Sharp Words on Iran at Breakfast

By COLlive reporter

Speakers at the 35th annual Community Legislative Breakfast of the Council of Jewish Organizations of Flatbush (COJO) this past Sunday had some sharp words, foreign policy-wise.

Senator Chuck Schumer, Congressman Jerry Nadler and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke all spoke about the danger of Iran having nuclear capabilities.

“Iran must be made to understand that its threats to Israel and the world are taken very seriously,” said Clarke, a Democrat who represents Crown Heights.

Clarke went on to say that “even as the United States is pursuing diplomatic negotiations, all options are on the table” – a reference that includes military action.

Clarke and Nadler were among the 395 members of the House that recently signed a bipartisan letter to President Barack Obama on the matter.

They wrote that in an event that negotiations fail, Congress should be consulted “so that we can act swiftly to consider additional sanctions and steps necessary to change Iran’s calculation.”

Schumer, who arrived on a bike and was casually dressed in sweatpants, said: “We must do everything we can in any way possible to avoid a nuclear Iran. And we will be leading the charge to make sure that the Iranians know that they will not go nuclear or face the most severe consequences.”

The firm stance of the speakers won them applause from the crowd that included Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Public Advocate Letitia James, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, State Senator Simcha Felder, Councilmen David Greenfeld, Chaim Deutsch and Brad Lander.

Rabbi Yechezkel Pikus and Leon Goldenberg of COJO presented Golden Benefactor Awards to Ari Baum, a senior vice president at Morgan Stanley; Gil Cygler, the president and chief executive officer of AllCar Rent-A-Car; and Steve Cohn, member of the New York City Bar Matrimonial Committee and Delegate to the New York State Bar Association.

Attending from Crown Heights were Rabbi Shea Hecht of the NCFJE organization; SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Holtzman, Rabbi Yehoshua Werde of Crown Heights Young Entrepreneurs (CHYE), Congresswoman Clarke’s aide Eli Slavin, Rabbi Yerachmiel Benjaminson and Rabbi Mendel Spalter of the Jewish Children’s Museum, activist Avi Lesches and Moshe Frank.

Also there were Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents, Rabbi Micheal Miller of JCRC, Cheskal Bennet of Agudath Israel, Rabbi Moshe Wiener of JCCGCI and Mrs. Nechama Clapman of MASK.