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ZOA urges rabbis and cantors to cut ties with J Street, anti-Israel groups

“It’s time to hold accountable organizations whose traitorous efforts to block arms sales to Israel endanger Jewish lives,” the group’s leaders say.

The group IfNotNow protests outside the Los Angeles home of Vice U.S. President Kamala Harris against American arms for the Jewish state just weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 19, 2023. Photo by Irfan Khan/“TheLos Angeles Times” via Getty Images.
The group IfNotNow protests outside the Los Angeles home of Vice U.S. President Kamala Harris against American arms for the Jewish state just weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 19, 2023. Photo by Irfan Khan/“TheLos Angeles Times” via Getty Images.

The Zionist Organization of America is calling on religious leaders to disassociate from J Street and four other groups that support legislation to stop weapons sales to Israel.

“When Jewish groups block these arms sales, it’s downright treasonous and antisemitic,” Mort Klein and Liz Berney, ZOA’s national president and director of research and special projects, respectively, write in a statement on Nov. 25.

“Disgracefully, radical groups J Street, Americans for Peace Now, T’ruah, Partners for Progressive Israel and IfNotNow lobbied for and supported three Joint Senate Resolutions of Disapproval to block $20 billion of U.S. arms sales to Israel,” they state.

ZOA advises Jewish community relations councils and Hillels to cut any official ties with the five organizations.

“We also urge that the Conference of Presidents remove APN from its membership,” its leaders say. “Furthermore, all rabbis and cantors on J Street’s board or advisory committees should resign in protest of their endangering Israel and Jews.”

The statement notes that it’s “time to hold accountable organizations whose traitorous efforts to block arms sales to Israel endanger Jewish lives and Israel’s survival in the midst of the seven-front existential war launched by Iranian-supported genocidal terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah against Israel.”

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