‘Night Flower: Inside AIPAC’s Fight for Influence’ examines evidence that raises questions about whether AIPAC’s relationship with the Israeli government should require the organization to register as a foreign agent under U.S. law.

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Watch the groundbreaking film above, which follows the powerful and polarizing pro-Israel lobby from its roots as a one-man advocacy operation to the present day, where it’s playing a key role in the U.S. midterm elections. It features interviews with multiple former AIPAC officials and insiders, members of Congress such as Reps. Thomas Massie and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and leading activists as it examines America’s most influential pro-Israel lobbying group.

“Always remember, a lobby is a night flower,” former AIPAC staffer M.J. Rosenberg recalls being told on his first day. “It blossoms in the dark and withers in the sun.”

AIPAC has long fought efforts to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), stating that it operates as an American organization with no direction from the Israeli government. But interviews by the ‘Night Flower’ team question that assertion by tracing evidence in cases over the past four decades.

In a startling disclosure, a longtime AIPAC employee granted anonymity to speak candidly about his decision to break with the group, says that AIPAC operates as a foreign agent for Israel in spirit, if not the letter of the law. “There are times when it seems pretty clear that AIPAC is just doing Israel’s bidding. Without question, without comment.”

And in one revealing interview, correspondent Dion Nissenbaum questions former AIPAC employee Keith Weissman about his role in a high-profile espionage case and if he passed on confidential information from a Pentagon source to Israeli officials. “Yes, absolutely. I admit that freely,” Weissman says in the film. “I did pass it on to the Embassy of Israel.”

The film, from 1st and Orchard Films, is the work of Dion Nissenbaum, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and the filmmaker behind Zeteo’s ‘Who Killed Shireen,’ and Zach Goldbaum, the Emmy Award-winning director behind the 2024 New York Times Opinion film ‘Meet the World’s Most Honorable Bank Robbers of Lebanon.’

The film premiered last night in Chicago, with future screenings planned in the coming weeks.

Please support independent journalism and costly investigative long-form projects like this one by becoming a paid subscriber and also considering donating to Zeteo.

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AIPAC’s Response

In response to the questions posed in this film, AIPAC Spokeswoman Deryn Sousa denied any wrongdoing and said:

“AIPAC is an American organization. Our members and board leadership are all Americans, and our funding comes exclusively from Americans. We advocate for the U.S.-Israel relationship because we believe it is good for America. We make our own decisions, set our own policies, and take direction from one place: the AIPAC Board.”

“Suggesting that pro-Israel Americans should register with the government as foreign agents because of their views on American foreign policy is an attack on our most basic American freedom. We reject that premise entirely.”

AIPAC also said the confidential 1984 US trade report handed to the lobbying group by an Israeli Embassy official was “an unsolicited document that AIPAC returned.”

The organization also disputed allegations of what was said by Howard Kohr after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, saying, “Those quotations do not accurately reflect what was said.”

And on the Israeli Foreign Minister tweet describing a meeting with AIPAC about opposing the ICC arrest warrants: “AIPAC’s longstanding opposition to the ICC’s hostility toward Israel is a policy position that predates this tweet by years and does not reflect what was discussed in this meeting.

Rafi Barak did not respond to our request for comment.

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Paid subscribers can watch the full film above. Free subscribers can watch a 9-minute preview. If you would like to watch the full documentary, and support this type of journalism and the work we’re doing at Zeteo, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription.

Should you want to help fund other expensive, ambitious, and important journalistic projects like this investigative documentary, you can always donate to us here.

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The lobbying group has long fought efforts to register as a foreign agent, stating that it operates as an American organization with no direction from the Israeli government. But interviews and reporting by the ‘Night Flower’ team challenge that assertion by tracing evidence in cases over the past four decades.

‘Night Flower: Inside AIPAC’s Fight for Influence’ features interviews with whistleblowers, insiders and former AIPAC officials like Bloomfield and follows AIPAC from its roots as a one-man advocacy operation to the present day, where it’s playing a key role in the U.S. midterm elections.

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The film will premiere in Chicago on Oct. 20. Following the screening, Zeteo founder and editor-in-chief Mehdi Hasan will be in conversation with progressive Rep. Delia Ramirez. The event will also feature a panel discussion and audience Q&A with filmmaker and correspondent Dion Nissenbaum, IMEU Policy Project executive director and co-founder Margaret DeReus, and commentator and former congressional primary candidate Kat Abughazaleh. Make sure to get your tickets here.

Paid subscribers will be able to watch the film on Zeteo’s website on Oct. 21, so make sure you upgrade to paid if you are not already a paid subscriber.

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In the coming weeks, we’ll announce more live screening events featuring the team behind the documentary that you won’t want to miss. Be sure to subscribe to Zeteo to get the latest news on the documentary.

And thanks again to all of our paid subscribers and, in particular, our founding members. We wouldn’t have been able to commission, produce, or release this film without your financial support. To help Zeteo create more projects like this, you can always donate to us here.

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'Night Flower: Inside AIPAC’s Fight for Influence’ is a major investigative documentary about the rise, power, and changing fortunes of America’s most influential pro-Israel lobbying group, and we are delighted to release the trailer, above, to the world today.

Drawing on interviews with former AIPAC officials and insiders (who know the intimate details of its inner workings), politicians, and activists, the film will trace the evolution of AIPAC from a one-man advocacy operation into one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the U.S. and explore how it has finally become a massive lightning rod in U.S. elections in 2026.

For a subscriber-based independent media company like Zeteo, funding a major investigative documentary film like this is no small thing, which is why we need your financial help in getting this ambitious production across the finish line.

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If you are a free subscriber and feel like this documentary is important, that what it’s investigating is worth airing and publicizing, then do consider helping fund - and finish! - the film by becoming a paid subscriber today. You will then also be able to watch it in full, without a paywall, when it is released in the coming weeks.

For those of you who are already paid subscribers, thank you so much, because projects like this wouldn’t be possible without you. If you’d like to help contribute to the ongoing production of this important film, you can also donate to Zeteo here.

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This unique investigation from 1st and Orchard Films is the work of Dion Nissenbaum, the two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and filmmaker behind Zeteo’s ‘Who Killed Shireen?’ and Zach Goldbaum, the Emmy Award-winning director behind the 2024 New York Times Opinion film ‘Meet the World’s Most Honorable Bank Robbers of Lebanon.’

Stay tuned for the release of the film, as well as a series of live screenings, in the coming weeks. And if you're not a paid subscriber yet, be sure to subscribe to Zeteo so you get those announcements straight to your inbox.

And thanks again to all of our paid subscribers and, in particular, our founding members. We simply could not commission, produce, or air this film without your financial support. Should you want to help projects like this even further, you can always donate to us here.

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