Keeping the congressional delegation informed

The Iran nuclear agreement is perhaps the most talked about subject in the news today. Congress will decide whether or not to approve it with a vote in September. But Iran’s quest to become a nuclear power is certainly not new to anyone. For several years, the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island (CRC) has been actively advocating to keep Iran from becoming a nuclear entity.  This includes legislation passed in 2013 by the Rhode Island General Assembly to divest Iran funds and to prohibit contracts with companies who have dealings with Iran.

On the federal level, CRC members have traveled to Washington, D.C., to tell our elected officials that Iran should not become a nuclear power. The CRC supported legislation for sanctions on Iran. In each instance, the Rhode Island delegation heard us loud and clear. They voted for sanctions, as did most of the members of Congress.  Once the sanctions were in place, the CRC advocated to keep the sanctions in place, to increase further those sanctions and to help members of the Rhode Island delegation understand the concerns of Israel when it comes to Iran. The CRC also expressed concerns about the proxies of Iran who perform terrorist activities not only in the Middle East but also globally. Every time we have met with our Rhode Island delegation, Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse along with Reps. James Langevin and David Cicilline, we have come away knowing they fully understand the situation and our concerns as a community.

In the last year, the CRC increased its advocacy efforts on this issue. The CRC has made phone calls to the members of the delegation and has had multiple meetings with our congressional delegation both in D.C. and R.I.  During these meetings, members of the CRC, along with other community leaders, have been briefed on the agreement and strongly voiced concerns of the community. This was especially true shortly before the Iran Framework Agreement came to fruition in April, when the Iran nuclear agreement was about to be announced as well as now. At the same time, our congressional delegation frequently has sought out the Jewish community for input on this issue.

The CRC has kept the community informed about the situation via mass emails and through the CRC’s Facebook Page. (News and views from the global media are frequently posted as well as information from President Obama and the Israeli government.)

As the deadline for Congress to vote on this issue comes closer, our delegation will more than likely issue a public statement on how they individually will vote. It is apparent that the Rhode Island delegation has listened to advocates both for and against the current agreement. It is also apparent that they know the ramifications of their vote.  Not the political ramifications, but rather moral and humanitarian.

The CRC will continue its advocacy role to keep Iran from becoming a nuclear power now and well into the future. This will include ongoing meetings with our delegation in Washington and in Rhode Island. We will also increase our advocacy efforts to minimize terrorism not only in the Middle East and the United States but globally as well and to keep Israel safe and secure.

MARTY COOPER is the Community Relations Director for the Jewish Alliance.