As COVID continues to spread across the US, it was another rocky year for AIPAC, and its leaders, Betsy Korn and Howard Kohr.
After canceling the 2021 policy conference due to COVID, the pro-Israel group announced earlier this summer that it would cancel the 2022 conference, too, citing a spike of coronavirus cases.
According to an AIPAC source familiar with the discussion, the decision was made because it was “not practical to plan the event a few months in advance as the Delta variant is spreading.”
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AIPAC also announced in early August that it would reschedule two congressional trips sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation. A House Republican freshman trip and a bipartisan trip of members of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees will now take place in February 2022.
But that is only one of the veteran lobby organization's problems. Facing a Congress that is increasingly polarized with parts that are blatantly anti-Israel, Kohr and Korn need to ensure that AIPAC not only remains relevant but also can continue to effect change and help the Jewish state.
In a surprise move, the lobby went on the offensive against Rep. Ilhan Omar earlier this summer, posting ads on Facebook reading: written "For Ilhan Omar, there is no difference between America and the Taliban. Between Israel and Hamas. Between Democracies and terrorists."
It was a journey into uncharted waters for AIPAC which has traditionally strived to avoid the spotlight in an effort to retain bipartisan support for Israel.
But with Israel under attack and antisemitism in the US rising, the group understands that it needs to be more aggressive - online against people like Omar and in its general messaging.
More tests are sure to come.