Hundreds of American rabbis, from all major Jewish streams, signed a letter urging members of Congress to oppose the Iran nuclear deal, writing that the hope for a good deal “is not yet realized.”
The letter, co-authored by Rabbis Kalman Topp of Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills and Yonah Bookstein of Pico Shul in Los Angeles, was posted on the Care2 petition website earlier this month.
“Together, we are deeply troubled by the proposed deal, and believe this agreement will harm the short-term and long-term interests of both the United States and our allies, particularly Israel,” reads the letter. “Collectively, we feel we must do better.”
As of Aug. 25, more than 840 rabbis had signed on. The petition remains open until Sept. 7, with a goal of 1,000 signatures.
In mid-August, a petition was sent to Congress urging support for the nuclear deal with Iran. It was signed by 340 U.S. rabbis from the major denominations of Judaism and sponsored by Ameinu, a liberal Zionist organization.
Congress will vote in September on whether to approve the deal, in which the United States and five other world powers offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for scaling back its nuclear program. President Obama has vowed to veto any legislation aimed at blocking the deal. — jta