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ELECTIONS MATTER
JOIN/RENEW YOUR JAC MEMBERSHIP
DONATE TO CANDIDATES
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The Iran Nuclear Deal Resources
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White House Iran Deal Fact Sheet 
The White House has assembled fact sheets, a Twitter account (@TheIranDeal) and more to answer your questions about the Iran Nuclear Deal.
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Iran Study Group Assessment
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Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-36) joined JAC members at a lunch to discuss the Iran deal, Congress' attempts to eliminate Title X and Planned Parenthood funding and other issues important to JAC.
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 We need you! Join the JAC Los Angeles Steering Committee Lunch & Meeting
11:30 am
Encino, CA
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Detroit Membership Event
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Want to host a JAC event near you? Please contact the JAC office and we will help coordinate.
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For more information and to RSVP, contact the JAC office at 847-433-5999 or [email protected]
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MEET THE CANDIDATES
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)
Sen. Al Franken first gained notoriety from his work on Saturday Night Live, but now he is equally as well known for his work in the Senate. Since first elected in 2008, Franken has built a successful record of legislative accomplishments. He has been a vocal supporter of the U.S. - Israel relationship. He signed a letter to President Barak Obama encouraging the President to stand with Israel in every international forum. Franken supports the Iran nuclear deal because, in his opinion, it is "the most effective, realistic way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon anytime in the next 15 years (and) ...this deal represents a significant step forward for our national security." Click here to read his full statement.
He has also worked to protect women's reproductive rights and is committed to preventing the elimination of Title X funding. He believes that health care and family planning services should be available to all women.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
JAC's relationship with Sen. Schumer dates back to when he was first elected to Congress in 1980. He was elected to the Senate in 1998. Throughout his time in Congress, JAC has always been able to count on Schumer to fight for Israel and women's reproductive freedom and to fight against measures to weaken the separation of religion and state.
Schumer supports increased funding for Iron Dome, the U.S.-Israel Partnership Act, as well as resolutions endorsing Israel's right to defend itself. He has announced that he will vote against the Iran nuclear deal because he "believe(s) Iran will not change, and under this agreement (Iran) will be able to achieve its dual goals of eliminating sanctions while ultimately retaining its nuclear and non-nuclear power."
He has led Congress' efforts to reduce gun violence, authorizing the Omnibus Crime Bill. Recently Schumer unveiled new legislation that creates monetary rewards for states that submit all necessary records into the background check system and creates penalties for states that do not submit all records.
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Join with Hillary
If you would like to support Hillary,
please contact the JAC office at
847-433-5999 or [email protected]
Our combined contributions make our voices stronger. There IS POWER in GIVING TOGETHER.
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If I Were an Israeli Looking at the Iran Deal
With the U.S. and Israel openly arguing over the Iran nuclear deal, I've asked myself this: How would I look at this deal if I were an Israeli grocer, an Israeli general or the Israeli prime minister? Read Full ArticleWhy Hawks Should Also Back the Iran Deal We both were elected to the Senate in 1978 and privileged to have served together on the Senate Armed Services Committee for 30 years, during which we each held committee leadership positions of chairman or ranking minority member. We support the Iran Agreement negotiated by the United States and other leading world powers for many reasons, including its limitations on Iran's nuclear activities, its strong inspections regime, and the ability to quickly re-impose sanctions should Iran violate its provisions. Read Full ArticleIran Must End Anti-American, Anti-Israel Postures To Be Accepted President Barack Obama said Iran must drop its anti-American and anti-Israel postures before it transitions into the international community. Obama defended the Iran nuclear deal in an interview posted Monday at Mic.Com, a news website aimed at millennials. "There's going to have to be a transition inside of Iran, even if gradual, in which there's a recognition that chanting 'death to America' or denying the Holocaust among its leaders or threatening Israel with destruction or, you know, providing arms to Hezbollah, which is on the terrorist list - that those things make Iran a pariah in the eyes of a large part of the world," Obama said. Read Full Article All over the map: Where 49 U.S. Jewish groups stand on the Iran deal Across the United States, Jewish community groups have appeared unsure about exactly how to respond to the Iran nuclear deal. When the agreement between major powers and Iran was released on July 14, some Jewish groups came out against it almost immediately, others have yet to weigh in. Here's a survey of the statements of 49 Jewish groups from all corners of the U.S. Read Full Article
Dozens of retired generals, admirals back Iran nuclear deal
Three dozen retired generals and admirals released an open letter Tuesday supporting the Iran nuclear deal and urging Congress to do the same. Calling the agreement "the most effective means currently available to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons," the letter said that gaining international support for military action against Iran, should that ever become necessary, "would only be possible if we have first given the diplomatic path a chance."
Op-Ed: Obama is 'dog whistling' about Jews? Ridiculous
Debaters know that when they are losing an argument, a good tactic is to change the subject. So it goes with the current accusations, completely untethered from reality, that President Obama is resorting to anti-Jewish "dog whistles" in his defense of the nuclear deal with Iran. Let's begin with the facts. The president has continuously requested that opponents of the deal present an alternative that actually stands a chance of being implemented. None have been forthcoming.
Fact-Checking the Flame Throwers on Both Sides of Iran Deal
The rift between President Obama and many leaders of the organized Jewish community over the Iranian nuclear deal is out in the open. Beyond policy differences, both sides carry personal grievances. This became evident during Obama's White House meeting August 4 with Jewish leaders, where much of the two-hour session was devoted to mutual accusations hurled, politely, across the table. Based on the full Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and on published expert opinions, the Forward has tried to fact-check the key points of contention.
Read Full Article
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Photo credit: Times of Israel
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Captured Hamas Fighter Gives Up Information About Tunnels A captured Hamas fighter has provided information to Israeli security services about the location of tunnels between Gaza and Israel, planned attacks on Israel and the Hamas-Iran connection. The captured fighter verified the partnership between Iran and Hamas and said that Hamas was using materials brought to Gaza for reconstruction and rehabilitation to rebuild terror infrastructure and execute terrorist activities.
Read Full Article
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Anti-Semitism Czar Doubles Down on 'Delegitimizing Israel' Definition
The State Department has doubled down on its policy of defining delegitimization of Israel as a form of anti-Semitism, but is seeking to stay out of a raging debate over whether the definition should be used in the U.S. In a response to Jewish Voice for Peace, a Jewish organization which supports boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, the Obama administration's top official charged with combating anti-Semitism defended the policy that labels certain forms of criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic, while arguing this does not imply support for any type of censorship or any limit on free speech.
Christian groups battle anti-Semitism at the UN
Two major Christian organizations took the fight against anti-Semitism to the UN on Tuesday, in a special forum aiming to shine a light on human rights violations faced by Jewish communities around the world. The forum was held on the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Church's Nostra Aetate decision that relinquished all claims of deicide and called on the Church to combat anti-Semitism.
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Oklahoma Judge Strikes Down Law Limiting Use of Abortion-Inducing Pills
An Oklahoma judge struck down on Monday a law aimed at limiting the use of abortion-inducing drugs, saying the measure was unconstitutional because it did not apply to other medication. The law requires that the drugs, including one known by the brand name of Mifeprex, be administered under U.S. Federal and Drug Administration protocols, which critics say pose dangers to women because the dosage is far higher than needed and requires women to make multiple visits to doctors.
A Scientist Weighs Up the Five Main Anti-Abortion Arguments
There are few topics in modern discourse quite as divisive, as fraught with misunderstanding and as rooted in deeply-held conviction as abortion. Amid all the passionate argument, it is easy for misunderstandings and fictions to fill the void between opposing ideologies. If we are to choose reason over rhetoric, it is worth addressing some of the more pernicious myths that emerge each time the abortion question is raised.
The Use Of Aborted Fetuses In Medical Research Has 'Saved The Lives And Health Of Millions'
Over the past several weeks, Republicans lawmakers have seized on Planned Parenthood's practice of facilitating fetal tissue donations. But there's a flip side to the story. Lawyer and bioethicist Alta Charo lays out a strong case for fetal tissue research from a moral perspective. "Virtually every person in this country has benefited from research using fetal tissue," Charo writes. Read Full Article |
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Separation of Religion & State
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Why It's Getting Trickier For GOP Candidates To Talk About Faith
During an interview with CNN last Friday, Florida Senator and Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio made a passionate defense of his faith, talking over the interviewer while explaining why his religious beliefs inform his politics. "I'm happy that my faith influences my political positions," Rubio said. "Because my faith teaches me to care for the needy, my faith teaches me to respect and love even my enemies, and my faith teaches me to forgive those who slight me. So people should hope that my faith influences my political position."
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President Obama said that while it is "not hopeless," and there are steps the U.S. can take to reverse the impact of climate change, it is key that his administration acts now. Click here to watch. |
President Obama's Letter to the Editor
The Voting Rights Act put an end to literacy tests and other forms of discrimination, helping to close the gap between our promise that all of us are created equal and our long history of denying some of us the right to vote. The impact was immediate, and profound - the percentage of African-Americans registered to vote skyrocketed in the years after the Voting Rights Act was passed.
Continued Bipartisan Support for Expanded Background Checks on Gun Sales
Two years after the failure of Senate legislation to expand background checks on gun purchases, the public continues to overwhelmingly support making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks. Currently, 85% of Americans - including large majorities of Democrats (88%) and Republicans (79%) - favor expanded background checks, little changed from May 2013 (81%).
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Photo credit: Getty Images
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Oath Keepers Turn Up at Michael Brown Protests in Ferguson, Missouri
Heavily-armed members of a controversial right-wing "patriot" group added an extra dose of unease to protests in Ferguson, Missouri. The Oath Keepers organization says its members - all former military, police and first responders - pledge to "defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic." However, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar described their presence as "both unnecessary and inflammatory."
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How I Helped Todd Akin Win - So I Could Beat Him Later
It started to work. Our telephones were ringing off the hook with people saying, "Just because she's telling me not to vote for him, I'm voting for him. That's the best ad for Akin I've ever seen!" A man wrote a letter to the editor of the Springfield News Leader: "I think it's time for someone who may be too conservative. Thank you, Senator McCaskill, for running that ad. You have helped me determine that my vote needs to go to Akin." The editorial page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch advised those who were going to vote in the Republican primary to cast their ballot for Akin since he was "the most honest candidate. We suggest Mr. Akin because with him at least you're sure of what you're getting. He isn't faking it when he endorses the worst of the GOP agenda. He actually believes it. What you see is what you get." Read Full Article
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Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Photo credit: AP/Getty Images
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Ethel Rosenberg's sons call for presidential pardon
Honor thy father and mother, says the Torah. In the case of the sons of convicted spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, that means requesting a presidential pardon. Brothers Michael and Robert Meeropol penned an op-ed in the New York Times Monday asking President Barack Obama to acknowledge that their mother, Ethel Rosenberg, was wrongly convicted and executed for conspiracy to commit espionage in 1953.
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Our members count on JACPAC to provide information on current events, candidates, and elections. JACPAC depends on membership support to make this possible. If you have not renewed your membership, please consider doing so today, to help us pursue a strong US-Israel relationship, reproductive rights, and separation of religion and state. Together we can make this a better world! Sincerely,
Janna Berk, President
Marcia Balonick, Executive Director
Joy Malkus, Research Director |
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