Below are a summary of several comments delivered by Agudath Israel Trustee Chaskel Bennett to Senator Rand Paul (R- KY) member Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Ron Johnson (R- WI) Chairman Homeland Security Committee, and Senator Robert Menendez (D- NJ) ranking member Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the Agudath Israel National Board of Trustees mission to Washington D.C. 2/10/15

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Today the United States of America and the world faces many threats and challenges, some historic in nature. We come here to the US capitol as members of Agudath Israel of America, representatives of the American Orthodox Jewish community, keenly aware of our role and the responsibility placed on us- to warn you that history is alarmingly repeating itself.

The Jews of Europe and indeed Jews across the world are again staring at the violent rise of anti-semitism much the same way my grandmother fearfully describes the events of her childhood in Cologne Germany, pre- Kristallnacht. The world then and now more than ever, is seeking voices of moral clarity that are willing to speak out and take serious action in the face of those threats to humanity, to our people.

Highlighting those threats is Iran, which by all accounts seems close to nuclear breakout. This may be the greatest threat and challenge to the US and the world since the rise of Adolph Hitler. President Obama to his credit has spoken forcefully numerous times about his Administration’s commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Those words need to be unflinchingly matched by a committed and resolute Congress that is willing to stand tall and strong in the face of Iranian deception and duplicity. This should not be a heavy lift. After all everyone seems to agree. Yet, it seems this issue has become politicized to the point where the debate has been lost to partisanship. This absolutely cannot be.

We come here at this time, as the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors to give voice to our own tortured history to vocally speak out on behalf of our brethren in the Holyland who are facing a different enemy than our ancestors did but one that also seeks their annihilation. Today they face an Iranian regime and other emboldened adversaries in the region, hell bent on a similar fate for our people. The harsh lessons of the Holocaust couldn’t be more applicable. When despots threaten the annihilation of our people, history demands of us, our generation, to stand tall and stand up and shout haven’t you learned anything? We support any and every effort by the President and the Congress to prevent Iran from acquiring those weapons of mass destruction. What we cannot do is sit idly by and watch Iran become a nuclear state while this critical issue gets lost in a diplomatic scuffle between the greatest of allies, over a diplomatic disagreement. The stakes are simply too high, the threat to our people -too real. It would be a catastrophe.

Unfortunately many respected voices, including former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and others have pointed out that it seems the Administration is no longer seeking prevention of a nuclear Iran but nuclear containment. Many including myself share that ominous view and desperately urge the Obama Administration and yes every member of Congress to redouble their efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining such a frightening capability, before it is too late. The eyes of history are upon all of you. We call on Congress to rise above all else and meet this historic challenge.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)