J Street played a critical role in mustering the support at home to get that deal through the United States Congress…. You made sure the voices of those who support Israel and supported the deal were heard. So thank you – thank you, thank you for your efforts. You have made the world a little safer. – Vice President Joe Biden

The fight over the nuclear deal was one of the most important foreign policy battles in decades. The outcome of the debate will likely have major consequences for the shape of American foreign policy for decades going forward.

J Street committed to taking a major stand in favor of the deal as advancing the security interests of the United States and Israel. With huge sums of money and resources mobilized by opponents, we aimed to demonstrate to Members of Congress that strong support for the agreement existed among the majority of pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy American Jews along with American and Israeli security experts.

Our effort included:

Highlighting Israeli Support

J Street brought in top Israeli military and intelligence experts to make the case to members of Congress and the media about how the agreement bolsters Israel’s security. Of the 46 members who met with the Israelis, 36 backed the agreement.

Polling

Polling throughout the summer showed that support for the Iran agreement among American Jews was more robust than among Americans overall, bucking conventional political wisdom about the Jewish community.

July 2015 GBA Strategies Poll

Grassroots efforts

J Street mobilized our leaders and activists around the country to express their strong support for the deal to Members of Congress their strong support for the Iran agreement.

Over 75,000 supporters added their names to petitions in support of the deal or called in to Congressional offices, making sure that Congressional phones were ringing off the hook and inboxes were flooded with support for the agreement.

Our leaders held over 50 in-district meetings with Members and their staff, while many also wrote op-eds and letters to the editor in their local papers. These combined efforts helped to win the public opinion battle, and to ensure that Members who took strong stands in support of the agreement knew that they could rely on plenty of support in their districts.

A Major Advertising Campaign

As deal opponents spent a record $40 million in advertisements, J Street created a highly effective, multipronged media campaign though national, state and Jewish outlets.

TV Ads

Three television ads ran in 12 target states and Washington, DC.

Print ads

Digital Ads

Our polling showed that the more people know about the Iran deal, the more they support it. So we worked to get the message out through targeted advertising that focused on states with persuadable Representatives and Senators.
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• 510,000: Audience reached on Facebook
• 50,000: Users who visited IranDealFacts.org (and now, you’re here too!)
• 6: Major state newspaper websites we blanketed with web ads

Media

“During the recent scramble for support on Iran, J Street, a rival pro-Israel lobby that supports the nuclear deal, has become an influential player and a liberal alternative.”

“J Street, which has begun its own $5 million advertising campaign and has been deploying former military officials and diplomats to Capitol Hill as part of a lobbying effort, has been working to reassure anxious Democrats that they will not face a backlash from Jewish voters and donors for supporting the Iran deal.”

“J Street has been flying in prominent Israelis to visit with lawmakers…. Their message? You can still be pro-Israel and disagree with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who adamantly opposes the deal.”

(Opinion piece by Jeremy Ben-Ami)
“The rush of Israeli politicians and American Jewish organizations to line up behind [Prime Minister Netanyahu] obscures the fact that a growing number of highly-respected Israeli voices and the majority of Jewish Americans actually support the deal.”