Mitchell Bard
I lecture frequently and understand that for many audiences, the experience can feel depressing and overwhelming. Rising antisemitism. Palestinian rejectionism. Terrorism. The ring of regional threats around Israel. I can see it in people’s faces — the quiet sense of helplessness, the feeling that the problems are too vast and the individual too small to matter.
No single person can resolve the global challenges confronting the Jewish people. But it’s not true that individuals are powerless. History — and Jewish history, in particular — teaches the opposite. Each of us can make a difference. Perhaps not everywhere and all at once. But always somewhere, and often more than we imagine.
At the national level, the most effective way to have an impact is to support AIPAC. It is fashionable in certain circles to malign the organization — often by antisemites and frequently by people who oppose Israel’s very existence. Ignore the caricatures. If you believe that the U.S.-Israel relationship must remain strong, regardless of who occupies the White House or Prime Minister’s Office, then supporting the only pro-Israel lobby in Washington is not optional. It is essential.
AIPAC does not dictate U.S. foreign policy, despite what its critics claim. But it has succeeded, consistently and measurably, in fulfilling its core mission: ensuring that Congress provides the State of Israel with the assistance it needs to defend itself. Since AIPAC’s founding, the United States has provided roughly $177 billion in aid to Israel — aid that has saved lives, deterred enemies and strengthened a democratic ally in a hostile region.
AIPAC cannot block every arms sale to Arab states, but it can (and often does) reshape them, impose conditions and/or secure compensatory measures that preserve Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge. The proposed sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia is only the latest example. Nor can AIPAC prevent a president from making decisions that strain the relationship, but its influence in Congress can blunt the damage and limit the fallout.
Equally important is direct political engagement. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Donate your time and contribute your energy. Support candidates who share your values. Members of Congress listen to AIPAC not because of ideology alone, but because their political futures depend on it. When elected officials know they will be rewarded for supporting the U.S.–Israel relationship, they remain steadfast. When they see colleagues lose elections after taking hostile positions, they reconsider.
For most of its history, AIPAC refrained from contributing directly to political campaigns. That has changed — and for good reason. It has demonstrated that it can help defeat Israel’s adversaries in Congress by supporting credible challengers. This is not nefarious; it is democracy. AIPAC’s lobbying and campaign activity are fully consistent with the Constitution’s guarantee of the right to petition the government and support candidates of one’s choosing. Every interest group does this. AIPAC is singled out only because of who it defends.
If you dislike AIPAC, then nothing prevents you from contributing directly to candidates or through other political action committees. Doing nothing is not a neutral choice. With anti-Israel sentiment growing louder and more aggressive, pro-Israel voters must turn out and contribute if Congress is to remain a reliable pillar of the alliance.
Beyond politics, we must rebuild coalitions. One of the most painful lessons of the past two years is discovering how many supposed allies were fair-weather friends. Those who could not bring themselves to condemn the atrocities of Oct. 7, who questioned the testimony of sexual assault survivors or who cloaked antisemitism in the language of “anti-Zionism,” revealed who they truly are. The masks came off.
New alliances must be forged with those who stood firm. Interfaith engagement with Muslims willing to denounce Islamism should be strengthened. Evangelical Christians who did not waver in their support for Israel should be embraced, not taken for granted. Solidarity must be reciprocal and rooted in shared values, not convenience.
Education is another battlefield, one we cannot abandon. Most people know almost nothing about Middle Eastern history. Many young people, in particular, have turned against Israel based on misinformation across social media and moral slogans detached from reality.
Persuasion here requires finesse. Few people want to be lectured. That is why I suggest my P.E.E.R. model: Emphasize Israelis’ genuine desire for peace; show empathy for the suffering of others; tell Israel’s story in a way that conveys the emotional weight of its dilemmas; and pose rhetorical questions that force people to confront what they would do if rockets were fired at their homes or terrorists crossed their borders.
Engage the media, too, however frustrating that may be. A handful of outlets shape much of the public narrative about the Middle East, and yes, the bias against Israel is deep and persistent. Nonetheless, berating journalists accomplishes nothing. Approach them as human beings. Offer credible information. Try to be helpful rather than hostile. Ask yourself how receptive you would be if strangers criticized you incessantly without ever extending trust.
If you truly want to understand Israel, go there. Walk the land. Meet Israelis and Palestinians. Stand on Mount Scopus and look out over Judea and Samaria (more commonly referred to as the West Bank), and grasp the strategic reality no map can convey. See how small the country is, how narrow its borders and how quickly you can cross it end to end. Speak with survivors of terror attacks. Bring your children and your grandchildren. You will discover one of the most beautiful, vibrant countries in the world and learn that nearly every step you take is steeped in history.
Above all, stand proud. I know many Jews today are afraid to be visibly Jewish. But if we hide who we are, the antisemites win. We cannot allow intimidation to succeed.
Israeli boys and girls — some only 18 years old — are sent to defend the Jewish people and the democratic world. More than 900 have died in that fight in the past two years. So, are we that afraid to wear a Magen David in America or Europe, or on a university campus quad?
I end my talks with a simple credo, because it captures both our limits and our obligation:
I am only one, but I am one,
I cannot do everything
But I can do something.
What I can do, I ought to do
By the grace of god, I will do.
Mitchell Bard is a foreign-policy analyst and an authority on U.S.-Israel relations who has written and edited 22 books.
