ZOA study finds Iran-deal backing rabbis support 'hostile' groups

"There are more than 5000 Rabbis in the United States. In other words, 94% of American Rabbis did not sign the statement supporting the Iran deal."

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
Updated: AUGUST 21, 2015 05:37
A J Street panel meeting (photo credit: FACEBOOK)
A J Street panel meeting
(photo credit: FACEBOOK)
The American rabbis who sent a letter to members of Congress urging that they support the Iranian nuclear deal include a large number who are affiliated with left-wing organizations that often act against the Israeli consensus, a study by the right-wing Zionist Organization of America found.
The letter on Iran was signed by 340 rabbis from all streams of Judaism and sent to all members of Congress, urging them to vote in favor of the agreement between the international community and Iran.
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The ZOA analysis released on Wednesday found that many of the rabbis were connected to J Street, Jewish Voices for Peace and Rabbis for Human Rights – groups the ZOA says routinely take positions and engage in activities that are hostile toward Israel and inimical to American interests.
“The 340 Rabbis for the Iran deal are a small fringe group,” the ZOA said in a statement.
“There are more than 5,000 rabbis in the United States. In other words, 94 percent of American rabbis did not sign the statement supporting the Iran deal.”
The ZOA said the progressive Labor Zionist organization Ameinu that promoted the letter was closely tied to J Street.
“Ameinu appears to be serving as a front group for J Street here, because J Street has been so discredited,” the ZOA statement said, noting that Ameinu national president Kenneth Bob and other Ameinu leaders had active roles in J Street.
The ZOA’s comparison of the names of the 340 rabbis who signed the letter with lists published on the websites of groups it deems hostile found that 187, the majority, were members of the J Street Rabbinic Cabinet; 12 were members of the J Street Rabbinic Cabinet Executive Council; and 13 were significant donors to Rabbis for Human Rights.
The ZOA singled out a homosexual rabbi on the list, saying she should be the first to condemn Iran’s horrendous human rights record, which includes the execution of hundreds of people solely for being gay.
“The rabbis signing the Ameinu letter do not in any way represent the viewpoint of American rabbis,” ZOA president Morton A. Klein said. “To only be able to get 6 percent of US rabbis to sign this statement supporting the catastrophic Iran deal clearly indicates that rabbinic leaders are deeply concerned about the Iran nuclear deal.”
The ZOA pointed out an Israel Project poll showing that American Jews opposed the Iran deal by a two-to-one margin.
“Almost every major Jewish and pro-Israel group strongly opposes this disastrous Iran deal,” Klein said.