Americans for Peace Now

Americans for Peace Now was founded in 1981 to support the Israeli peace movement, APN opposes the settlements, advocates the two state solution, and is a credible, if far weaker, alternative to AIPAC in the American Jewish community.

Board of Directors

As of 2009 the AFPN Board of Directors included;

• Franklin Fisher (JStreet), Chair

• Martin Bresler, Vice Chair

• Jo-Ann Mort, Secretary

• Elaine Hoffman, Treasurer

• Debra DeLee, President and CEO

• Elaine Attias

• Jeremy Ben-Ami

• David Birenbaum

• Edward Witten

• Ernest Bogen

• Gerald Bubis

• Peter Edelman

• Sara Ehrman

• Laurel Eisner

• Richard Dreyfuss

• Leonard Fein

• Robert Freedman

• Dan Fleshler

• Jim Gerstein

• Danny Goldberg

• Ted Friedman

• Judith Greenberg

• Jim Klutznick

• Richard Gunther

• Luis Lainer

• Rabbi Joy Levitt

• Victor Kovner

• Mandy Patinkin

• Dan Sandel

• Hannah Rosenthal

• Harold Shapiro

• Stanley Sheinbaum

• Mark Silverberg

• Larry Silverton

• Arthur Stern

• Mary Ann Stein

• Sidney Topol

• Judith Tuller

• Michael Walzer

• Sanford Weiner

• Peter Weiss

Staff

As of 2009 the staff of AFPN included;

Debra DeLee, President and CEO	Mark Bilsky, Assistant Executive Director for Planning & Development	Lara Friedman, Director of Policy and Government Relations
Ori Nir, Spokesman	David Pine, West Coast Regional Director	Gail Pressberg, Senior Policy Consultant
Mark Rosenblum, Founder	Noam Shelef, Director for Strategic Communications	Stacey Pistritto, Executive Assistant

Connections with Democratic Socialists of America

Prominent members of Americans for Peace Now who have also been involved with Democratic Socialists of America include;

• Stanley Sheinbaum
• Jo-Ann Mort
• Michael Walzer

Endorsed by DSA Publication The Yankee Radical

Boston Democratic Socialists of America publication The Yankee Radical of March 2006 advertising a dinner in honor of Americans for Peace Now incoming chair, Franklin Fisher.

According to numerous reports, the recent Palestinian parliamentary elections were freely and fairly conducted, a democratic milestone on the road to self-determination. Many have also been dismayed by the result—a victory for the fundamentalist, anti-semitic rejectionists of Hamas, which seems to promise only more death and destruction. But few in Congress or the mainstream media have noted that the defeat of the governing Fatah Party of President Mahmoud Abbas was at least partly due to the refusal of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon to negotiate with or even acknowledge him, as Sharon continued the policies of consolidation and land confiscation in the West Bank. Palestinian voters apparently concluded that since Abbas couldn’t deliver for them, they’d try the other guys. Meanwhile, in the upcoming March 28 Israeli election, the social democratic Labor Party is campaigning under new progressive leadership, but trailing in the polls.

Amidst these grim tidings, Americans for Peace Now is holding a dinner on April 27 at the Copley Place Westin Hotel in Boston to honor their incoming Chair, Franklin Fisher. Founded in 1981 to support the Israeli peace movement, APN opposes the settlements, advocates the two state solution, and is a credible, if far weaker, alternative to AIPAC in the American Jewish community.