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:
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StandWithUs, Michael Dickson, Israel executive director — The atmosphere in Israel today is defined by a resolute strength as we navigate the profound shifts following the outbreak of war with the Iranian regime, ‘Operation Roaring Lion’, on February 28th. While the landscape has changed, the spirit of our people remains unbroken. At the StandWithUs Israel office, located in the heart of Jerusalem, our mission has shifted into an even higher gear. We are meeting this critical moment with strategic clarity, ensuring that as the world watches these unprecedented events, and that the truth of the Israeli story is told with precision and courage.
In our Jerusalem office, our teams are working around the clock to address the rapidly evolving situation. From hosting emergency briefings to launching real-time digital campaigns that counter disinformation, we are on the front lines of the narrative battle. Your partnership is the shield that allows us to stand firm, ensuring that the voice of the Jewish people remains strong and clear during these historic times.
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Zionist Organization of America, Morton Klein, president: Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment makes crystal clear the Iranian Islamist regime’s refusal to change and its renewed commitment to radical Islam, extremism, and barbarism. The younger Khamenei holds the same fanatical views as his father and his rise signals that the regime remains committed to a rigid, inflexible, literal interpretation of the Koran; that’s why Khamenei will continue to have enormous hostility toward non-Muslims and non-Muslim states including the United States, Europe, and Israel. They believe that sowing global turmoil and chaos will hasten the arrival of the Mahdi, Islam’s messianic figure. Just as his father did, the son will most certainly strictly enforce religious codes, including punishing, imprisoning, and even killing women for not wearing the hijab.
From this perspective, the regime’s confrontational policies, even toward other Arab or Muslim countries, and its refusal to compromise in negotiations are seen as the actions of Islamist religious fanatics rather than pragmatic actors, and therefore even if they were to make an agreement down the road, they would surely violate it and lie about their actions.
Mojtaba Khamenei is the epitome of the radical Islamist force that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi warned about in a speech at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, where he called for a religious Islamic reform, that “We are in need of a religious revolution,” telling assembled imams: “You imams are responsible before Allah. The entire world is waiting.”
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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.