Jewish voices react as US and Israel hit Iran

When the news broke out that both the US and Israel hit Iran, these were some of the reactions.

Orthodox Union

Today, in coordination with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the IDF, President Trump and the US Armed Forces took decisive action to silence a modern threat from the same ancestral land of Haman.

For decades, Iran’s Islamic regime has sown death and destruction including the murder of American citizens, the murder of Jews and Israelis globally, and the murder of their own citizens who dare stand up for freedom. Iran’s insatiable aspirations to become a nuclear power cannot be tolerated and today’s action in eliminating the Ayatollah is an important step in ensuring it doesn’t happen.

G-d bless President Trump. G-d bless the United States of America and its courageous military servicemen and women conducting this noble mission, may you all return home in peace.

To the brave women and men of the IDF: We support you. We pray to the Almighty to keep you safe and aid you in prevailing over our enemies. May G-d protect the people and defenders of Israel.

We call upon all members of our community to increase your tefillot in the coming days and hours and do all we can to support our brothers and sisters in Israel.

Signed by OU President Mitch Aeder and Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Religious Zionists of America

We commend President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their resolve and for the historic level of cooperation demonstrated at this critical hour. This reflects a partnership rooted not only in shared interests, but in shared values. …

In every generation there are those who rise with the intent to destroy us. The names change. The ideology does not. Our tradition is not merely about remembering the past. It is about recognizing present danger. …

We remember that Jewish history turns not on despair but on courage. Strength, unity and faith have always defined our survival. They will define it now.

Signed by RZA President Stephen M. Flatow. (See Flatow’s column, “A father thinks about Purim in a time of war,” on page 6.)

B’nai B’rith International

For 47 years, the Iranian regime has fueled instability across the Middle East, armed terrorist proxies, threatened its neighbors and endangered global security. It has exported violence while denying its own people freedom, dignity and opportunity.

The actions now unfolding come in response to a regime that has long declared its hostility toward Israel and worked actively to undermine peace and stability in the region.

We express profound gratitude to American service members who act with courage and discipline in defense of democratic values. Their service strengthens not only our allies but the broader community of free nations. We also honor Israel’s defenders, including our members serving in uniform and in essential civilian roles, who stand watch over our homeland with extraordinary resolve.

At this hour, air raid sirens are sounding across Israel as the country braces for and absorbs Iranian missile and drone attacks. Families, including our Israeli brothers and sisters, are remaining close to shelters and safe rooms. Parents steady anxious children. Daily routines give way to vigilance and to a deep sense of shared responsibility. Our hearts are with the people of Israel and with all who are carrying the strain of these days. …

In the story of Purim, the Jewish people living in the Persian Empire faced a decree of annihilation. Through courage, unity and faith, fear was transformed into resilience and despair into relief. Darkness did not endure.

History does not repeat itself in identical patterns, yet its echoes remind us that those who seek to destroy the Jewish people have never had the final word. Tyranny is not eternal.

We also stand with the people of Iran who have lived under repression and fear for nearly two generations. They deserve liberty and dignity, free from a regime that has invested in terror abroad while silencing hope at home. A future in which Iran no longer sponsors violence and extremism would not only transform the lives of its citizens, it would bring greater stability to the Middle East and greater security to free societies around the world.

These are days that call for steadiness and unity. We look toward a future in which Israel is secure and the world is no longer threatened by Iranian backed terror. In this moment of uncertainty, we remain united in purpose and in commitment, standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel and with all who defend freedom.

Even in moments of danger, we hold fast to the enduring truth of our history: darkness does not prevail.

Agudath Israel of America

Agudath Israel of America expresses its deep appreciation to President Donald Trump for his bold and decisive actions earlier today in Iran, and we offer our heartfelt prayers for the success of this vital undertaking.

For more than 40 years, the Iranian terror regime has called for “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” Their nuclear ambitions threatened not only Israel, but all countries and US assets in the region.

Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and has used its proxies like Hezbolah, the Houthies, and Hamas to murder innocent Americans, Israelis, and citizens of other countries. Iran did not hesitate to fire hundreds of ballistic missiles towards civilian targets in Israel last year and again today. The ruthless regime has also massacred tens of thousands of its own citizens, which is why the death of the Ayatollah was celebrated in the streets of Tehran and across the world. …

Purim celebrates the downfall of those who rose up against the Jewish People in ancient Persia nearly 2,400 years ago. We are reminded how the key to the miraculous salvation was the heartfelt prayers of men, women, and children.

While prayer is always powerful, our sages have taught that it carries special power during the Purim holiday season. We call upon the Jewish community to unite in prayer and beseech the Almighty to protect all those on the front lines and in harm’s way in Israel and across the Middle East.

Signed by Executive Vice  President Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel

Zionist Organization of America

We are profoundly grateful to President Trump for the courageous, necessary joint US-Israeli operation against Iran’s terror regime and its monstrous terrorist leadership; this was a historic strike for freedom and security and has already successfully removed Iran’s terrorist fanatic Ayatollah Khamenei from the equation. …

Let’s be clear: even if Israel didn’t exist, the United States would have had to act to defend itself from a regime openly at war with America, responsible for American blood from Beirut to 9/11 and beyond, actively expanding and willing to use its stockpile of ballistic missiles and suicide drones against civilians it designates as enemies and pursuing — and likely willing to use — nuclear weapons against those same targets. 

Too many American administrations have appeased and funded these terrorist fanatics while they plotted against US officials and oppressed its own people. …

History will record that when the moment came, President Trump chose strength over surrender, and that decision may finally change the course of the Middle East…

Signed by ZOA National President Morton “Mort” Klein.

OU Advocacy

The United States and Israel have taken decisive military action against Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.

But this is not the end of the story.

Iran spent years enriching uranium near weapons-grade levels while building the infrastructure to rapidly achieve nuclear capability.

At the same time, it armed Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border, supported Hamas in Gaza, funded the Houthis attacking global shipping, and directed militias targeting American forces.

For years, sanctions were imposed. Deals were negotiated. Deadlines were extended. Iran used the time to expand its nuclear program and strengthen its terror network.

A damaged regime can regroup. A partially destroyed program can be rebuilt. Anything short of decisive and sustained force leaves the threat intact.

Congress must stand firmly behind continued military operations aimed not merely at degrading capabilities but at ensuring this regime can never again pursue nuclear weapons or orchestrate regional terror.

We understand the meaning of eliminationist rhetoric. When a regime openly declares its intent to destroy the Jewish state while racing toward nuclear capacity, those threats cannot be ignored.

Contacts your Senators and Representatives today and urge them to support continued maxium pressure on the Iranian regime.

Signed by OU Advocacy Center Executive Director Nathan Diament.

Left-wing groups

Left-wing US Jewish groups railed on Saturday against the Trump administration’s decision to join Israel in a strike against Iran.

“We are appalled by President Trump’s reckless decision to launch a war of choice against Iran explicitly seeking regime change,” said J Street CEO Jeremy Ben-Ami in a statement.

While acknowledging that Iran’s nuclear program, regional proxy support and domestic repression pose real security concerns, Ben-Ami said Iran didn’t present an immediate threat justifying preventive war.

J Street’s X account reposted posts from several US congressmen condemning the attack.

The extremist group IfNotNow, which regularly engages in smears against Israel, including accusing it of genocide and apartheid, also criticized the Trump and Netanyahu administrations.

“The people of Iran are experiencing a brutal US-Israeli bombing campaign. US-made bombs have already struck schools in Iran, killing children and other civilians,” the group posted to X.

Referring to Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “fascist demagogues [trying] to distract us with claims about regime change and alleged weapons of mass destruction,” IfNotNow reserved most of its sympathy for the Palestinians.

“Palestinian communities—who still face genocide and ethnic cleansing—are especially vulnerable to Iranian missiles. They don’t have the protection of Israel’s missile defense systems or its shelter system, which protect Jewish citizens over others,” IfNotNow posted.

IfNotNow ignored the fact that Israel’s Iron Dome Missile Defense System doesn’t distinguish between faiths and backgrounds. 

Similarly, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) denounced “the immoral and illegal war on Iran launched by the United States and Israel last night. These attacks expand the endless wars that could destroy the lives of tens of millions of people. We stand in solidarity with the people of Iran and against the US and Israeli government’s imperial warmongering.”

It was revealed on May 11, 2023, that Hatem Bazian, a founder of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), controls JVP’s X account.

The Muslim radical, whom Campus Watch says is the “driving force behind a quasi-academic activist effort to stifle speech and writing about Islamism and to portray research into Islam as inherently hateful,” ended his message with: “As Jews who believe in human rights and justice, we demand you do better.”

— By David Isaac, JNS

Rep. Gregory Meek

A long-term ally of the Jewish state, whose congressional district includes Far Rockaway, objected to President Trump’s initiative.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Queens County Democratic leader, stated that “the Trump administration’s strikes against Iran represent a reckless abuse of the president’s power, threatening to pull the United States into yet another open-ended Middle East war without clear justifications or a defined strategic end state.”

“Congress was not consulted, nor was it given the opportunity to authorize the use of force,” he said. “This is an unacceptable breach of its constitutional role.”

“The administration owes Congress and the American people a direct accounting: What is the threat, what are the objectives, what is the exit strategy, and what will it cost?” Meeks said. “Instead, we are seeing evasion at a moment that demands transparency.” —JNS