Simon Wiesenthal Center Calls on President Obama, Congressional Leaders to Denounce 'Dual Loyalty' Campaign Smearing Senator Schumer and Other Opponents of Iran Deal

August 12, 2015

Also Urges Opponents of Iran Agreement to Stop Harsh Rhetoric

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is urging President Obama and Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress to denounce attacks on Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other members of Congress who oppose the Iran deal. “The spectacle of labeling Senator Schumer and other opponents of the controversial Iran Nuclear deal as ‘warmongers’ who are more loyal to Israel than America is the lowest form of gutter politics seen in our country since Joe McCarthy,” charged Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, Dean and Founder and Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading Jewish human rights organization.

Photo L-R: community activist, Stanley Teitel, Congressman Schiff, Rabbi Cooper. Not pictured in attendance, community leaders, Dr. Irving Lebovics and Emil Fish

 

“Instead of passionate and reasoned debates based on objective analysis of facts, we are increasingly witness to eblasts, political cartoons, and sound bites that outrageously call into question people’s loyalty to our Nation,” Hier and Cooper said.

 

“We fear that such hateful rhetoric between now and next month’s historic vote will legitimize mainstream hate and anti-Semitism and falsely reduce an important policy decision that impacts on international terrorism, our Arab allies and the future of the Middle East, to a disagreement between the US and Israel,” they added.

 

Center officials are calling on Congressional leaders to take the lead in, “pushing back against the dangerous rhetoric that has the potential to wreak more damage to our society, than any foreign threat.” Rabbi Cooper raised the issue at a meeting yesterday with Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) urging swift, bipartisan action.

 

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

 

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).