You have to expect sidewalk weirdos when you attend an AIPAC Policy Conference, usually of the anti-Israel variety. This year, the weather being icy cold, I wasn’t too inclined to stop for any weirdos on my way to the Convention Center. But I did notice a middle-aged man holding up this sign: “God Hates Zionism.” When I slowed down long enough to ask him, “How do you know what God thinks?” he yelled back, “My father worked in the Pentagon!”
Okay.
Inside the conference were close to 20,000 Israel supporters, many of whom squinting to read name tags and exchanging business cards. This year, the crowd fell into three categories: Very nervous about the coronavirus, somewhat nervous and not at all nervous.
The very nervous group shied away from any physical contact, the somewhat nervous greeted people with elbow bumps, while the not-at-all-nervous were in full reckless handshake and hugging mode.
The mingling of thousands of humans connected to countless causes is the most important thing you need to know about the annual AIPAC conference. The speeches from prominent speakers get most of the media attention, the breakout sessions cover interesting topics, but it’s the mingling, the schmoozing and the networking that is the real stuff of the conference.
It’s also kind of extraordinary that everyone you meet has a specific agenda, a cause, an idea, a movement, something they would like to advance, even if it is only to “meet new people.”
When the schmoozing has moved beyond causes to actual politics, three names have stood out: Biden, Bernie and Bibi. Biden for his resounding victory in the South Carolina primary that reset the Democratic race; Bernie for his unsavory boycotting of AIPAC and seeming takeover of the Democratic party, and Bibi for the possibility that he may pull off yet another miracle and win the Israeli election.
Timing is everything. Biden won the primary on Saturday, the Conference started on Sunday, Israeli elections are on Monday followed by Super Tuesday tomorrow, which may decide the immediate future of the Democratic party. That’s quite a tight bundle of news buzz for a conference that is all about the U.S.–Israel alliance.
A type of polite anxiety is always prevalent at AIPAC. That’s part of the ritual. We must worry about urgent stuff: Bernie looks terrible for Israel. Can Biden or Bloomberg save the day? Who do we hate more—Bernie or Trump? Can we ever build true bipartisanship while Bibi is still in power? And so on. The stakes always feel enormous. That’s part of the AIPAC drama.
After all, if the stakes didn’t feel so enormous, would it be worth braving the weirdos and the viruses?
Now if you’ll excuse me, I must join my panel on “Engaging the next generation of Sephardic leaders.”
