The Iran nuclear deal is of great importance and concern for the Community Relations Committee of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest. The Federation has long considered the prospect of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons to be a matter of the gravest concern and utmost urgency. Upon announcement of the deal, we wrote a statement that expressed our apprehension about Iran and called on Congress to do its due diligence and undertake a nonpartisan vigorous review of the deal.

We are disappointed with the deal based on our initial understanding of its details. Since 2006 Federation has advocated for a final agreement wherein Iran agrees NOT to build a nuclear weapon, agrees to dismantle its ability to enrich uranium and every path to nuclear weapons, and ceases its annihilation threats against Israel. We have called for severe and immediate enforceable consequences should Iran breach the agreement. We have seen Iran’s pattern of nursing long negotiations and making un-kept commitments to inspections, and we believe that sanctions should NOT be lifted until compliance is proven and long-term sustainable commitments are kept.  

So what is our next step as Congress begins its 60-day review?

The Federation system, along with its Jewish communal partners, is continuing to study and understand the agreement. We will continue to do all we can to ensure the safety and security of Israel for the long term.  

In the meantime, here are some of the things you can count on from us:

1. To educate our community by sharing thoughtful analyses of the deal – both through communications and potentially educational forums;
2. To express our views to members of Congress and encourage community members to do the same  ̶  whether they support or oppose the deal  ̶  while at the same time underscoring that Israel’s concerns are real, legitimate, expressed by the ruling coalition and the opposition, and important;
3. To respond to unfair criticism of Israel for expressing ongoing concerns about Iranian nuclear and terrorist threats;
4. To prepare college students as they head back to school this fall with useful materials relating to the issue;
5. To continue to update contingency plans should Israel, at some point in the future, take military action because of the threat level from Iran;
6. To maintain strong public pressure on Iran for its role in fomenting state-sponsored terrorism and to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement;
7. To continue to mobilize our community against the delegitimization (BDS) movement which has not dissipated during the Iran debate;
8. To work actively to ensure continued bipartisan support for Israel which is critically important for long-term Israel-American relations;
9. To continue to encourage civil discourse on the subject.
    

We plan to keep the community updated. Here is a link to AIPAC's action alert, information, and assessment.

Elliot Mathias, CRC Chair
Melanie Roth Gorelick, CRC Director