Compiled by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
Following are statements and analyses submitted to San Diego Jewish World by recognizable Jewish individuals and institutions about the Middle East war:
Adopt A Family Foundation, San Diego: As we all follow the recent news, many of you have reached out to ask about our adopted families. We are in close contact with them and continue to be moved by their resilience. However, we also know that every siren and explosion serves as a powerful trigger, reopening the wounds of PTSD for many, especially children.
We have a wellness retreat planned for our families in the Gilboa hills at the end of March, following the success of last year’s programs. We remain hopeful that it will take place as scheduled, though it will be postponed if necessary. The families have already shared how much they appreciate the prospect of this retreat.
The impact of October 7th remains deeply felt, and we are working tirelessly to provide emotional and psychological support to our families with the utmost care and love.
In these troubling times, your support is more meaningful than ever. Because of your generosity, we are able to continue providing critical care and comfort to our adopted families. [Carine Chitayat, co-founder and CEO)
*
American Jewish Committee: Who’s the Iranian regime’s new terror chief? The same guy wanted by Interpol for murdering 85 people in the bombing of Argentina’s Jewish community center 32 years ago. Ahmad Vahidi, the Iranian regime’s new leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been widely identified as one the key figures behind the deadliest terrorist attack against Jews until 10/7.
Ever since that heinous 1994 terror attack, AJC has called for justice for the 85 people murdered. Now, one of the main perpetrators is in control of the Iranian regime’s terror arm. The Iranian regime’s terror has led to the murder of innocent civilians from Buenos Aires to Europe and throughout the Middle East.
We remember the victims of AMIA, we continue to seek justice for them and reaffirm the urgent need for the international community to confront the regime’s ongoing campaign of terror.
*
Anti-Defamation League, CEO Jonathan Greenblatt: Since the start of hostilities with the Islamic Republic of Iran last weekend, we are witnessing an alarming pattern of escalating, inflammatory rhetoric from voices across the political and ideological spectrum. This rhetoric distorts reality and fuels dangerous antisemitic narratives.
While not everyone is guilty of this, too many voices are engaged in this dangerous game.
Let’s be clear:
- Pro-Israel organizations and supporters are not ‘anti-American’ just because they are advocating for a strong bilateral relationship with a fellow democracy and one of our most stalwart allies in the world.
- Labeling Israel as an “apartheid state” or accusing it of “genocide” are not acts of responsible policy critique. These charges are inflammatory, factually inaccurate and play directly into efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state and inflame hatred.
- Rhetoric that solely blames the Jewish state or frames American policy as manipulated by Jewish influence is not just indisputably false, it echoes some of history’s most dangerous antisemitic tropes.
It is a sad irony that an operation against the world’s largest sponsor of antisemitism has prompted so much antisemitism. Yes, our leaders and the American public can and should debate all aspects of this operation. This is essential to the democratic process. But we cannot forget that rhetoric that evokes or plays on anti-Jewish tropes – regardless of intent – does not exist in a vacuum. It adds to an environment where Jewish people face greater hostility, increased discrimination and intensifying violence.
ADL calls on all public figures – elected officials, political candidates, public commentators –to refrain from reckless statements, unfounded charges, and wild conspiracies that echo the ugliest chapters of history and place Jewish communities in real danger.
*
Rafael Medoff, historian: The only thing worse than a hypocritical politician is a politician who sees value in courting the antisemitic vote. California governor Gavin Newsom, speaking this week at an event promoting his new book, denounced Israel as “sort of an apartheid state,” accused Israel of dragging America into war, and declared that the U.S. should “reconsider” its military assistance to the Jewish state—at the very moment the Israelis are fighting for their lives against the terrorist regime in Iran.
A new book and a new position against Israel are the latest indications that Newsom is preparing to run for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. Newsom visited Israel less than two weeks after the October 7, 2023, massacres. He praised “the extraordinary people I just met today in Israel” and spoke “of the deep connections between my home state and this country.” He noted that Israel is “a country that has faced many dark times before, and certainly is in one now,” in its “present struggle against terrorists.” He said his “heart is heavy,” moved by his meetings with “young soldiers fresh from bomb shelters and battlefields.”
Yet now Newsom says America shouldn’t give those young soldiers the weapons they need to fight on those battlefields, against those terrorists Newsom appears to be gambling that there are more antisemitic and anti-Israel voters than there are decent and pro-Israel voters. We’ll see about that.
*
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida): [On the failed effort in the House of Representatives to enact a War Powers Act]: “This Iranian regime is the most prolific sponsor of terrorism worldwide and its unrelenting nuclear ambitions and internal repression are incompatible with our security and values. As I said at the outset of this war, the Iranian regime is a sadistic, malevolent actor, unrepentant for their worldwide, murderous actions. For decades, it has armed and funded violent terrorist proxies, brutalized its own people, pursued ballistic missile capabilities, and exploited diplomatic negotiations to buy time while continuing its march toward nuclear weaponization. Iran’s rulers have American, Latin American, Ukrainian, Israeli, and Iranian blood on their hands.
Unfortunately, as a Member of Congress, I was never given the opportunity to hear the case that an attack was imminent nor cast a vote. President Trump’s failure to seek Congressional authorization for this war against Iran sent our military into battle without an important strategic and unified approach, leaving our troops and our allies in grave danger. By failing to consult Congress or make the case to the American people, he left himself with a weaker hand and without an important tool that could have strengthened it.
“Thus far, it’s clear he failed to prepare to evacuate stranded Americans and failed to protect our servicemembers and allies from retaliation or equip them for prolonged conflict. If Trump had come to Congress for authorization and coordination, he’d have a better strategy and leverage to defeat this enemy. He had time to do that and chose not to. Instead, his negligence unleashed further global chaos and economic pain on our families.
It’s become clear in the past several days that additional resources will be necessary to ensure our military success and our strategic objectives are achieved. As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will be actively engaged in ensuring that we provide the funding necessary to disable Iran from continuing its terroristic, lethal actions.
“I voted for this War Powers resolution because the military strength of the United States of America derives from the way we send our troops into battle – not hobbled by the refusal of a president to ensure the full strength of our nation through collaboration and consent but from a unified front through the efforts of the legislative and executive branch. Without that, the ability of the United States to accomplish strategic objectives in the region will be hindered. It is the sacred duty of Congress to arm our service members with the resources they need to protect themselves and our nation and one that I take very seriously and assign the highest priority.”
*