Top Jewish Leaders Back Iran Deal in New York Times Ad; 340 Rabbis Back Iran Deal in Letter to Congress
- 26 Top Jewish Leaders Back Iran Deal in New York Times Ad - Nathan Guttman (The Jewish Daily Forward)
- 340 Rabbis Back Iran Deal in Letter to Congress - (Jewish Telegraph Agency [JTA])
26 Top Jewish Leaders Back Iran Deal in New York Times Ad
By Nathan Guttman
August 20, 2015
The Jewish Daily Forward
Jewish supporters of the Iran nuclear deal have published a full-page New York Times ad backing the agreement signed by 26 current and former prominent communal leaders.
The signers include heads of national Jewish organizations, leaders from major federations and former lawmakers, all calling on Congress to approve the deal.
"While not perfect, this deal is the best available option to halt Iran's nuclear weapons program," they state.
Among the Jewish leaders joining the call are three former chairs of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which is a national umbrella group representing the community on foreign policy issues.
"I would like for those engaged in public discussion as well as for members of Congress to understand that the community doesn't have a single view on this issue," said Alan Solow, former chairman of the Presidents' Conference who is among the signers. "It's important for them to know there is a variety of opinions on this issue among supporters of Israel."
Also signing on are four former leaders of major Jewish federations, from New York, Boston, Miami, and Los Angeles. All these federations, except New York, have issued statements opposing the Iran deal and have called on their members to lobby against the agreement. Also on the list is Tom Dine, former executive director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC,) which is now leading the campaign to derail the agreement.
"My hope is that it will give comfort to those who are in favor of the deal with Iran," said Tom Dine, former AIPAC executive director. Dine added that a deal could serve as a way to engage with Iran and "have a more fluid relationship between Iran and it's neighbors and between Iran and the world." Dine also noted that many of the Jewish leaders who had joined this pro-deal initiative had served in the past on AIPAC's executive committee.
Former Michigan senator Carl Levin and former Democratic members of Congress Mel Levine and Robert Wexler have also signed on.
"Each of us has devoted decades to building and enhancing Israel's security and strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance. Our commitment to Israel is everlasting," the signers stated in the ad.
The list of major Jewish leaders behind this initiative is expected to serve as a counterweight to the otherwise broad array of Jewish organizations that have spoken out against the accord. Most of the major national organizations and some of the nation's largest federations have spoken out against the deal.
Mel Levine, a former California Democratic congressman who signed today's New York Times ad, said the organized Jewish community's push against the deal could come back to haunt it once the debate is over.
"I think it will only weaken the Jewish organizations because it has become clear throughout this process that these organizations do not speak for the Jewish community," Levine said.
This latest initiative comes on the heels of a call issued by 340 American rabbis who had written an open letter in support of the deal earlier this week. "We are deeply concerned with the impression that the leadership of the American Jewish community is united in opposition to the agreement," the letter stated, "We, along with many other Jewish leaders, fully support this historic nuclear accord."
But while many of the signers came from Reform congregations, the Reform movement as a whole chose a middle road when dealing with the nuclear accord.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the group remained refrained from calling on its members to either support or oppose the deal.
[Nathan Guttman staff writer, is the Forward's Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Ha'aretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha'aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.]
"when it comes to Iran's nuclear capability, this [deal] is the best option"
- former Israeli Navy commander and Shin Bet head Ami Ayalon
340 Rabbis Back Iran Deal in Letter to Congress
By Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA)
August 17, 2015
The Jewish Daily Forward
In a letter to Congress, 340 U.S. rabbis from the major streams of Judaism expressed support for the Iran nuclear deal.
The letter sent Monday urges the House of Representatives and Senate to endorse the agreement, in which sanctions are lifted in exchange for restrictions on Iran's nuclear program.
Noting that "we are deeply concerned with the impression that the leadership of the American Jewish community is united in opposition to the agreement," the letter states, "We, along with many other Jewish leaders, fully support this historic nuclear accord."
In a news release issued by Ameinu, a liberal Zionist organization, one of the letter's signatories, Rabbi Steven Bob of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, said, "We commend the U.S. and the other negotiating teams for their dedication to reaching an agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. This deal is good for the United States and our allies in the region, and is the best arrangement possible given current international realities."
Rabbi Samuel Gordon of Wilmette, Illinois, said in the news release that if Congress rejects the deal, "the consequences for the United States, Israel, the Jewish community and the world will be significant."
"We fear that the outcome will be the collapse of the international sanctions regime, an Iranian race for nuclear weapons and an associated arms race in the Middle East and isolation of Israel and the United States from international partners," Gordon said.
Numerous American Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee, have publicly opposed the Iran deal negotiated between Iran and six major powers. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is lobbying the Congress to reject the deal and has spent millions of dollars in its campaign.
Congress has until late September to decide whether to reject the deal. President Barack Obama is campaigning for the deal, while the Republicans mostly oppose the deal.
Among the rabbis signing the letter are Burton Visotzky, a professor at the Conservative movement's Jewish Theological Seminary; Sharon Brous of Ikar, a large congregation in Los Angeles; Lawrence Kushner, the author of more than 18 books on Judaism; Sharon Kleinbaum, the longtime rabbi of the largest LGBT synagogue in North America; Nina Beth Cardin, an author and Jewish environmental activist; and Amy Eilberg, the first woman rabbi ordained by the Conservative movement.
The full letter and its signatories can be found here.