma and Kratochvil added that attending a session with six members of the Knesset, the national legislature of Israel, was a highlight. Members on the stage represented a variety of political parties from extremist left and right wings.
"The speakers at the conference didn't just talk at you," said Kratochvil. "They were having serious conversations with each other about the issues, which I think is something really unique about J Street as a political organization."
The conference will end on Tuesday with J Street's Advocacy Day, an event on Capital Hill designed to allow J Street activists to speak with Congressmen about supporting a two-state solution to the conflict.
