The American political landscape has fundamentally shifted. While traditional pro-Israel organizations continue to focus primarily on federal policy and broad educational initiatives, a coordinated network of anti-Israel organizations has systematically infiltrated state and local governments across the United States. This network—what we call the Axis of Antisemitism—demonstrates why the future of pro-Israel advocacy must be built from the ground up.

Understanding the Axis of Antisemitism

The Axis of Antisemitism represents a strategic alliance between three major organizational networks: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). These organizations have moved far beyond their original missions to create a comprehensive anti-Israel infrastructure that operates at every level of American government.

The ACLU has strayed from its foundational mission of defending civil liberties, now actively supporting anti-Israel policies and defending organizations that engage in discriminatory actions against Jewish Americans. CAIR promotes and incites anti-Israel sentiment while maintaining troubling connections to individuals and groups with terrorism ties. Jewish Voice for Peace leverages its Jewish identity to shield the anti-Israel movement from antisemitism allegations while calling for boycotts and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

What makes this axis particularly dangerous is not just their individual influence, but their coordinated approach. Each organization operates across multiple organizational types—advocacy groups, educational institutions, and political action committees—creating a comprehensive advocacy ecosystem that traditional pro-Israel organizations have failed to match.

The Local Government Strategy

While pro-Israel advocates debate federal policy in Washington, the Axis of Antisemitism has been quietly winning battles in city councils, school boards, and state legislatures. This isn’t accidental—it’s strategic.

Local governments control critical policy areas that directly impact Jewish and Israeli-American communities: educational curricula, hate crime definitions, public contracting policies, and international engagement protocols. Over 100 cities have passed anti-Israel “ceasefire” resolutions since October 7th. Multiple city councils have attempted to pass pro-BDS resolutions. State education departments have incorporated anti-Israel content into ethnic studies curricula.

The numbers tell the story: there are over 90,000 local governments in the United States, 7,383 state legislators, and 3,143 counties. Traditional pro-Israel organizations, focused on 535 members of Congress and federal agencies, have left tens of thousands of decision-makers unengaged and vulnerable to anti-Israel influence.

Why Traditional Approaches Fall Short

Analysis of Jewish and pro-Israel organizational activities reveals a critical gap. While pro-Israel organizations prioritize social and cultural programming, anti-Israel organizations focus on political activism—lobbying, advocacy, electioneering, and partisan politics. This creates what we call “The Gap”—a fundamental mismatch between where pro-Israel resources are concentrated and where anti-Israel organizations are achieving policy victories.

Over 75% of Jewish organizations do not engage in advocacy, and over 90% do not participate in electoral politics. Meanwhile, the Axis of Antisemitism leverages every advocacy tool available: education, lobbying, and full electoral engagement at all levels of government.

Traditional pro-Israel organizations also rely on outdated approaches, focusing on “hasbara” (explanation) and reactive myth-busting rather than proactive political engagement. They play defense on the opposition’s terms instead of setting their own agenda through systematic political organizing.

The State and Local Imperative

State and local advocacy isn’t just important—it’s where the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship will be determined. Consider the trajectory: local activists become state legislators, state legislators become members of Congress, and today’s city council resolutions become tomorrow’s federal policy positions.

The anti-Israel pipeline to Congress is already full. We can trace current anti-Israel members of Congress back to their origins in local activism and state politics. Without intervention at the state and local level, this pipeline will continue producing federal officials hostile to Israel.

But state and local engagement also offers unique advantages:

Direct Impact: Local policies immediately affect community safety, educational content, and economic opportunities for Jewish and Israeli-American families.

Political Efficiency: Races are smaller, less expensive, and more winnable. Building relationships with 500 voters can swing a city council election that would require 500,000 voters at the federal level.

Training Ground: State and local engagement develops the political skills, relationships, and infrastructure necessary for effective federal advocacy.

Prevention Strategy: It’s far easier to prevent anti-Israel activists from entering politics than to defeat them once they reach Congress.

ICAN’s Response Model

The Israeli-American Civic Action Network was founded specifically to bridge this gap through comprehensive state and local political engagement. Our approach combines three critical elements traditional organizations lack:

New Voice: We unite Israeli-American activists with American pro-Israel advocates, bringing authentic immigrant voices and lived experience to advocacy efforts. This isn’t just more effective—it’s more legitimate and harder to dismiss.

New Strategy: We engage in the full spectrum of political activity—education, advocacy, and electoral engagement—with emphasis on accountability and civic empowerment. We don’t just educate; we organize, lobby, and elect.

New Coverage: Our bottom-up approach prioritizes local governments and works vertically to state and federal levels, ensuring comprehensive political engagement where it matters most.

This model has already delivered concrete results: IHRA antisemitism definitions adopted by major California cities, pro-BDS resolutions defeated in Massachusetts, anti-Israel content removed from state curricula, and Holocaust education strengthened in Nevada.

The Path Forward

The Axis of Antisemitism succeeded because they understood a fundamental political truth: all politics is local, and sustained change requires sustained engagement at every level of government. Pro-Israel advocates must learn this lesson.

State and local advocacy isn’t an alternative to federal engagement—it’s the foundation that makes federal advocacy sustainable and effective. Building political infrastructure in communities across America creates the relationships, credibility, and electoral power necessary to influence national policy.

The choice is clear: continue playing defense with outdated approaches while anti-Israel forces systematically capture American political institutions, or build comprehensive political infrastructure that can compete with and defeat the Axis of Antisemitism at every level of government.

The future of the U.S.-Israel relationship won’t be decided in Washington alone. It will be determined in city halls, state capitols, and school board meetings across America. The question isn’t whether pro-Israel advocates can afford to engage at the state and local level—it’s whether they can afford not to.

The Axis of Antisemitism has shown us the blueprint for systematic political change. Now it’s time to build our own.