Update: this action, now closed, ran from August-September 2015.

Many Members of Congress have come out in support of the Iran deal already. Many of them are facing a fierce backlash generated by opponents of the deal. These members need to hear from you TODAY. Click here to thank them for supporting the Iran deal.

Many others Members of Congress still have not come out with a position on the deal or have come out in opposition.  They need to hear from you TODAY. Click here to tell them you want them to support the Iran deal.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) grieves the passing of Professor Gerald "Jerry" Bubis (z”l), who died Friday, August 21, at the age of 91. Our condolences go out to Jerry’s wife Ruby, son David Bubis, daughter Deena Libman, and grandchildren Rabbi Jonathan Bubis, Hannah Bubis and Molly Libman.

Jerry’s tremendous contributions for the benefit of the Jewish community, Israel, and thousands upon thousands of people, span a lifetime of leadership, service, and activism.   He was a progressive icon who leaves behind an extraordinary legacy.    

A founder, long-time board member and past national co-chair of APN, Jerry was an unwavering and seminal leader for the cause of peace for Israel.  In the 1980s, Jerry was one of the earliest voices in the Jewish community advocating for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The fact that Jerry stood firm in his view, despite it being deeply unpopular at the time, attests to his courage; the fact that his position was eventually adopted by the wider Jewish community and the world attests to his wisdom.   While Jerry did not live to see his dream of Israeli-Palestinian peace and a two-state solution achieved, he never gave up, and inspires us all to never give up.

Jerry’s memory will be a blessing for us. We will always remember what you have accomplished for APN and for the cause of peace, security and democracy for Israel. 

Check this list to see which Members of Congress have come out in support of the Iran nuclear deal.

Find those members of Congress that you (a) vote for, (b) support, or (c) feel some other kind of connection to.

Take these steps to thank them for supporting the deal:

• Email your thanks (this is for constituents only) – click here to send your message.

• Call and talk to their staff.  Call 855-686-6927, ask for the member’s office, and tell the person who answers the phone:

• Click here to tweet your thanks to them.  Twitter handles for members are included in each entry on our list of members supporting the deal.

For Members of Congress who are NOT on the list of members supporting the Iran deal but that you (a) vote for, (b) support, or (c) feel some other kind of connection to – let them know you want them to support the deal!

• Email them and tell them to support this deal (this is for constituents only) – click here to send your message.

• Call and talk to their staff.  Call 855-686-6927, ask for the member’s office, and tell the person who answers the phone:

• Click here to urge them via Twitter to support the Iran deal.  A list of all the Twitter handles of the House Members who have them can be found here, and those of the Senators here.

This week, Alpher discusses why Ehud Barak made his dramatic remarks about attacking Iran and why he made them now; if there are potential strategic ramifications, or if this is merely one more case of a frustrated ex-politician sounding off; whether last week’s rocket attacks on Israel from the Syrian Golan and Israel’s response suggest the possibility of imminent escalation of hostilities between Iranian proxies and Israel, and if the timing bespeaks a link to the Iran nuclear deal; actions that are perceived by Palestinians as Israeli provocations, which have resulted recently in increased instances of stone-throwing and fire-bombing against Israeli vehicles and knife attacks on IDF soldiers.

Listen to the APN interview with Liat Schlesinger, who heads the Investigative Research Department at Molad, a progressive Israeli think tank, on a report she recently authored on the phenomenon known as Price Tag.

Rabbi Joshua Gutoff is Director of the MA in Jewish Education program at Gratz College. He has rabbinic ordination and an EdD from the Jewish Theological Seminary.

We turn to the Torah, many of us, for wisdom.   And this week when we turn to the parsha, this is what we find:  a command to the Israelites that, when encountering an enemy town, to enslave all the inhabitants.  Unless they put up a fight, in which case all the adult males are to be slaughtered, and the women and children enslaved.  And that’s outside the Promised Land.  When conquering the Land, none of the indigenous population is to be spared.  (Deut. 20:10-18)

Where we might have been hoping for something that would demonstrate a respect for all human life, even anticipate the Geneva Conventions, we find instead an invitation (or command!) to participate in forced enslavement or genocidal slaughter.