Congregations Beth Israel and Beth El are proud to bring to our community an opportunity to learn from Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, a nationally recognized expert on an issue of utmost importance — the Iran nuclear deal.

This is an opportunity to learn more about the issues and what’s at stake for America, Israel and the world.

The debate so far this summer has been heated, but in the cool sanctuary of Beth Israel we will be able to learn from Dr. Schanzer, listen to each other, and hopefully decide for ourselves about the accord and what we should do.

The timeliness of this program cannot be overstated.  The nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers has placed enormous strain on the U.S.-Israel relationship. Jonathan Schanzer, a Middle East expert and former U.S. Treasury intelligence analyst, will help us understand why. Dr. Schanzer breaks down the deal with an eye toward Israeli and American national security and the stability of the Middle East. The deal can be summarized as having deferred an Iranian nuclear weapon for a decade, while allowing for a stronger Iran, financially and militarily, in the short-term. Critics claim there are blind spots and loopholes.

Dr. Schanzer is an accomplished scholar and author. His most recent book, State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State, argues that the main roadblock to Palestinian statehood is not necessarily Israel’s intransigence, but rather the Palestinian Authority’s political dysfunction and mismanagement. His prior book, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine analyzes the internecine conflict between the two powerful Palestinian factions. His 2004 book, Al-Qaeda’s Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups and the Next Generation of Terror, was the first to explore the al-Qaeda franchises of the Middle East.

Schanzer has testified before Congress and publishes widely in the American and international media. He has appeared on Fox News and CNN, and Arabic language television channels such as al-Arabiya and al-Jazeera. Schanzer has traveled widely throughout the Middle East, including Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. He is fluent in Arabic and Hebrew.

Please RSVP below for planning purposes. This event is free; there will be a light reception following.