TEL AVIV – Likening Iran to the biblical Haman, the main antagonist in the book of Esther who plotted to destroy the Jews of Persia, a coalition of more than 350 prominent rabbis in Israel and abroad has sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to oppose the “dangerous” nuclear agreement.
“Your vote on the agreement – by every legislator – will either facilitate a nuclear war or spare humanity of a nuclear war,” reads the letter.
It was crafted and signed by members of the Rabbinical Congress for Peace, which consists of more than 350 Orthodox Jewish rabbis who advocate for peace in the Middle East.
“In this age of globalization, every congressional district and State will be impacted by the horrific consequences of the agreement, including the few hundred sleeper cells which are already in place in the USA,” the rabbis write.
The rabbis refer to what they call “President Obama’s and the European countries’ irrational obsession with encouraging and protecting Iran’s nuclear program, which ultimately poses a threat to them as well as Israel.”
The rabbinic leaders explain they prefer to steer away from politics; however, “we feel that the current agreement with Iran jeopardizes not only American interests but threatens the very existence of the State of Israel.”
The letter offers a biblical perspective to current events.
“Over two thousand years ago, in ancient Persia – present day Iran – Jews faced a similar situation. An “ayatollah” by the name of Haman set a scheme in motion that would have annihilated the entire Jewish nation in a single day. Mordechai, the Jewish leader, turned to his niece Queen Esther, the wife of the Persian king and the highest ranking Jewish official at that time, and appealed to her to intervene on behalf of the Jewish people and ask the king to nullify the decree,” they write.
“Esther hesitated, however, and claimed that her actions would not only fail to help, but would make matters worse. Mordechai retorted that this was her defining moment: “If you persist in keeping silent at a time like this, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from somewhere else, but you will have forfeited this privilege. Who knows whether it was just for such a time as this that you attained your royal position,” the letter says.
“Mordechai’s eternal words ring true today, as well. We have reached a defining moment in the history of Israel and the U.S., and in the lives of those who support her. If you keep silent at a time like this, by not opposing the agreement, relief and deliverance will come to Israel and the U.S. from elsewhere, but you will have forfeited the privilege of standing by them. And who knows — perhaps it was just for such a moment that you were elected to Congress or Senate of the great United States of America.”
The letter stands in contrast to another sent to Congress this week by 340 liberal U.S. rabbis, mostly from the reform and non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, who expressed support for the Iran nuclear deal and urged lawmakers to endorse it.
Since Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., came out against President Obama’s deal with Iran, a number of other key undecided Democrat lawmakers have quietly weighed whether or not to oppose the international nuclear agreement in a vote next month.
Of those said to be on the fence, informed Israeli diplomatic sources have identified Sens. Claire McCaskill, Ben Cardin, Christopher A. Coons and Cory Booker as leaning closer to rejecting the agreement, which could jeopardize Obama’s major foreign policy venture.
Other senators said to be undecided include Bob Casey, Joe Donnelly, Heidi Heitkamp, Joe Manchin, Ralph Peters, Harry Reid, Jon Tester and Ron Wyden.
