January 15, 2026
The Central Conference of American Rabbis lifts the collective Reform Jewish voice in support of the brave people who are risking their lives to protest the terrorist regime that governs Iran. We grieve the deaths of all whom the regime has brutally murdered, in response to the current uprising and before it, in Iran and around the world, and stand in awe of those who continue to oppose the regime.
Reform rabbis have been deeply concerned about the Iranian regime’s sponsorship of terror and its efforts to develop nuclear weapons, with the explicit attempt of destroying our beloved State of Israel and murdering our people there.[i] For decades, the Iranian regime has threatened the stability of its region and the world, even as Iranian people have been deprived of personal freedoms and are increasingly impoverished by the regime’s corruption and diversion of public funds to terrorism and the development of nuclear weapons.
Centuries before democracy was common, our rabbinic sages decreed that a ruler may only lead a people with their consent.[ii] The Iranian regime has forfeited its moral authority to rule the nation and has now lost the popular support required to remain in power. Their reach goes well beyond its own boundaries to impose its terror in the Middle East and the western hemisphere. For the sake of a greater peace that begins in Iran, it is time for the people of Iran to be sovereign.
The Central Conference of American Rabbis calls upon the governments of the United States and Canada, together with their allies, to continue and to strengthen sanctions that cripple the Iranian regime and to take all appropriate steps to support the myriads protesting their cruel government.
Rabbi David A. Lyon, President
Rabbi Hara E. Person, Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis
[i] “The Threat from Iran,” Resolution adopted by the 117th Annual Convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, June, 2006, Threat from Iran, The – Central Conference of American Rabbis.
[ii] Babylonian Talmud, B’rachot 55a.
CCAR statements are grounded in the history of CCAR resolutions and platforms. We strive to represent the overall voice of the CCAR leadership and the Reform rabbinate on critical issues of the day. The CCAR is a diverse community of rabbis, and we recognize the multiplicity of viewpoints that exist within our membership. We encourage those of differing perspectives to engage in respectful dialogue. It is our hope that these statements provide the Reform community with deeper understanding of important issues that impact our lives as Jews and as global citizens.