New York, NY, September 10, 2009 … A contingent of Anti-Defamation League leaders joined today with other national Jewish leaders for a daylong fly-in to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about the urgency of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

"We are taking an opportunity, ahead of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations, to meet with senior administration officials and congressional representatives to reinforce the message that Iran's quest for nuclear weapons must be stopped," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "With Iran already having produced enough nuclear fuel to build a bomb, this issue has never been more urgent and the stakes never higher."

Leaders of national Jewish organizations held a series of meetings with diplomats, representatives from the White House and the State Department, and met with representatives and senators on Capitol Hill.  The leaders also attended policy briefings on Iran ended the day with a press conference on the U.S. Capitol Steps.

"We have come to Washington to ensure that the U.S. exercises strong leadership to persuade the Iranian regime to halt its nuclear program and to fully cooperate with inspectors," said Charles Kriser, Chair of ADL's International Affairs Committee.  "There can be no doubt that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a serious threat to the U.S. and to the State of Israel and would destabilize the entire Middle East."

The Jewish organizations are encouraging the United States to take a series of steps to further pressure Iran to end its nuclear program, including:

• A concerted international effort, using a mix of strong diplomatic and economic measures, to persuade Tehran to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions on its nuclear program.
• The adoption of new legislation by Congress – including the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (IRPSA), the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act and other related bills – that will give the U.S. additional tools to pressure Iran.
• To encourage the State Department and the White House to take full advantage of sanctions and other measures and to urge other nations to follow suit.

The National Jewish Leadership Advocacy Day on Iran was coordinated by the National Inter-Agency Task Force on Iran, which includes the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, United Jewish Communities, JCSJ: Advocates on behalf of Jewish in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States & Eurasia, and their constituent organizations.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.