Only a handful of days had passed since the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and other organizations lobbied Congress against the impending nuclear deal with Iran.
Indeed, the Orthodox Union (OU) and the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) issued a joint statement of concern and condemnation of the pact.
At a September 9 rally on Capitol Hill against the deal, the OU’s president Martin Nachimson said, “The reason we are gathered here – in the shadow of the Capitol – is to make a clear statement that this deal is morally repugnant. Under this deal, the Iranian regime will be given greater legitimacy, power and money, despite its being deeply anti-America, anti-Semitic and the leading sponsor of terrorism in the world.
RCA president Rabbi Shalom Baum, who is also mora d’asra of Teaneck’s Congregation Keter Torah, talked about why hundreds of rabbis would gather in the nation’s capital.
He said that the Talmud teaches that “when you have an opportunity to scream in dissent and you are silent, you have done wrong. It isn’t only about the result, it’s that silence in the face of terror is not an option. Silence in the face of terror is unacceptable.”
Morton Klein, ZOA’s long-time president, spoke to the Jewish Link a couple of days after his organization also visited Capitol Hill, and said that this deal leads the world into hateful, deadly territory it should still remember.
“This is the beginning of the arming and the funding of the Adolf Hitler of today,” he said on Sunday, when Jews worldwide were preparing for Rosh Hashanah. “This deal is a catastrophe. We are going to see a dramatic increase in Islamic terrorism after giving this regime billions of dollars.”
Klein was angry that President Barack Obama moved the P5+1 nations forward to this nuclear deal with Iran. “Every step of the way for the last seven years, he has shown a sympathy for radical Islam,” Klein said.”
ZOA rallied on Thursday, September 11, two days after the rabbinical rally.
“We’ve been lobbying all along against this deal,” said Klein. “We told Congress that even though the deal is signed, they are still shouting death to the U.S. and death to Israel in Iran,” said Klein. “We tell the Obama administration that this deal with Iran is a national security issue, and that Iran will continue its war against America. This administration isn’t protecting my family and the families of America.”
Klein is hoping there is still something that can be done to stop the deal.
“People change their minds and our elected officials have to change their minds,” he said. “This is the biggest foreign policy mistake on behalf of the U.S. in its history.”
Klein also hit on what he called “the weakness of the Jewish lobby.”
“We only got four Democrats (Senators) out of 46 to vote against the deal. We don’t seem to have the power people believe we have in Congress. The polls are like 10 to one against this deal.
“This is the beginning of evil winning over good,” he continued. “All these other nations see are business deals. Yet Iran’s leaders say they are going to destroy Israel and kill Jews. This is all frightening, and I’ve never felt frightened in general until this. I can’t believe that we are funding and arming the Adolf Hitler of the day. We’ve just experienced the diplomatic Kristallnacht. Iran gets the deal it wants and then says it will destroy Israel in 25 years. And nobody, not even Obama, condemns this.”
As of Sunday, Klein said there are still a small group of Senators to be lobbied to change their vote.
Looking ahead, Klein said that the next U.S. President could undo this pact. He said that the deal is not a treaty and can therefore be declared null and void. As far as Israeli actions are concerned, Klein was equally as vocal.
“Israel cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons,” he said. “They have to take pre-emptive action.
Perhaps a statement released by the OU and RCA earlier in the month asks a question that still awaits a concrete answer.
“Our assessment of the agreement, and of the presentations by government officials and analysts, is driven by one fundamental question: Will the proposed agreement protect the security of the United States, Israel and our other allies?” asked the OU.
By Phil Jacobs
