Ameinu (Our People)

Ameinu (Our People) was a left-of-center Israel advocacy group that merged with Americans for Peace Now in 2024 to become New Jewish Narrative. ¹

Background

Ameinu was originally established as the “Labor Zionist Alliance.” ¹ The group engaged with the United States’ left-of-center and national Jewish groups to combat anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism and worked on Jewish-Arab people-to-people projects in Israel. ²

The group ceased updating its website December 6, 2024, due to its merger with Americans for Peace Now into a new group called New Jewish Narrative. ³

Initiatives

Ameinu was one of several left-wing organizations to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s July 2024 visit to Washington, D.C. and attempted to galvanize protestors to claim Netanyahu was a “threat to Israeli democracy.” ⁴

In 2022, Ameinu signed a letter spearheaded by J Street and Americans for Peace Now that criticized then-House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for vowing to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee due to anti-Israel and antisemitic statements if Rep. McCarthy became House Speaker. ⁵

In January 2021, Ameinu and several groups including Americans for Peace Now, J Street, New Israel Fund, and Partners for Progressive Israel opposed the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, arguing that “could suppress the free expression of political opinion, including critiquing ‘the legitimacy of Israel’s founding.’” ⁶ The IHRA definition has been accepted by 35 states, the District of Columbia and 86 U.S. cities. ⁷

Ameinu’s tax forms describe its mission as mobilizing Jews for “social and economic justice” in Israel and North America. ⁸ It also expresses support for a “Two-State Solution” to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, with Israeli and Palestinian states existing side by side. ⁹ A goal of Ameinu’s Third Narrative initiative was the promotion of a Two-State Solution. ¹⁰

Financials

Ameinu reported a revenue of $4,317,039 in 2023, up nearly $4 million from its 2022 revenue of $356,950 in 2022, and expenses of $773,461. ¹¹

In 2023, the group received $10,000 from the Bershtel Family Foundation. ¹² In 2022, it received $11,370 from the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland for the Akko Educators Project ¹³ and $5,000 from American Endowment Foundation. ¹⁴

Leadership

Ameinu had three professional staff members: national director Miki Golod, member services director Hiam Simon and the Third Narrative website editor, Ralph Seliger. ¹⁵

Kenneth Bob was the final president of Ameinu. ¹⁵ Bob holds a number of other positions in Jewish groups, including sitting on the Jewish Agency for Israel’s board of governors, as a member of the executive of the World Zionist Organization, as a board of trustees member of the Jewish National Fund, as a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and as treasurer of J Street’s board of directors. ^{16 17}

Nomi Colton-Max was the final vice president of Ameinu. ¹⁵ Brad Rothschild was the chair of the Policy and Advocacy Committee, Hadar Susskind was secretary (as well as president of Americans for Peace Now) ¹, and Andrew Taylor was treasurer. ¹⁵ Samuel North was chair of the Investment Committee and David Person was chair of Ameinu Canada. ¹⁵

Board members included Alisa Belinkoff Katz, Shaina Wasserman, Esther Lederman, Judah Altman, Dan Fleshler, Judith Gelman, Theodore Friedman, Jerry Goodman, Judi Glickman-Shnider, Joel Magid, Haya Laufer, Martin I. Taft, David P. Stone, Kobi Cohen, Steven Weinberg, and Zach Shartiag. ¹⁵