"My opponents criticize me personally because they have nothing else to attack me about. If they had - they would say." We are sitting in the home of a Chabad emissary in North Detroit, Yisrael Pinsan. The speaker is Adam Hollier, who at the time of the interview is marked as the sure candidate to win the Democratic primary in the 13th district of the state of Michigan.
Hollier is impressive.
His speech is fluent and confident.
He grew up here in the neighborhood.
Upon graduation, he volunteered for the American Army.
After the release he returned to the city, and started a public career.
Since 2018, he has served as a member of the state senate, and now has his sights set on the House of Representatives in Washington.
The one who came forward to help him in the race is the strong and large pro-Israel lobby IPAK. His main opponent, Sherry Thunder, a businessman who is trying for the third time to be elected and pours millions of dollars to that end, is the one who is trying to pin the crime of "IPAK's money" on Hollier. .
Thunder, who comes from an Asian family, at the time supported a symbolic decision by the Michigan House of Representatives to stop aid to Israel, and to define it as an apartheid state that commits war crimes.
At IPAC they recognized the danger and rushed to stand up to the right of the Black Hollier. Thunder responded with counter-advertisements about the supposedly problematic money financing his opponent's campaign.
AIPAC invested millions of dollars in advertisements and infrastructure for Hollier. He himself explains what the roots of his pro-Israel position are. "It is impossible to separate the Jewish community and the black community.
These are the two minorities against whom there are the most attacks and there is much in common between them.
Those who hate blacks hate Jews and vice versa.
Dr. King defined himself as a Zionist because the State of Israel promotes values of freedom and equality, which are the values of the black community. Therefore, we should do everything to work together."
As for the scandalous link between him and AIPAC, Hollier says: "I am concentrating on my race.
My goal is to win."
On the border of anti-Semitism
Houllier was not the only one here who suffered insinuations of Jews and money.
"Hayley Stevens receives money from AIPAC.
They must not be allowed to take away democracy," whispered the announcer on the television broadcast. Her voice sweetening the secret was accompanied by photos of the Stevens in question (it will be explained immediately who it is) followed by Donald Trump, and an AIPAC symbol.
The poet's intention was as dark as the abandoned buildings that fill Detroit: Jewish money - everyone knows who is behind AIPAC - is stealing the elections in Michigan.
"They are approaching a line that should not be crossed," says Rabbi Asher Loftin, representative of the American Jewish Committee and JCRC (Community Relations Council) on behalf of the Jewish Federations, about J Street's advertisements.
We meet in the rather empty offices of the federations, in the northwest of the city.
Although the corona is no longer here, they decided to continue most of the work from home.
In a sharp diagnosis, the rabbi, who is liberal in his views, adds that "it is ridiculous that a Jewish organization finances with money ads that come with claims that another Jewish organization is using the money."
Indeed, those behind the slander about Jewish money and influence are unfortunately Jews.
It was the J Street organization that financed - with its own Jewish money, of course - the broadcasts.
But the campaign is much broader and is actually about the future of support for the Democratic Party in Israel.
The struggle of the lobbies
The withdrawal of the doomsday weapon by J Street against AIPAC is intended to thwart the rebirth that AIPAC has been undergoing in recent months.
In the pro-Israeli lobby, a massive transformation has recently taken place.
It's still too early to know how successful it will be, even in the short term, but on J Street, they probably know why, they went into battle and didn't stop at red.
The IPAK (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) lobby was established in the 1950s, but began to gain influence and power in the 1970s. Its sole purpose was to strengthen US-Israel ties and it did so mainly through the communities Jewish communities throughout the 51 US states.
On top of the basic level of sympathy for Israel among the American public in general, a local support network was built in each country.
Those who stood up for Israel received local, financial and political assistance.
Whoever criticized Israel - in those years precisely in the Republican Party Jews were less liked - lost him.
The trump card on which AIPAC relied was bipartisan support for Israel. Over the years, AIPAC's operations expanded.
Delegations of members of Congress were brought to Israel every year.
AIPAC representatives marked future leaders on the leading campuses in the USA, and introduced them to Israel (Obama, by the way, they missed).
Later, following the demographic changes in the USA, connections and bridges were built with leaders from the black and Hispanic community. Local and regional conferences were held throughout the USA.
AIPAC's show of force would reach its peak at the annual conference in Washington. What began in the 1970s as a meeting of a few hundred people, developed into a huge gathering of 18,000 people. In addition, two-thirds of the members of Congress would stand side by side at the conference, as an expression of the power Their support for Israel, and for the strength of AIPAC.
Presidents, presidential candidates, American ministers - all were speakers at the conference.
AIPAC has consistently been ranked as one of the most powerful lobbies in the US.
This power was reflected in the closing act of the conferences, during which hundreds of participants went up to Capitol Hill, met with the senators and members of Congress, and updated them with the latest messages regarding Israel.
Everything worked as it should.
The contract with the large congress center in Washington was closed until 2032. However, as in other cases, it was precisely the size that hindered AIPAC more and more. The Palestinian issue was the first. From opposing the Oslo Accords, AIPAC became an organization that sanctifies the "two states" idea.
Adopting the positions of the Israeli left kept the right wing away from AIPAC. In 2015, the agreement with Iran was reached. Stopping Iran was a banner issue, but AIPAC had a hard time fighting President Obama.
The agreement was passed.
AIPAC was defeated and the sky did not fall. It was a serious blow.
At the same time, also thanks to an embrace from Obama, the power of J Street grew stronger.
The competing and young lobby was founded by Jews, and defines itself as a supporter of Israel.
But it supported the nuclear agreement, promotes candidates who place conditions on security aid to Israel and gives legitimacy to Israel's tenants.
One of its leaders previously doubted the necessity of the existence of a Jewish state.
Then came Trump, who tore apart the rules of the game of American politics.
Trump, as I remember, prevailed over all the old centers of power - and AIPAC was one of them. His series of historic moves for Israel were led by the previous president without anything to do with the lobby.
If these were not enough, the last AIPAC conference, in March 2020, became a mass contagion event, after which America went into prolonged shutdowns. In 2021, its leaders could not convene it because of the epidemic. In 2022, they no longer wanted to.
IPAK generation 2.0
American politics has fundamentally changed.
The two parties no longer agree on anything - not even what is reality and what is fiction.
The magic formula of "bipartisan support" has become irrelevant in America 2022. In this atmosphere, and with the strengthening of anti-Israeli voices in the Democratic Party, Howard Corr (CEO of the organization for 27 years) and his friends decided to reorganize.
In April of this year, the dramatic message was sent to 1.5 million AIPAC members. "There is a threat to America's friendship with Israel.
The work we have done (all the years) is at risk.
"Political leaders are trying to fundamentally undermine the relationship between the US and Israel. For the security of Israel and America, these anti-Israel leaders must be defeated. This battle will not be easy. There will be angry opposition. But we must stand on the right side of history," she wrote. IPAC president, Betsy Burns-Korn.
In practice, AIPAC decided on a twofold course of action. The establishment of a "Pac", which will help finance campaigns of Israel's supporters all over America ('Pac' - Political Action Committee, a conduit for financing political campaigns beyond the budget restrictions established in the first place by law - kosher but smelly, wording America). And at the same time, also the opening of a "Super Pac", which intercepted contestants who want to damage the relationship between the two countries. "It is not enough to stand by our friends.
The pro-Israel community must fight on the other side," emphasized Burns-Corn.
In other words, from being a nice and respectable type that everyone loves, IPAK chose to be the bully of the neighborhood. Until the revolution, the consensus was important to it. From then on, it will enter the arena and fight. In this dramatic step, IPAK joined the organization "The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) )", founded in 2019 by Mark Melman, one of the top political consultants in the US. Melman, who also serves as a close adviser to Prime Minister Lapid, raises money for pro-Israel candidates all over the US in the Democratic Party.
It has recently greatly expanded its activities and there is coordination between the groups.
So that in fact there are now two powerful organizations that help the supporters of Israel among the Democrats, and try to get Israel's opponents out of the field.
The campaign cannot wait for the midterm elections in November.
The reason: in most voting districts all over the US, it is known in advance whether the Democrats or the Republicans will win the elections. Therefore, the identity of the winner in the primaries, which are held in these months, will determine the nature of the entire Congress in relation to Israel. The battles are fought on the Democratic side, as with the Republicans, thank you To God, you can count Israel's opponents on one hand.
dirty fight
Two sitting members of Congress reached the finish line in the 11th district.
39-year-old Haley Stevens, former operative in the Clinton and Obama staffs.
In front of her - Andy Levin, the son of former congressman Sander Levin, who has served in Congress since 2019 and can be defined as a wine vinegar when it comes to Israel.
Levin is in favor of making aid to Israel conditional on promoting a Palestinian state, differentiating Israel from the "Occupied Palestinian Territories" and canceling the Trump administration's moves to recognize the legality of settlements in the West Bank.
Levin is supported by J Street, Ilhan Omar and Bernie Sanders - who called, among other things, not to give Israel "A weapon that can kill children in Gaza". Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are, said AIPAC and went on a campaign against Levin.
Along with the DMFI lobby and the Jewish community in Michigan, AIPAC stood behind the Christian Stevens, who, unlike Levin, is committed to preserving the alliance between the US and Israel.
"I'm a big supporter of Israel-US ties," Stevens tells me on Tuesday this week, at the entrance of the "Holy Name" church in the Birmingham neighborhood in northern Detroit. It's 7 a.m. and it's Voter's Day. There are about 50,000 voters in the Democratic Party primary in the district. They will elect a governor, a sheriff, and also determine whether she or Levin will represent them in the next two years in the House of Representatives in Washington.
"I was on a tour of Israel in 2019, right before the epidemic broke out," says Stevens.
"One of the things I took away from there is the promotion of joint entrepreneurship, especially in the technology field of the automotive industry - in which I have a background."
But what she does not reveal is told by her excited mother, Maria, who accompanied her to Israel.
"The tour was life-changing. We were at the borders of Lebanon and Gaza and in the Golan Heights. We saw how life there is under constant threat. Haley has suffered severe attacks because of her support for Israel, but she will not change her position," adds the proud mother.
The fight against Levin is dirty, especially on his part.
He attacked AIPAC with his voice and blunt words and accused the lobby of "hijacking democracy". His and J Street's advertisements present Stevens as receiving "money from corporations" and "black money" and, as mentioned, play on anti-Semitic motifs.
While Levine hits below the belt, Stevens, judging by the meeting with her, is not the type for these fights.
She, as well as most of the locals I spoke with, are interested in the cost of living, the energy prices, the lack of water, the lighting in the streets, the rising crime and of course the restoration of the prestige of the city, which was once the world pride of America as the center of the automobile industry.
Supporters of Israel and its opponents pour money into campaigns, but the question of the attitude towards Israel hardly reaches the voters' minds and is not a consideration for them.
Levin certainly lost points in the Jewish community.
"I am a Reform and liberal Jew, but I was ashamed of the positions expressed by Andy Levin regarding Israel. He speaks about Israel in an intolerable way," a lady who asked to remain anonymous tells me at Stevens' headquarters.
Many domes can also be seen in the crowd.
Not aware of extremes
Five kilometers south of there, in the 12th district, another battle is taking place between Israel's fierce rival, and a friend who has embarked on an almost hopeless battle.
Janice Winfrey, a senior councilwoman in the city of Detroit, stood up against the Palestinian congresswoman, Rashida Talib.
The absolute majority of the district's residents are black, but their leadership is divided, and Talib, who is not black, is acquitted of the imposture.
AIPAC tried in the past to promote another candidate here, but the effort failed. Winfrey, with the help of the local Jewish community but without the backing of the big lobbies from Washington, is fighting Talib. This does not diminish her enthusiasm. In her modest offices at 258 Milwaukee Street, she answers my question as to why she entered a hopeless race.
"The reason is that we, the residents of the place who live here all our lives, are not represented. She (Talib) has not promoted what is important to the residents, and wants to reduce the funding for the police, then imagine what will happen here. She is spreading hatred against one of our closest allies So for me, the struggle is something I owe to the residents of my district."
Maybe people here believe in the hatred she spreads? After all, she has already been elected twice.
"People don't pay their elected officials to hate. And I don't understand at all how she claims to represent the Jewish voters of the district, if she hates them. The 'average Joe' is not interested in the Middle East but in his daily life. He doesn't even know how radical She is. One of the achievements I can already attribute to myself is revealing her true face. That in itself is already a victory for me."
A few hours after our conversation, the results became clear.
Stevens won.
Levin was kicked out of Congress and will have a hard time returning.
Talib, on the other hand, defeated Winfrey.
It will be difficult to get her out of Congress.
And in the 13th district there was a disappointment for Israel's supporters - Thanelder defeated Hollier by a considerable margin.
The only consolation is that two hostile Congressmen are less than three.
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