July 23, 2015

The International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF), a leading Modern Orthodox organization consisting of over 180 rabbis, communal scholars and clergy has been studiously following the negotiations between major powers and the Iranian regime.

The conclusion of an agreement, backed by the United States that is geared toward ensuring that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon has been noted and examined. We do not presume to have any special expertise in these complex political and scientific areas and recognize that people of goodwill, both in and out of the Jewish community, and throughout the political spectrum have sharply divergent views on the wisdom of this deal and its short-term and long term benefits for the free world, our beloved State of Israel and other Middle-Eastern allies of the United States such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt. 

We recognize that the majority of our brothers and sisters in Israel, who are subject to the continued anti-semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric of the Iranian regime, and its murderous deeds through its proxies such as Hezbollah, feel deeply unsettled by this deal and feel that their concerns have not been fully taken into account.

In this moment of great anxiety for our people in Israel, we affirm our solidarity with them and their angst and reach out to them with loving embrace, even as the debate as to the particulars of the deal are vigorously debated in the halls of parliaments, congresses and the Knesset. We urge everyone to educate themselves on the details of the agreement, think deeply about its strengths and weaknesses and make your voice heard to your elected official. We hope and pray that the conclusions reached, whatever they may be, do indeed bring us closer to peace and security and not, God forbid, more instability and bloodshed. 

May God who makes peace in the ideal heavenly worlds make peace for us and all of Israel.