Over 100 hundred years ago, Eastern European immigrants began to organize Labor Zionist groups in the U.S. These included Poale Zion and Farband, which later merged to form the Labor Zionist Alliance, and the Habonim youth movement. Through the 1930’s and 1940’s these organizations worked to rally American support for the Zionist cause, using their connections in labor unions, leftist circles, and Jewish communal organizations. After the establishment of the State of Israel, they mobilized financial and political support, along with sending waves of youth members to establish kibbutzim in Israel.

Ameinu, “Our People” in Hebrew, was founded in 2005 to reimagine the role of a progressive Zionist voice in the American Jewish community. This included involvement in an array of communal settings, speaking out about the importance of reaching a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as social justice issues.

In addition, Ameinu launched programs to strengthen the bond between progressive American Jews and their Israeli counterparts, along with elevating our voice within the national Jewish institutions in Israel. In the last decade, Ameinu embarked upon a mission to engage with the left around Israel through The Third Narrative initiative. This included an active website, publications, public events and activism by academics, students. labor union activists, religious institutions and more.