A Statement to the Jewish Community of Greater Washington

Ron Halber
Executive Director
Jewish Community Relation Council of Greater Washington 

Gil Preuss
Chief Executive Officer
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington 

Media reports indicate that Iran has launched over a hundred cruise missiles and drones toward
Israel. The situation is fluid; we will learn more about the scale and scope of this attack in the
coming hours and days.

We unequivocally support Israel’s right to defend itself against an attack by Iran or its proxies.
For the past 40 years, the U.S. State Department has designated Iran as a state sponsor of
terrorism. In that time, Iran has used its resources and influence to fund groups such as Hamas
and Hezbollah that are expressly committed to destroying the state of Israel and — as we saw in
the barbaric attack of October 7 — wiping out the Jewish people. Israel’s need to protect its
people against such mortal threats is now and must always be absolute.

We appreciate the public commitments from President Biden and Secretary of Defense Austin
that Israel has the full support of the United States in its efforts to protect its people from an
Iranian attack. We urge congressional leaders to back up that support with any additional
funding Israel may need to protect its people. Nothing short of an ironclad, fully bipartisan
commitment is acceptable. United States political and military support for Israel at this moment
must be unconditional.

Here at home, we remain in close contact with local law enforcement, policymakers, and school
officials to ensure that Jewish families are safe and our institutions are protected. We will not
tolerate any forces of hate using this moment to issue threats or commit attacks against our
communities. If they do, we will ensure that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

To our brothers and sisters in Israel: know that in this dire hour, our community is standing
shoulder to shoulder with you, and we will do everything in our power to support and defend
you.

Am Yisrael Chai. The nation of Israel lives.