On July 14, 2015, following the announcement of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the proposed Iran nuclear deal – the leadership of The Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey expressed its strong concerns about this deal.  We specifically noted that the agreement left questions unanswered about Iran’s past nuclear activities, inspection and verification mechanisms, ballistic missile development and ongoing terrorist activities.  The Jewish Federation encouraged members of our community to explore the elements of the deal and to contact their elected officials to voice their opinions as they deemed appropriate.

The Jewish Federation took the lead in engaging and educating our community about the many different aspects of the JCPOA in a way that recognized a diversity of viewpoints and positions.  This included conference calls, webcasts, sharing educational resources, and in-person meetings with key thought leaders on this issue.  The Jewish Federation also released an updated statement on August 14, 2015 regarding inappropriate discourse and damaging stereotypes about Jews and Israel being used in the debate over the proposed deal.

Our leadership continues to express serious concerns about this deal.  The JCPOA does not prevent Iran’s ultimate path to a nuclear weapon in the long term – a requirement that was considered essential to any such deal.

As a result, we believe this deal needs to be augmented, at a minimum, in the following ways before it will adequately address the security concerns of the United States and its allies:

• To address shortcomings in the process of responding to possible Iranian violations, additional repercussions need to be clarified in tandem with the last-resort snapback provision.
• An approach to deterring future bad behavior by Iran needs to be spelled out now, with triggers and consequences clearly stated – including concrete sanctions that both inhibit and raise the cost of transferring funds freed up by the JCPOA to Iran’s military and terrorist proxies.
• Expanded deterrence resources for the United States’ allies in the Middle East, both during the JCPOA and in the future to prevent Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon as the deal sunsets.

We encourage all interested parties to review the clear and compelling analyses of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on the JCPOA.  We also encourage all concerned citizens to continue to explore the pros and cons of this this deal and to contact their elected officials to share their points of view.  Our legislators are listed below:

Senator Cory Booker
Email Senator Cory Booker: http://www.booker.senate.gov/?p=contact
Call Senator Booker at: 202-224-3224

Senator Bob Menendez
Email Senator Robert Menendez: http://www.menendez.senate.gov/contact
Call Senator Menendez at: 202-224-4744

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman
Email Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman: http://watsoncoleman.house.gov/contact/email
Call Congresswoman Watson Coleman at: 202-225-5801

Congressman Frank Pallone
Email Congressman Frank Pallone: http://palloneforms.house.gov/contact/email/
Call Congressman Pallone at: 202-225-4671

Congressman Chris Smith
Email Congressman Chris Smith: http://chrissmith.house.gov/contact/zipauth.htm
Call Congressman Smith at: 202-225-3765

Links to other elected officials:             
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/NJ#

The Jewish Federation is committed to ensuring the well-being of our local Jewish community, our extended family in Israel and around the world – and to encouraging full participation in our American political process in a manner consistent with the values, beliefs and pride we share as both Americans and Jews in the Heart of New Jersey.