Opposing Iran’s Nuclear Program (2007)

WHEREAS Iran is one of the leading state sponsors of terrorism and is expanding its terror network to the West, relying on Hezbollah and splinter groups of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to recruit and train sleeper cells in foreign capitals;

WHEREAS the terror network that Iran created and continues to sustain, pose an ominous threat and constitute a growing concern for Israel, the Middle East and the international community;

CONCERNED that the president of Iran has denied the Holocaust and has threatened to wipe Israel off the map;

MINDFUL that the Shia terrorist group Hezbollah is Tehran’s primary weapon against Israel and the West and gives the group $100 to $200 million a year in direct violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701;

EXPRESSING its concern that Iran is engaged in extensive concealment activities regarding its nuclear enrichment programs, has breached its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and is developing a capacity for nuclear weaponry;

RECOGNIZING that the U.N. Security Council on March 24, 2007adopted Resolution 1747, which affirmed that Iran shall suspend all reprocessing and heavy water-related projects, and also encouraged all states to take the necessary measures to prevent the supply, sale or transfer of all “items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to Iran’s enrichment-related activities”;

CONCERNED that Iran has not agreed to any of the required transparency measures, which are essential to clarify the scope and nature of its nuclear program. including the conversion of uranium dioxide into uranium tetraflouride, high explosives testing and the design of a missile re-entry vehicle;

CONCERNED that the IAEA has reported that its knowledge of Iran’s nuclear program has diminished since 2006, at which time Iran stopped providing certain information.

RECOGNIZING that economic sanctions have commenced against Iran by the United States Congress, state governments, the European Union and Japan;

RECOGNIZING that efforts by the U.S. and its allies over the last few months to persuade international banks and oil companies to pull out of Iran threaten dozens of projects currently planned;

NOTING that these sanctions have had a deleterious effect on the Iranian economy and is fueling opposition to the leadership within Iran; that many Iranian citizens are worried about Iran’s increasing diplomatic and economic isolation and that reformers made a strong showing at local council elections in Iran this year;

NOTING further that the Board of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs voted in March to urge its member communities to oppose Iran’s nuclear program;

DETERMINED that United Synagogue should be part of the world chorus that is outspoken in its public condemnation of the despotic and anti-Semitic regime in Iran and that it provide a leadership initiative within its own community in the United States and Canada to encourage the use of economic sanctions against Iran;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that United Synagogue calls on its member synagogues, individual members, clergy and staff to work independently and together with political, civic and religious partners in the general community to advocate that the United States, Canada and Mexico, the leadership of the United Nations, particularly the permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as other relevant governmental and non-governmental institutions, utilize all diplomatic and economic measures necessary to deter Iran from continuing its quest for nuclear weapons, while respecting the humanitarian needs of the Iranian people. Economic measures after appropriate consideration should include, for example, sanctions, targeted divestment (particularly direct divestment; please consult the website of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, www.jewishpublicaffairs.org), and bank transfer restrictions aimed at the Teheran regime.