Israeli American Council - IAC

“These Zionist establishments must go.” That was the slogan of a “Boycott Ride” targeting six Jewish- and Israeli-owned businesses in Philadelphia on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht. Our answer: show up. Order food. Stand together. Today, IAC joined community partners to support Mac Mart, K’Far Cafe, Huda, Goldie, Dizengoff and Schlesinger’s Deli. Targeting business owners for being Jewish or supporting Israel is not a protest against government policy. It is intimidation. We will not accept it. A boycott seeks to isolate. Solidarity means coming back — next week, next month and throughout the year. IAC stands with targeted businesses in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles and beyond. To our neighbors of every background: when one community is targeted, all of us must stand with it. Visit. Dine in. Order directly. “Never again” is a commitment we act on.

Long lines. Israeli and American flags. A community standing with businesses targeted for being Jewish or supporting Israel. “Never again” means showing up - in Philadelphia and beyond. Not just today, but all year. We won’t be intimidated. @EndJewHatred

IAC CALL TO ACTION The answer to a boycott: show up. Today, on the eve of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, an organized boycott is targeting six Jewish businesses in Philadelphia. Let’s show them what it looks like when a community stands together. If you’re in Philly, stop by or order directly from one of the businesses below. Wherever you live, show up for a Jewish business in your community. Visit. Shop. Dine. Mac Mart • K’Far Café • Huda • Goldie • Dizengoff • Schlesinger’s Deli Share this post and tag a Jewish business you love so others can support it, too. 💙 SAYING NEVER AGAIN IS NOT ENOUGH. ACT NOW.

The U.S. midterm elections remind us how directly decisions made in the political arena affect our daily lives, our children’s schools, our personal safety, the communities we live in, and Israel’s place in public discourse. At a time when we are also witnessing statements and positions hostile to Israel from elected officials, and sometimes expressions of antisemitism, it is important to remember: Our civic engagement does not end at the ballot box. It begins there. As Israeli Americans, we have a voice, a responsibility, and the ability to make a difference. This is rooted not in affiliation with any particular political party, but in a commitment to our values, our community’s safety, our identity, and our children’s future. We must continue to get to know our elected officials, engage in dialogue with them, build relationships, make our voices heard, and play an active role in shaping our local and national reality. Even when our political views differ, our commitment to one another and our shared responsibility are stronger than any disagreement. The IAC has been and will continue to be a nonpartisan community home that brings people together, strengthens Israeli and Jewish identity, and works to ensure that our voices are heard. We may not always agree on every issue, but we can always choose to act together, with mutual respect, responsibility, and a sense of purpose. Because true impact is measured not only on Election Day, but every day that follows.

Today, 31 years ago, Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. We remember his life and honor his memory. 🕯

SHAME ON YOU SNL! They had a platform to highlight democracy in action. Instead, they chose to deliberately spread a lie. When humor helps shape public perception, the punchline matters. Do better.

Israelis and Israeli-Americans are passionate about politics, about making a difference. But not everyone has had the chance to learn how the midterm elections work in America. That's why the IAC ran educational webinars in communities across the country, to explain who the candidates are, who represents them in their cities, and how to take action. The IAC's Noa Peri-Jensch on i24NEWS: get informed, and go vote. Election Day is tomorrow. #GoVote @i24NEWS_EN @benitalevin

Tomorrow is Election Day, and our community can make an impact, coast to coast. In an interview on Kan Reshet Bet, IAC Co-Chair Tal Shuster explained that school boards in the US decide what content our children will learn, and that as parents, we have a chance to shape it. The IAC is nonpartisan: the candidates can be from either side, what matters is that you vote for the ones right for your community. And to our friends in Israel: each of you has a relative or a friend here in the US. Call them, and ask them to go vote. #GoVote @EranCicurel @kann_news @ReshetBet

Election Day is tomorrow, and the ballot goes much further down than Congress. In The Jerusalem Post, the IAC's Aya Shechter writes that school board members and state legislators decide how the Holocaust is taught, what our children learn about Israel, and how our schools and synagogues are protected. As she puts it, coming from Israel, it is easy to miss that the most direct say we have over our children's education in the US is a line near the bottom of the ballot. The IAC is nonpartisan. Our message is simple: learn who is on your ballot, and vote all the way down. jpost.com/opinion/article-91… #GoVote @Jerusalem_Post @ZvikaKlein

Movies have editors. History does not. Cinemark Century in Boulder, Colorado, is now screening the anti-Israel film "NAZA." The film, which is based on anonymous testimonies, makes serious allegations about the IDF's conduct in the Gaza Strip, while ignoring findings and information that contradict its claims and without presenting the context of the October 7 attack that led to the war. IAC Colorado is calling on the theater to provide audiences with broader context and additional perspectives. Artistic freedom and public responsibility are not opposing values. Context is not censorship. It is responsibility. Email the theater: tinyurl.com/2javc552 Sign the petition: wkf.ms/4yFggu0

An unforgettable night in Israel! 🔥 Thank you, Ja Rule, for coming to Israel and sharing your music and energy! 🇮🇱 @jarule

"A lie only needs enough people to believe it. The truth needs much more." IAC Chief Communities Officer Noa Peri-Jensch writes in @eJPhil on "NAZA," and why knowing the truth isn't enough. We have to say it out loud. When "NAZA" premiered at Lincoln Center on Sept. 26, we answered outside with four LED trucks showing what the film leaves out, joined by Nova survivors. Then came the Hamptons, the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Newton, MA, plus the first U.S. screenings of "NAZA: The Real Story" in Manhattan and San Diego. For every lie, we will bring evidence. 👇

לקראת בחירות האמצע בארה״ב ב־3 בנובמבר, ארגון הקהילה הישראלית־אמריקאית (IAC) מוביל את Go Vote, קמפיין ארצי ולא־מפלגתי לחינוך ולעידוד הצבעה בקרב הקהילה הישראלית־אמריקאית. המהלך משלב וובינרים המותאמים למערכות הבחירות בכל מדינה, קמפיין דיגיטלי בעברית ובאנגלית ואלפי שאלונים שנשלחו למועמדים בבחירות המקומיות וברמת המדינות במסגרת IAC 4 Action. מטרת הקמפיין היא להרחיב את השתתפות הקהילה בבחירות ולהנגיש מידע על המועמדים ועמדותיהם, בדגש על התפקידים המשפיעים ישירות על חינוך הילדים, ביטחון הקהילה וחיי המשפחות. ה־IAC אינו תומך במועמדים או במפלגות. המהלך נועד לחזק השתתפות אזרחית המבוססת על ידע והיכרות עם כלל מערכות הבחירות, מהקונגרס ועד מועצות החינוך המקומיות.

Ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, the Israeli-American Council (IAC) is leading Go Vote, a nationwide, nonpartisan campaign to strengthen voter education and participation among Israeli-Americans. The initiative combines state-specific webinars, a digital campaign in Hebrew and English, and thousands of questionnaires sent to candidates in state and local races through IAC 4 Action. The campaign equips community members to examine candidates’ positions on issues affecting their children’s education, community safety, and daily lives, with an emphasis on the importance of state and local offices alongside national races. The IAC does not endorse candidates or parties. Go Vote advances informed civic participation across the ballot, from Congress to local school boards.

We join other Jewish leaders in expressing our revulsion at the ignorant and harmful statement made by actor Adam Brody. The claim that Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza is demonstrably false and a blood libel against the Jewish People and the Jewish State. As has been repeatedly demonstrated, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has taken extraordinary steps to minimize civilian casualties, far beyond what the law of armed conflict requires, and despite fighting an enemy that systematically uses civilians as human shields and embeds itself in hospitals and schools. We are also appalled by Mr. Brody's failure to mention that Israel's war is a direct response to Hamas' massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, in which over 1,200 children, women, and men were murdered, raped, tortured to death, and 251 were taken hostage. Lies like this are not just fake news, they incite violence that can lead to the murder of innocent Jews. A few weeks ago, Israeli passengers narrowly escaped death in what was called an attempted terrorist attack on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. That's the reality Israelis and Jews live with every day.

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