Reactions to joint Israel-U.S. bombing of Iran, killing of the ayatollah

By Donald H. Harrison in San Diego

Here, alphabetized by sender, are some of the Jewish reactions sent to San Diego Jewish World following the bombing of Iran and the killing of its top leaders by the United States and Israel:

B’nai B’rith International (President Robert Spitzer and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin): We strongly support the decisive actions taken by the United States and Israel in response to the ongoing and escalating threat posed by Iran. For decades, Iran has been the world’s largest state sponsor of terror, funding and directing extremist proxies that destabilize the Middle East and endanger global security. The regime in Tehran has repeatedly demonstrated that it is not interested in peace, diplomacy or regional stability. At the same time, this regime brutally suppresses its own people. The Iranian people have shown extraordinary courage in demanding freedom, dignity and basic human rights—only to be met with violence, intimidation and repression. Their struggle underscores the stark contrast between a population seeking liberty and leaders determined to cling to power. As this military action proceeds, we stand firmly with the people of Israel, who have endured relentless threats to their security and very existence. We commend the professionalism, bravery and resolve of U.S. military forces and Israel Defense Forces working to confront these dangers and deter further aggression. Lasting peace will only be possible when terror is dismantled, and oppressive regimes are held accountable for their actions.
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Democratic Majority for Israel (Brian Romick, president) — As the United States undertakes military action against Iran, we join all Americans in praying for the safety of our troops in the region and remain profoundly grateful for their service to defend U.S. personnel and national security interests. Today’s strikes have already triggered retaliatory Iranian missile attacks against U.S. bases and allies, underscoring the seriousness of this moment and the risks our service members face. The Iranian regime has spent decades threatening U.S. interests and allies, destabilizing the region, and brutalizing its own people. It has killed Americans and continues to foment conflict through its support of terrorist proxies and repeated attacks against Israel and other allies – and this must end.  A nuclear-armed Iran is a direct threat to U.S. interests and to Israel, which Iran has consistently threatened to destroy. Ending Iran’s nuclear threat, ballistic missile program and ability to sponsor terrorism is unequivocally a positive development and will make the world a safer place.  While the President began to lay out the rationale and objectives of today’s military action in his remarks overnight, this is just a first step. He is required to consult closely with Congress – where the constitutional power to declare war resides and as intended by the War Powers Act – and make an explicit and detailed case to the American people. This must include the strategic objectives of U.S. military operations; a credible plan to prevent escalation and mitigate retaliation; and clear criteria for success and drawdown. If this conflict leads to regime change, there must be a serious plan to ensure stability and avoid unleashing further chaos in the region. Democratic Majority for Israel stands with the Iranian people who are courageously risking their lives to demand dignity, opportunity and a future free from repression. Their aspirations for freedom and accountable governance deserve the support of the international community.

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Israeli-American Council: Today, on Shabbat “Zakhor,” when we are commanded to remember Amalek’s genocidal designs, the two most powerful militaries of the free world are acting to neutralize a genocidal authoritarian regime that over decades has murdered thousands of Americans and Israelis and has continuously pursued production of weapons of mass destruction.  We pray for the safety and success of the brave servicemembers of the Armed Forces of the United States, the Israel Defense Forces, and the other security forces of both great countries.  We pray for the well-being of the children, women, and men in Israel, who yet again, and hopefully for the last time, find themselves targets of mass murder by the Iranian regime and its proxies.  And we pray that the good and decent Iranian people will soon be rid of the 47-year reign of terror that has tormented them. On this pivotal day for the Middle East and the world, we are especially proud to stand with the United States and Israel as these two great countries act decisively to make our world a better place.
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Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-California and San Diego’s representative in Congress): Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran will go down as one of the biggest foreign policy blunders in American history. He’s failed to learn from history that the United States has an abysmal track record of success for military adventures in the Middle East. He’s putting our service members and our country at immediate risk for retaliation, wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, and setting us up for another endless war – all for regime change, that in the end will likely backfire. Many of my colleagues are already trying to falsely justify these strikes as reasonable to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. This is a familiar hark back to the rhetoric before the Iraq War: exaggerating threats to justify armed intervention. The truth is that we had verifiable agreements to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon – and they were working. But President Trump withdrew from that deal, only to criticize the new reality that he created and bomb Iran anyway. Trump promised to start no new wars, and then he turned around and started a regime-change war in Iran. For my generation and my community in San Diego, war isn’t abstract or an out of sight, out of mind issue – it’s real and we pay the human cost of it. That’s why I take matters of war and peace so seriously – and it’s part of why I came to Congress in the first place: to ensure someone here is thinking about these consequences when the President tries to illegally take our country to war. Only Congress can declare war, and yet we have not authorized this war, let alone received a proper intelligence briefing. Both the House and Senate must immediately return to Washington, D.C. to vote on war powers resolutions. The President cannot and should not take further unilateral action in Iran.”

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Rabbi Jason Nevarez, Congregation Beth Israel: We watch with concern as Israel and the United States carry out military strikes against Iran and as Iran responds across Israel and throughout the Middle East. The headlines are intense. The analysis is constant. The emotions – especially for those of us with family, friends, and deep connections in Israel – are real and immediate. The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, marks a seismic and uncertain moment in the region’s history. For some, it signals the possible unraveling of a regime that has shaped regional instability and repression for nearly half a century. For others, it raises fears of escalation and further violence. However history ultimately records this moment, we are living through something profoundly consequential. It is not my rabbinic role to offer political commentary or strategic analysis. There are others more qualified to debate military decisions and geopolitical calculus. But it is very much my role to help us respond as a sacred community. Our tradition reminds us: “Seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:15). Not passively. Not naively. But actively – holding both moral clarity and human compassion at the same time. Tonight, we pray for the safety and protection of the people of Israel – soldiers called to serve, families rushing to shelters, children trying to make sense of sirens and uncertainty. We also hold in prayer the members of the United States military placed in harm’s way, and their loved ones who carry quiet worry at home. May they all be guarded and strengthened. We also pray for the people of Iran – millions of human beings who have lived for decades under repression, fear, and limitation. We pray that they be spared harm. We pray that they know dignity and freedom. We pray that this painful chapter in the region’s history might, somehow, bend toward greater liberation and a future no longer defined by the axis of terror that has shaped so much of the past decades. We pray as well for the ongoing safety and security of our local San Diego Jewish community, and our own Beth Israel family. In moments like this, vulnerability can feel closer to the surface. I am grateful for the strong partnership of our local law enforcement agencies, who have been in communication with us and have confirmed that there are no known risks or concerns affecting our ongoing operations. We remain vigilant, grounded, and committed to gathering as a community. Our tradition does not ask us to choose between loving our own people and recognizing the humanity of others. We can hold both. We must hold both. May the Holy One guard the State of Israel and all who dwell within it. May the people of Iran one day know true freedom. May leaders act with wisdom and restraint. And may the day come soon when swords are beaten into plowshares and nation shall not lift up sword against nation.

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United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism: As the United States and Israel take military action against Iran, we are focused on the safety of American and Israeli armed forces, the people of Israel, and all civilians in Iran and elsewhere who are in harm’s way. Iranians have endured a repressive dictatorship for nearly half a century and seek a future of greater freedom and dignity. Iran’s regime, including former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has fueled terror in the Middle East and beyond — supporting murderous proxies including Hamas and Hezbollah, advancing hostility toward the United States and global Jewish communities, and repeatedly threatening the State of Israel. Our commitment is clear: Israel, like all nations, has the right to live in peace, free from nuclear and terrorist threats, and every effort must be made to protect civilian life, prevent further escalation, and uphold the dignity of those yearning for freedom. Conservative/Masorti clergy, leaders, and communities around the world are in close contact with and offering support to our communities in Israel who spent their Shabbat running to safety in shelters and remain on high alert as they rethink what observing Purim will look like this year. “Hinei lo yanum v’lo yishan shomer Yisrael” — “Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.” (Psalm 121:4). And may God’s tent of peace stretch over the Jewish people, all who live in the Middle East, and all of humanity.

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Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida) –“Early this morning, President Trump launched major strikes against Iran. My first concern is for the safety of our service members, diplomats, and civilians in the region, as well as the security of our allies who Iran has targeted with missile strikes in retaliation. 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. They can never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, and they must be held accountable for their missile program that threatens the safety of Americans and regional partners, especially Israel. Iran and its proxies continue to call for death to America, Israel, and Jews around the world. It goes without saying that the status quo was unacceptable. The Iranian regime is destructive, repressive, and committed to terror. The threat they pose to peace has left the region and the world on the precipice of war for generations. That cannot be allowed to continue. Diplomacy is far preferable, but when does one decide that enough is enough? When is it time to realize that the Iranian regime will never drop their stated goal of death to America, Israel and Jews and so, how would diplomacy ever really bear fruit?  The next action must be that President Trump comply with the War Powers Act and immediately consult and fully brief Congress before any further action is taken. Americans are due an understanding of the objectives, the legal basis, the risks, and the plan for the day after. Congress has not authorized this action, nor have we been briefed on any imminent threat. The limited information we have received is unclear and unsatisfactory on how Trump’s strategic objectives will be accomplished through military airstrikes alone. Under the law and the U.S. Constitution, President Trump does not possess a blank check to act without consulting Congress or telling the American people what comes next. That must happen.
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World Jewish Congress: The Islamic Republic of Iran, led by the Ayatollah and enforced by the IRGC, has long been the world’s leading state-sponsor of terror. If this regime were to gain nuclear capabilities while also enhancing its stockpile of ballistic missiles, it would constitute an existential threat to the people of Israel and billions more around the globe. The barrage of Iranian missiles and drones traveling toward Israel is material proof of the existential threat posed by Ayatollah Khamenei’s Islamic Republic to the Jewish State and to what remains stability in the Middle East. Since 1979, too many leaders have stood idle while this dictatorship has made a mockery of human rights, exported antisemitic conspiracies, and murdered its own people. And together with its web of proxies, it has made life unsafe for Jews everywhere. As the United States and Israel take brave military action, the World Jewish Congress calls on the international community to stand behind this historic effort and support further measures that end the ability of theocratic tyrants to inflict harm on the Iranian people and the world at large any longer. As rockets fill the sky, and as Israel, the United States, and regional partners act to prevent a devastating loss of life, our thoughts are with all those in the path of danger. We pray for their safety and stand firmly with those responding against this aggression.

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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.