COP applauds Guterres on rejection of ESCWA’s anti-Israel resolution
NEW YORK (Pess Release) –Stephen M. Greenberg, Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement:
“We applaud Secretary General Guterres for his principled, forceful and swift rejection of the scurrilous report commissioned by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and co-authored by notoriously anti-Israel Richard Falk falsely concluding that Israel is an apartheid state. This is an important step by the Secretary General in demonstrating his commitment to fair treatment for all UN member states, including Israel.
“We are hopeful the Secretary General’s action will begin to change the culture of impunity among certain countries in their bias mistreatment of Israel at the UN.
We appreciate the important leadership shown by the United States in helping to bring about this result.”
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Religious Action Center decries Trump’s proposed budget
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – In response to the Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposed by the Trump Administration, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis and wider Reform Movement:
“The federal budget is a document that reflects the administration’s values and priorities. It allocates funds for the programs and institutions that touch the lives of all Americans. That is why we are so deeply concerned about the budget proposed by the Trump Administration. Its drastic reduction in funding for critical human needs, environmental protection and international aid programs abdicate the federal government’s responsibility to the American people it serves and others worldwide who depend on U.S. leadership.
“As we evaluate the federal budget, we are inspired by Zechariah 7:9-10, and the call to ‘deal loyally and compassionately with one another. Do not defraud the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor.’
“This budget blueprint demonstrates particular disregard for programs essential to low-income communities, including low-income housing services vital for millions of Americans. It is indifferent to the evident impacts of climate change, cutting funding for the EPA by 31 percent, and eliminating funding for the Clean Power Plan and international climate change programs.
“The budget reflects poor prioritization in the areas where funds are allocated, such as the $250 million for private school vouchers – a bad education policy that fails to meet the needs of public school students and undermines both the separation of church and state and religious freedom. Also included are funds that will support misguided, enforcement-only immigration policies, such as a down payment on the US/Mexico border wall, 500 new Border Patrol agents, 1,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as well as an increase in the detention and removal of undocumented immigrants.
“On the international front, we appreciate that the budget honors the United States’ commitment of $3.1 billion in military aid to Israel, which is essential to maintaining a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, to advancing U.S. interests in the Middle East, and to Israel’s security. At the same time, we oppose the severe cuts to essential international aid, including reductions in contributions to United Nations agencies and the elimination of the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance account. U.S. interests are deeply entwined with a stable world order and U.S. engagement with the international community is vital to that effort.
“The critical work done by non-profits, houses of worship and other non-governmental organizations to support and protect those in need makes our country and world stronger. But in its scope and abilities, the federal government is uniquely positioned to be a force for good across the nation. Private entities cannot fill the vacuum left by the government’s withdrawal from its critical responsibilities. As Reform Jews, we are called to build a world that is defined by wholeness, justice and compassion. Our focus is on protecting the most vulnerable members of our society. We call on Congress to reject the administration’s proposal and adopt a budget that reflects the critical needs facing our nation and the world.”
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ZOA: President Trump Should Replace Sahar Nowrouzzadeh
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:
It is deeply troubling, even shocking, that Sahar Nowrouzzadeh, who promoted, coordinated and managed former President Obama’s and former Secretary Kerry’s Iran policy and the catastrophic Iran deal – and recently still praised the Obama administration for the Iran deal, while ignoring Iran’s violations – now heads the U.S. State Department’s Iran and Gulf Region policy planning staff. ZOA strongly urges that she be replaced.
One of Nowrouzzadeh’s primary duties under President Obama was to promote initiatives that pushed the Iran deal. Iran Deal Architect is Now Running Tehran Policy at the State Department,” by Jordan Schachtel, Conservative Review, Mar. 14, 2017
- In the last days of the Obama administration, Ms. Nowrouzzadeh also apparently wanted to make sure that her 1300 plus twitter followers would stay in touch with the Obama’s anti- Trump actions. On January 17, 2017, Ms. Nowrouzzadeh tweeted Obama’s and VP Biden’s post-January 20 twitter addresses, along with an article containing the “latest information on how you can continue to follow and engage with President Obama, the First Lady, and other Obama White House officials moving forward.”
- On approximately January 12, 2017, Ms. Nowrouzzadeh appears to have signed up to follow on Twitter various leaders of the “protect Obama’s legacy post-presidency team” – including Iran deal “narrative seller” Ben Rhodes; Paulette Aniskoff (a former director of Obama’s Office of Public Engagement who, according to Politco Playbook, “ran point” on some of the Obama administration’s most important fights, and co-founded the newly launched “Citizens44 LLC” which will “oversee President Obama’s engagement with political and progressive organizations and major supporters around the country to defend his legacy” and will also run Obama’s alumni network; Valerie Jarrett (Obama’s confidante and former pro-Iran senior advisor who reportedly moved into Obama’s new Washington DC residence “which is now the nerve center for their plan to mastermind the insurgency against President Trump”); Susan Rice and Samantha Power.
- Ms. Nowrouzzadeh’s January 2017 tweets and retweets are full of praise for the Obama administration – and never congratulate Trump or wish him well for becoming president. One month after President Trump took office, Ms. Nowrouzzadeh’s Presidents’ Day on twitter retweet on February 20, 2017 praised former Presidents Obama and Carter (and two other past presidents) for receiving Nobel prizes – and again never mentioned any congratulations to President Trump.
- Ms. Nowrouzzadeh has also been tweeting or retweeting pro-immigration tweets while ostensibly serving in the Trump administration, despite the fact that her tweets run counter to the new administration’s policies of protecting Americans from inadequately vetted immigrants. In a particularly offensive retweet on Holocaust Memorial Day (Jan. 27, 2017), Ms. Nowrouzzadeh posted an article analogizing harmless Holocaust victim Anne Frank to ISIS-infiltrated Syrian refugees.
The ZOA calls on the U.S. State Department to immediately replace Ms. Nowrouzzadeh with someone who sincerely and wholeheartedly supports President Trump’s policies and agenda on Iran – not Obama’s dangerous policies and agenda.
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Preceding culled from news releases sent to San Diego Jewish World.