Intermountain Jewish News

WASHINGTON — Following President Obama’s State of the Union address and the start of the new congressional year, JTA asked Jewish organizations operating in Washington the following questions: “What do you hope the administration and Congress will achieve this year, and what advice would you offer them to make it happen?”

Here’s how they responded, in alphabetical order:

American Israel Public Affairs Committee

We are at a critical juncture in efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability.

As the US works with our allies to pass additional UN Security Council sanctions, it’s critical that the administration take immediate steps to ratchet up pressure on the regime.

The House, in December, and the Senate this year, have overwhelmingly passed bipartisan sanctions legislation expanding the President’s authority to impose sanctions on Iran if it continues to reject US overtures and to enrich uranium in defiance of the international community.

The bills need to be reconciled by House and Senate negotiators before being sent to Congress for final passage and then to the president for his signature.

We are urging Congress to move quickly on finalizing the legislation.

Amid these efforts, it is critical for Congress to continue supporting Israel’s quest for peace, calling on the Palestinians and Arab states to enter constructive negotiations with the Jewish State without preconditions, as Israel continues to take bold, concrete steps on the ground that have been paving the way for serious peace talks and making meaningful, positive impact in the West Bank, including double-digit economic growth.

In the face of the urgent threat from Iran and other growing challenges to Israel and American national security interests in the region, the US and Israel signed a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which calls for a boost in US security assistance to Israel over a decade.

Fiscal year 2011 represents the third year of this agreement.

We will be urging Congress to support the administration request of $3 billion in vital security assistance for Israel — an investment not only in the security of our steadfast ally in the region and America’s own national security, but a direct investment in our own economy, with 75% of those funds being spent here at home, creating jobs and buying American.

The effort to isolate and delegitimize Israel and undermine the Jewish State’s right to self defense continues at the UN, in other international fora and even in the civil courts of some western allies.

Congress has spoken out forcefully and with bipartisan unity to denounce the fundamentally flawed Goldstone Report.

AIPAC will continue to support strong Congressional and US leadership in combating these fundamental, anti-Israel, anti-democratic distortions of right and wrong.

We urge the President to continue to work closely and privately with our ally Israel to meet the challenges outlined above, none greater than stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.

American Jewish Committee

AJC hopes the US Congress, long before it disbands for the November elections, will confront at least four critical issues that impinge on our national security interests.

First, Congress must focus on stimulating the necessary private and government investments in alternative energy products that can diminish significantly US dependence on oil imported from hostile nations.

Second, Congress must continue to play a role in working with the administration on additional economic and political measures to stop Iran’s dangerous march to cross the nuclear threshold.

Third, Congress must continue to support the special US-Israel relationship and the elusive effort to advance peace in the Middle East.

Fourth, Congress, through hearings and legislation, must step up the coordination and impact of our disparate intelligence and law-enforcement agencies to build a stronger system that adequately protects Americans from terrorism.

As for President Obama, 2010 could be the make-or-break year for the Iranian nuclear program. It will be a time of extraordinary testing of the Obama Administration. A laudable effort to reach out to Tehran was spurned, and a reasonable proposal on nuclear fuel was rejected by Iran. Now it’s time to get tough, summon all the diplomatic clout of the US to mobilize allies and convince Iran that Washington means business.

This may well be the supreme foreign policy test facing the president. He must succeed.

American Jewish Congress

No issue ought to be higher on the Jewish agenda than stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

The US Senate and House of Representatives have approved separate versions of the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act; they need to be reconciled.

The administration urgently needs to assemble international support for effective sanctions.

With regard to the peace process, notwithstanding dashed early hopes for a quick solution, the administration must continue to press forward.

Based on our recent trip to the region, we are convinced that a deal is possible, if only because all sides want to thwart an Iranian push for regional dominance.

On the domestic front, the issues of most urgent concern to the Jewish community parallel those confronting the entire American community. Sometimes interests high on the Jewish agenda are distinct from those high on the general political agenda. Not now.

Those issues are reducing unemployment; deciding whether and how to regulate financial institutions to prevent a recurrence of recent excesses; healthcare reform; and dealing with the budget deficit.

Probably the most important issue of particular interest to the Jewish community is the possible restructuring of the Bush administration’s charitable choice initiative.

The Jewish community’s interest lies in neither of the extreme publicly enunciated positions treating government-funded charities as if they were the government, or as if funding imposed no special limitations.

We must await the recommendation of the President’s advisory committee before deciding how to proceed.

Americans for Peace Now

Congress should support peace for Israel by backing assertive presidential leadership — even if that means confronting Israelis and Palestinians — because the status quo is dangerous for Israel and for American national security interests.

In 2010 APN will build broad congressional support for assertive presidential leadership toward Middle East peace.

Peace for Israel requires tough, sustained US diplomatic efforts.

It needs Washington to confront Israelis and Palestinians when they fail to take steps towards peace.

We will educate Congress about the costs of the conflict and demonstrate — with voices from Israel and the American Jewish community — that there is a strong constituency for peace.

APN will press Congress to give the president the financial and diplomatic tools he needs to pursue peace.

We will work to foil any efforts to use Congress to block progress toward peace and we will aggressively fight demagogical initiatives that seek to use Israel-related issues such as Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees for petty political point-scoring.

We will continue to be the leading voice in the Jewish community urging Congress to pursue smart, responsible legislation on Iran.

APN will continue to advocate for military aid to Israel and for maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge, both of which are important to give Israel the confidence to advance toward peace. We will likewise continue to support economic aid to the PA, humanitarian aid for the West Bank and Gaza, and improved freedom of access and movement for people and goods into and out of Gaza.

Anti-Defamation League

Congress should put America’s commitment to halt Iran’s nuclear quest into action by enacting crippling sanctions legislation to complement multilateral efforts.

Congress also plays a vital role in sustaining US support for Israel’s right to live in peace and with security.

On the issue of terrorism, Congress should provide oversight for executive branch initiatives to ensure an appropriate balance between national security concerns and individual rights, and should also move expeditiously to enact workplace religious accommodation protection.

At home, Congress must work hard to fix our immigration system while upholding America’s tradition of welcoming immigrants, and should also move expeditiously to enact workplace religious accommodation protection.

Following the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, Congress should fund the required training, education and data collection — and promote initiatives that reduce the underlying prejudice that leads to hate crime. Anti-bias and hate crime prevention should be an integral part of the upcoming Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization.

As midterm elections draw near, Congress should heed the President’s call to end the coarse and destructive tone of America’s political debate.

All leaders and candidates must reject the kind of sloganeering, especially the offensive and inappropriate uses of Holocaust imagery and comparisons, that seek to play on voters’ fears, frustrations and prejudices.

B’nai B’rith International

2010 needs to be the year of decision on Iran — perhaps the final chance to stop Tehran’s march to develop a nuclear weapon.

Iran’s quest for nuclear arms is a major cause of instability in the world today.

Lawmakers must use this session to advance strong US leadership on unified, international sanctions against the Iranian regime.

Congressional action transmits a message of magnitude to other world bodies. Iran should be a priority item and Congress must implement harsh sanctions against a regime that repeatedly defies international protocols.

The world cannot wait indefinitely for Iran to quell its nuclear ambitions. It won’t. Harsh sanctions, backed by real penalties and isolation, are clearly in order.

We cannot allow a Holocaust-denying leader who wants to destroy Israel, who captured his office in a rigged election and who suppresses his own people with human rights violations the tools to carry out his threats.

Also this session, Congress needs to pass comprehensive healthcare reform. Though seemingly at a political impasse, Congress can and should move forward — there is already some agreement on a large part of the various reform packages agreed to last year.

Far too many Americans are just one illness away from medical-induced bankruptcy. The country cannot afford to wait any longer for much-needed changes to a very broken system that takes a huge toll on too many, especially America’s growing senior population.

Our advice for President Obama: Clearly define what consequences Iran will face as it ignores the international community, and make those consequences stick.

Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life

Last weekend Jews are celebrated Tu b’Shevat, a holiday that reminds us that honoring and preserving our natural resources is about justice.

In the coming months, Congress must enact comprehensive climate and energy reform legislation that develops renewable and sustainable sources of clean energy, invests in green jobs and radically reduces our national greenhouse gas emissions.

The US House of Representatives has already approved such legislation and key US Senators are committed to a similar bill.