World Mixed Bag Jewish reaction to Obama's Cairo speech. Eric Fingerhut Jewish Telegraphic Agency Washington ewish organizations raced to respond to President Obama's speech in Cairo on June 4. To sum up in a few sentences: Left-wing Jewish groups applauded the speech as a whole while more centrist groups or those that tilt more to the right had both praise and some criticism. They all liked Obama's affirmation of the "unbreakable" bonds between the United States and Israel, and his denunciation of Holocaust denial, but many thought he missed an opportunity to affirm the Jewish people's 3,000-year-old connection to the Land of Israel. There also was wide disap- pointment with the portion of the speech on Iran, which was seen as not forceful enough in proclaiming U.S. opposition to the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons. Here are responses from some of the groups: • The American Jewish Committee focused on what it liked about the speech and gave much less emphasis to its displea- sure about the Iran remarks. In a release, the group emphasized the president's denunciation of anti-Semitism and praised his language on the "unbreakable" bonds with Israel and denunciation of Palestinian violence. Not until the eighth paragraph did the statement mention that the AJC was disappointed by Obama's failure to be "more explicit" about "the danger Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons poses to the entire Middle East and to global security" • The Anti-Defamation League, by con- trast, put both praise and criticism near the top of its news release. The group praised Obama for broaching issues that never real- ly had been addressed to the Arab world before now, but said he failed to put the conflict in its proper historical perspective. For example,"whlle he made strong state- ments against anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, it should have been made clear that Israel's right to statehood is not a result of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. We are disappointed that the president found the need to balance the suffering of the Jewish people in a genocide to the suffer- ing of the Palestinian people resulting from Arab wars." In an interview, ADL National Director Abraham Foxman added that the Iran portion of the speech was "very weak." j A22 June 11 2009 • The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations did not put out a statement, but its executive vice chairman, Malcolm Hoenlein, and chairman, Alan Solow, in interviews both said they were happy the president spoke of the "unbreakable" bonds between the U.S. and Israel, and both praised his con- demnation of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. Hoenlein, like the ADL, wished the president had provided more historical context on the Jewish people's connection to the Land of Israel, but noted positively the lack of linkage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to progress on the Iran issue. Both Hoenlein and Solow, though, had hoped for stronger words on Iran, with Solow — one of Obama's top Jewish supporters — saying he hoped the president would use "more forceful" language in the future. • The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism strongly praised the speech while also briefly pointing out that Israel's claim of legitimacy was rooted in 3,000 years of history "He made it clear that the United States and Israel have an unbreakable bond and spoke forthrightly about the need for the Palestinians to abandon violence if their hopes for a state are to be achieved;' the group said. The RAC, unlike some other Jewish organiza- tions, praised the president's language on Iran, saying "he was clear in recognizing the urgency of addressing Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and his support for the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty • B'nai B'rith International emphasized the positive, but also had some problems with the speech. In a news release, B'nai B'rith said that "in the heart of the Arab world, the president addressed the issue of Holocaust denial, noting specifically the 6 million Jews who were murdered. In doing so, President Obama attempted to end an insidious ongoing campaign against Jews:' In the second half of its release, it also expressed disappointment about Iran and said Obama missed an opportunity "to discuss incitement — in mosques, schools, and the news media — against the Jewish population, and he did not fully address the long record of Palestinian noncompliance with peace initiatives." • Concern about Iran was a main focus of The Israel Project, which said there was much to "celebrate" as well. "I am very con- cerned about President Obama's comments that Iran has a right to nuclear materials for energy given the dangerous fact that A man at an electronics store in Jerusalem watches as President Barack Obama delivered his speech in Cairo on June 4. some of those materials could get into the hands of terrorists, including Iran's proxies, Hezbollah, llamas and Islamic Jihad',' said its founder and president, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi."President Obama's speech did not convey a sense of urgency on stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons — although it is clear he does share the goal of prevent- ing a weaponized nuclear Iran." • The Orthodox Union had five "wel- come" and five "worrisome" aspects of the speech. It liked Obama's challenge to Arab states to do more and his denunciation of Holocaust denial, but was concerned by his language on Jerusalem and his rein- forcement of Israel "as a modern colonial upstart." It also lamented Obama's lack of a "nuanced approach" on settlements. • The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism applauded the president for honoring the "strong bonds" between the United States and Israel. The speech was vital to the "future relations between Israel and the Arab world, and to the United States' Middle East policies:' said the group. • J Street was one of a few groups that had universal praise for the speech. It said Obama showed "bold, assertive leader- ship" in reaffirming the two-state solution while setting out conditions for everyone involved, and said the "overwhelming majority of American Jews and other friends of Israel support his active diplo- macy, his calls for an end to violence and settlements — and, most important, his intention to work publicly and aggressively to end the conflicts that have plagued the Middle East for far too long." • Americans for Peace Now also lauded Obama's "determined, praiseworthy leadership" in creating a "historic oppor- tunity" and his calls on Israelis, Arabs and Americans to react accordingly. "For Americans who support Israel, this is also an important moment in which to stand squarely with a President who is doing his utmost to bring peace to Israel," the group said, adding that its supporters should make their voices heard. • The Israel Policy Forum praised Obama's pledge to "personally pursue" a two-state solution and lauded his call for all sides to "live up to their respective 'road map' obligations. The group also noted that "the president's message to the Arab states that they 'must recognize that the Arab Peace Initiative was an important begin- ning, but not the end of their responsibili- ties, is a welcome sign that the president understands the importance of a regional approach to peacemaking in the region." • Brit Tzedek v'Shalom said the president made a "persuasive case for the common interest in resolving" the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and said it stands with the president. "The usual sus- pects will likely rush to characterize the President's insistence that both Israelis and Palestinians uphold pre-existing com- mitments — including a complete freeze on all Israeli settlement expansion and a concerted effort by the Palestinians to end all violence and incitement — as indicative of an historic realignment that threatens Israel's alliance with the United States:' said the group. "In truth, the single most pro- Israel thing an American president can do is to actively pursue a negotiated, two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as Israel's very future as a democracy and a Jewish homeland depends on it." • The one Jewish group to totally pan the speech was the Zionist Organization of America. Its national president, Morton Klein, said it was a "strongly biased speech, inimical to Israel, supportive of false Palestinian and Arab claims against Israel, blatantly factually inaccurate — inaccura- cies that always benefited the anti-Israel Palestinian, Arab and Muslim cause." 11 This appeared in the JTA blog Capital J (blogs.jta.org/politics).