Following public outcry in response to a community-wide call-to-action email sent July 21 by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, on Aug. 6 Federation Board Chair Leslie E. Bider and President and CEO Jay Sanderson sent a second email with the subject line “An Acknowledgement and a reaffirmation [full text at the bottom of the story].” Stating that the Iran Agreement is “complex, ” this email acknowledged a variety of opinions within the Jewish community on the deal, in contrast to the first email, which asked recipients to lobby Congress, saying “it is imperative that our elected officials hear our voice.”
“The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles respects the diversity of opinion among serious and committed members of our community, including among our own Board members,” the Aug. 6 email states. “We are committed to fostering civil discourse based upon mutual respect and a willingness to listen to all sides to better understand and appreciate these difficult and complex issues.”
The email also stated, “Our Federation reaffirms our role as the convener of the community.”
In an interview immediately following the email’s release, Bider declined to explain why the Federation had released this second statement .
“I believe these statements speak for themselves, and I believe the statement’s complete,” Bider said. “It states what it states.” Sanderson was not immediately available for comment.
The second email is 125 words in length, compared to the more than 300 words of the earlier statement. Bider defended its brevity: “My name is at the bottom of it. If I wanted it longer I would’ve made it longer. If I wanted it shorter would’ve made it shorter,” he said. He added that the statement was “agreed upon by the board of directors, and we have a role as a convener in the community, and we’re gong to work with the community.”
The response to the proposed deal has included letters published in the Journal from two lists of rabbis, one list strongly condemning the proposed deal and another supporting it. Many influential community members said it was not the role of Federation, as an umbrella organization, to take a stand on the issue.
Richard Sandler, a member of Federation’s executive committee and the incoming chair of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), defended Federation’s July 21 missive [full text below], saying members of the L.A. Federation’s communications staff drafted the letter that the executive committee (which has 20 members) submitted comments on. Fourteen members of the executive committee approved the final version, making the L.A. the third major American city where a Federation explicitly opposed the deal, joining Miami and Boston. Jewish Federations in Houston, Dallas, Detroit, Phoenix and South Palm Beach, Fla., later also issued similar statements opposing the deal.
The Iran agreement requires Iran to commit to not building a nuclear weapon for a period of 10-15 years and to submit to inspections in exchange for the lifting of sanctions by several countries, including the United States. A group of nations, known as P5+1, reached the agreement with Iran in Vienna, Austria last month. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been among the most outspoken opponents to the deal, which he views a bad deal for Israel and for the rest of the world. A recent Jewish Journal poll reported that a majority of American Jews supports the agreement.
Aug 6. statement:
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the “Iran Agreement”) is a complex and much discussed document which is causing emotionally charged debate in Congress and throughout the United States, including in our own Jewish community. The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles respects the diversity of opinion among serious and committed members of our community, including among our own Board members. We are committed to fostering civil discourse based upon mutual respect and a willingness to listen to all sides to better understand and appreciate these difficult and complex issues. Our Federation reaffirms our role as the convener of the community. Over the coming weeks, we will be working with our synagogues and communal partners to help facilitate discussion and debate as we move forward.
Leslie E. Bider, Chairman of the Board and Jay Sanderson, President & CEO
July 21 statement:
As you know, this summer Congress will be reviewing the Iran nuclear agreement and it is imperative that our elected officials hear our voice. Below is our statement on this matter of national security. Please contact your member of Congress today — the time is now.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles joins with Jewish communities across the country in urging Congress to oppose the joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s Nuclear Program, signed on July 14, 2015.
The proposed agreement with Iran is not a partisan issue; it impacts the security of the United States, the stability of the Middle East, the future of the State of Israel and the safety of every Jewish family and community around the world. This Iran deal threatens the mission of our Federation as we exist to assure the continuity of the Jewish people, support a secure State of Israel, care for Jews in need here and abroad and mobilize on issues of concern.
Our Federation wants a diplomatic solution that ends Iran’s nuclear program. We recognize the efforts of the Administration to reach such an agreement. We regret and are gravely concerned that the proposed agreement allows Iran to remain a threshold nuclear state, does not allow for “anytime, anywhere” inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities, and offers immediate rather than gradual sanctions relief without requiring Iran to address the military dimensions of its nuclear program.
The proposed agreement releases Iran from arms embargos in five years and ballistic missile sanctions in eight years. Iran’s past behavior gives us reason to be concerned that these deadly weapons will be shared with terrorists including Hamas and Hezbollah and will hasten the creation of an Iranian hegemony in the Middle East.
As Americans and Jews who yearn for peace and are invested in the future of our children and grandchildren, we must voice our concerns about an agreement that will destabilize a fragile region. We encourage members of our community to raise their voices in opposition to this agreement by contacting their elected representatives to urge them to oppose this deal.
Congress has until September 18th to review the agreement. That means that by acting promptly, you can start the Jewish New Year knowing you made your voice heard when it counted.
Thank you,
Leslie E. Bider, Chairman of the Board and Jay Sanderson, President & CEO