As JUF News went to press, President Obama was scheduled to discuss the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the Iran accord, during a special live webcast Aug. 28 with Jewish communities throughout North America. By Sept. 17, the House and Senate will likely hold votes on resolutions disapproving of the Iran pact. (For updates on the Iran nuclear agreement, visit www.jufnews.org.)

Meanwhile, in mid-August the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation convened in special session to discuss the accord. Following a substantive and respectful civil three-hour discussion, the board reiterated its core mission to support Israel and safeguard Jews everywhere. Further, a majority opinion emerged and was adopted: to call on Congress to oppose the JCPOA as originally submitted, and to ask legislators to work with the Administration to produce better solutions addressing Iran’s nuclear program. All board members-both proponents and opponents of the JCPOA-together called for launching a renewed Iran Community Action Plan.

Thanking the Obama Administration for its prioritizing the threat posed by an Iran nuclear weapon and forging a potent international sanctions coalition against it, the board described its “deliberate listening, learning and governance process,” leading to the Action Plan. The process included educational sessions with Administration and Israeli officials, meetings with the Illinois congressional delegation and independent experts, and conversations with “many hundreds of passionate members of our community.”

“Opinions on the JCPOA differ, but there is unanimity on the end goal: preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Thus, the more difficult task has been to focus on the best specific path to achieve that goal,” the board stated.

The Iran Community Action Plan

The board pledged to implement the following steps.

a) Call upon this and future U.S. presidents to continue to make clear that the United States will use any measures, including military power, to ensure that Iran is never able to threaten the United States, Israel, or others with nuclear weapons..

b) Call upon Congress to provide the President with advanced authority to take such action if needed.

c) Urge both Congress and the Administration to intensify both our own and international efforts combatting Iran’s sponsorship of global terrorism.

d) Advocate directly to the United Nations and to the Chicago-based Consuls General of its member states that all relevant U.N. bodies must no longer indulge Holocaust denial or genocidal statements by Iranian government officials. No more free rides for Iran’s deadly hatred.

e) Call upon the U.S. to establish unprecedented levels of advanced understandings and channels of cooperation with Israel to confront risks stemming from the agreement and/or its violation by Iran. This includes clear definitions of what constitutes minor and major violations of the agreement, and accompanying responses, and a security aid package improving Israel’s unilateral ability to thwart an Iranian breakout toward a bomb.

f) Urge that Israel be added to additional multilateral defense alliances (such as NATO) and/or further upgrading the U.S.-Israel military partnership beyond both “Major Non-NATO Ally” status and that specified in the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013.

g) Regardless of the fate of international sanctions, urge continued enforcement of Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago divestment laws.

In addition, the board called on concerned members of the community to adopt and implement the Iran Action Plan through involvement with organizations within and beyond the Jewish Community Relations Council; the media; communicating with members of Congress, and organizing educational events through synagogues, alumni associations, fraternal groups like Rotary, trade associations, etc.n

See the full Federation statement at jufwebfiles.org/pdf/express/JFMC-Iran-Statement-Aug-15.pdf .