JCPA punts on Iran

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs’ annual plenum passed a slate of resolutions but postponed consideration of a resolution addressing the Iranian threat. The Washington gathering of the umbrella body for Jewish community relations councils and national Jewish organizations held its resolution session late Monday night. The plenum deferred for later consideration a draft resolution from the Boston JCRC that called for launching a national ‘Stop Iran’ campaign because it arrived late in the resolution process; there was no substitute resolution addressing concerns about Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program. The matter now will be considered expeditiously by a JCPA committee. The annual JCPA plenum, which arrives at consensus opinions of interest to the Jewish community, succeeded in passing resolutions that called for assisting Israelis displaced by rocket attacks in the South and North, as well as evacuees from the 2005 Gaza Strip withdrawal; called for divestment from Sudan; affirmed commitment to civil rights; promoted immigration reform and energy independence; and opposed handgun availability and tax cuts.