A few weeks after October 7, 2023, a small Facebook group began with about 35 people.
It was created for people who felt increasingly politically homeless: Democrats, liberals, progressives, and people who believed in social justice, civil rights, equality, and peace, but who also believed Israel had a right to exist, defend itself, and be understood in all of its complexity.
Israel is also, in many important ways, an example of a progressive society: universal health care, strong labor traditions, a livable minimum wage, affordable higher education, protections for women and LGBTQ people, an independent judiciary, a free press, robust elections, and major public investment in science, water technology, agriculture, medicine, and clean energy.
At first, it was simply a place to talk.
Today, that group, We Are Progressive, Liberal, Woke and Pro-Israel, has grown to more than 9,700 members. On June 25, it stood at 9,600 members, up more than 16 percent in less than a month. The next day, it crossed 9,700. It may have reached 10,000 by the time you read this. The group is now growing by 100 members in less than two days.
But the number is not the story.
The story is why people came.
Many members arrived feeling isolated. They had been told, directly or indirectly, that to remain progressive they had to abandon Israel, ignore Jewish history, accept slogans in place of facts, or remain silent when antisemitism was repackaged as political activism.
In today’s political climate, it increasingly appears to be a tactic of people who oppose your views to steal your terms, strip them of their original meaning, and redefine them for political purposes.
That has happened to words such as “progressive” and “woke.” On the extreme left, especially within the DSA, they are too often treated as if they require hostility toward Israel. On the extreme right, they have been turned into insults, shorthand for weakness, naïveté, or contempt for America.
For the group, those words still mean caring about civil rights, equality, human dignity, social justice, democracy, and peace. They should not require abandoning Israel, and they should not be surrendered to people who use them as political weapons. That is why the group chose its name: to reclaim those words and their original meaning.
Some felt alone in Democratic circles, on campuses, in workplaces, among friends, in their families, or online.
They were not alone.
One of the group’s most important purposes is to break that illusion. A loud, organized minority can make people feel outnumbered or on the wrong side of history. But the growth of this community shows something else: thousands of people believe progressive values and support for Israel belong together.
They believe in Palestinian dignity without surrendering Israel’s legitimacy.
They believe in peace without pretending Hamas wants peace.
They believe criticism of Israeli governments can be part of loving Israel.
They believe antisemitism does not become acceptable simply because it is falsely spoken in the language of human rights.
The community has also become international.
Its members include people in the United States, Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Mexico, and beyond. The largest concentration is in the United States, but the conversation reaches New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Philadelphia, Chicago, London, San Francisco, San Diego, Sydney, and many other cities.
It is also multigenerational, with women making up about 63 percent of the membership. Many active members are older adults with long memories and deep community ties. They have begun reaching out to adult children and younger friends, inviting them into the conversation.
That matters.
One lesson from recent primaries is that younger voters are being actively courted by the highly organized anti-Israel DSA. Our community has a chance to respond not by lecturing younger people, but by bringing them into honest conversations about Israel, antisemitism, democracy, and the future of the Democratic Party.
The most active conversations are not always about elections, military strategy, or daily headlines. Many of the deepest are personal.
People talk about rediscovering Jewish identity. They ask how to respond when Israel is treated as uniquely evil. They share frustration, fear, grief, anger, and sometimes hope.
That is what communities are supposed to do: help one another feel seen.
The group also has a political mission.
It is not enough to complain that a small but organized ideological movement is trying to reshape the Democratic Party. Pro-Israel Democrats, liberals, and progressives have to organize too. They have to understand primaries, show up, support candidates who share their values, challenge misinformation, and make clear that the Democratic Party cannot quietly become an anti-Israel party.
But politics is not the only answer.
The community is now moving from online conversation into real-world connection. Members have organized their own group mission to Israel, an extraordinary step for a Facebook community that began with 35 people.
This is not a typical tourist trip. It is designed to help participants meet Israelis, hear from leaders, see the country beyond the headlines, understand its history and innovation, and build relationships that continue long after the trip ends.
The first mission arrives in Israel on August 31, 2026. There is still room for a few more travelers.
Our members who live in Israel have been invited to join us. Even if they do not take the full tour, they can participate in selected activities. Making friends in Israel may become one of the most meaningful parts of the experience.
The goal is not simply to bring people home with photographs. It is to bring them home with friendships, deeper understanding, greater confidence, and a stronger ability to speak for Israel with honesty and compassion.
It began as a place for people who felt alone.
It is becoming a community that reminds them they are not alone at all.
Progressive, liberal, woke, and pro-Israel are not contradictions.
For thousands of people around the world, they are part of the same identity.
Mitch Mallett is a pro-Israel Democrat, writer, media commentator, and community organizer. He is the founder and administrator of the Facebook group “We Are Progressive, Liberal, Woke and Pro Israel,” a growing community dedicated to supporting Israel from a liberal and progressive perspective.
Mitch has been writing articles for The JCA International Jewish News, focusing on Israel, antisemitism, Middle East politics, Democratic Party dynamics, and the importance of maintaining strong bipartisan support for Israel. His writing reflects a lifelong commitment to progressive democratic values, Jewish identity, and the defense of Israel’s legitimacy in public discourse.
Before turning to published commentary, Mitch spent seven years as a morning drive-time radio talk show host in the Tampa market, where he discussed politics, public affairs, and current events with a broad audience. His background also includes years of involvement in Democratic Party leadership, Jewish advocacy, and grassroots organizing.
Mitch has traveled to Israel multiple times over several decades, experiences that continue to shape his understanding of Israeli society, Jewish history, regional conflict, and the possibilities for peace. He writes as someone who believes that support for Israel, concern for Palestinian human rights, opposition to antisemitism, and progressive values are not contradictory, but deeply connected.
His work is grounded in the conviction that pro-Israel voices on the left must remain engaged, informed, and active in shaping the public conversation.