We are pleased to announce the NORPAC Mission to Washington 2023 will be held on Wednesday, May 10th!
Find more information and register here: http://norpac.net/mission-to-washington
Category: Annual Events
Please see our latest newsletter here
May 11, 2018
Earlier this week, President Trump announced that the United States is withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, a/k/a the “Iran Deal”).
Norpac strongly opposed the JCPOA at the time it was reached in 2015 because, among other things, (a) it did not, as its supporters asserted, cut off all of Iran’s pathways to a nuclear weapon, (b) it did not address Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism, (c) many of the constraints the agreement imposed on Iran’s nuclear program will sunset in eight years, (d) it failed to include any ability to respond to low level breaches by Iran of the deal (of which there have been many), (e) it lacked inspections at military sites, (f) it allowed Iran to continue its research into more advanced centrifuges and (g) it failed to prohibit development of ballistic missiles, whose primary purpose is to deliver nuclear bombs.
We applaud President Trump for seeking to address these issues and reach a multilateral agreement to fix these and other problems with the JCPOA. We also applaud his pointing out the obvious: that the JCPOA has seemed to encourage Iran’s support of terrorists and murderous regimes, rather than causing it to moderate its behavior.
In the post-JCPOA world, we hope that the President restarts negotiations with our allies soon with the aim of both reaching a multilateral agreement that addresses both the nuclear issue and Iran’s malign regional aggression.
Dear NORPAC Members,
We did it! Our Mission to Washington 2014 was a tremendous success, and we are proud to have signed up over 1,000 participants this year to meet in the offices of a record 97% of the U.S. Senate and most of the House of Representatives to advocate for a stronger U.S.-Israel relationship.
At this year’s plenary session we were honored by the presence of such important figures to this relationship as Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, Senator Ben Cardin, Senator Ted Cruz, House Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel, and New Jersey State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg.
What happened during the Mission?
You advocated for key legislation and Congressional action, including:
- Continuing to support $3.1 billion in security assistance to Israel
- Renewing our country’s program to support joint missile defense funding with Israel
- Ensuring that harsher sanctions are enacted against Iran if it does not reach an acceptable final agreement on its nuclear program
- Imposing financial sanctions on the terrorist organization Hezbollah
- Speaking out against BDS and exposing its bigotry
We are among the first pro-Israel advocates to organize a mission promoting the new House Bill H.R. 4411 – the Hezbollah International Financial Prevention Act. This bill curtails Hezbollah’s funding by sanctioning foreign banks which do business with the the organization. It also seeks to stem their international influence by hitting satellite providers who air al-Manar – Hezbollah’s television station which promotes terrorism world-wide.
What’s next?
Now that you’ve been on the Mission and met with Members of Congress and their staff, don’t forget to follow up! One of the most important aspects of the Mission is the ability to build a relationship with the respective Congressional offices which you visited. Your correspondence with these offices is key to keeping the issues of importance fresh in the minds of our nation’s leaders in Washington, D.C. Please thank them for their time meeting with you on Mission day, and remind them how important the U.S.-Israel relationship really is.
Thank you to everyone who attended, thank you to our Mission committee and staff, and thanks to all of our members who support our organization and our mission to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship!
MISSION CHAIRS
Laurie Baumel * Richard Schlussel * David Steinberg
MISSION LOGISTICS CHAIR MISSION TALKING POINTS CHAIR
MISSION LOGISTICS CHAIR MISSION TALKING POINTS CHAIR
Jeff Schreiber Allen Friedman
MISSION COMMITTEE
Bergen: Alan Berger, Michael Blumenthal, Reuven Escott, Mollie Fisch, Mort Fridman, Rabbi M Genack, Jerry & Anne Gontownik, Robert & Irene Gottesman, Miriam Hermann, Arthur Kook, Leon Kozak, Saul Levine, Drew Parker, Zvi Plotzker, David Schlussel
Manhattan: Susan Canter, Dan Feder, Charles Gross
Edison/Highland Park: Andrew Freedman, Marc Hanfling
Edison/Highland Park: Andrew Freedman, Marc Hanfling
West Orange: Barbara Bortniker, Bernard & Eliane Levy, Roz Feder Lipsky, Susie Mendelsohn
Bronx: David Frankel, Stanley & Ethel Scher
New Rochelle: Marc Berger
Monsey/Rockland: Richard Kroll, Richard Weinberg
Five Towns/Long Island: Margie Glatt, Robert Margulies, Jason Muss, Avram Schrieber, Stanley & Trudy Stern
Five Towns/Long Island: Margie Glatt, Robert Margulies, Jason Muss, Avram Schrieber, Stanley & Trudy Stern
PRESIDENT
Ben Chouake
Ben Chouake
STAFF
Avi Schranz – Executive Director
Mindy Berman – Director of Development
Sandi Dube – Scheduler
Dear NORPAC members,
The Levaya for Pepe Chouake, mother of NORPAC president Dr. Ben Chouake, will be held Thursday, August 16 at Noon at the Riverside-Nassau North Chapel in Great Neck, Long Island.
Riverside-Nassau North Chapel
55 North Station Plaza
Great Neck, NY
12:00PM
55 North Station Plaza
Great Neck, NY
12:00PM
Shiva will be held at Dr. Chouake’s home following the funeral services at 245 Hutchinson Rd, Englewood, NJ. Shiva will be observed through Wednesday morning, August 22.
Please note the following Minyan times:
Shacharit on Friday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 6:30am / Sunday at 8:00am / Monday at 6:15am.
Mincha/Marriv on Thursday at 7:35pm and Sunday through Tuesday at 7:25pm.
HaMakom yenachem et’chem b’toch shar avay’lay Tzion vee’Yerushalayim.
May the Omnipresent comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
Please contact Avi@NORPAC.net or call (201) 788-5133 for more information.
NORPAC’s Mission to Washington has been having a tremendous impact both in Congress and abroad; here are some articles pertaining to the event:
An Inspiring Day of Advocacy (Jewish Press) – by Yehuda Raskin
NORPAC Mission to D.C. (Jewish Standard) – by Abigail Klein Leichman
NORPAC’s Mission to Washington: US Aid to Israel, including Sanctions against Iran, Is Morally Right and Mutually Beneficial (Jewish Voice and Opinion) – by Susan L. Rosenbluth
Five Towns Jewish Times: Power to the People with NORPAC
Long Branch’s Congregation Brothers of Israel Thanks Avram Tuvy on his Leadership During the Mission
Rep. Jeff Flake Tweets About Speaking at the Mission Plenary Session
More to come!
http://www.5tjt.com/local-news/14238-power-to-the-people-with-norpacwe
We have uploaded several photographs from the NORPAC Mission to Washington 2012 that can be viewed here. Credits go to Josh Justic and Charlie Gross.
If you have any pictures from the event that you would like us to add to our online album, please contact Avi at josef@norpac.net.
Dear NORPAC Mission Registrants,
Please note the departure, location, and minyan information on the Bus Schedule list below. This list will also be made available on our website. Should you have any questions regarding your schedule, feel free to respond to this e-mail and we will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
| MASTER BUS SCHEDULE | |||||
| Location | Bus # | Minyan | AM Load | Address | Notes |
| Teaneck | 1 thru 9 | 5:15 | 5:30 | 600 Roemer Ave. Teaneck NJ | Cong Keter Torah. |
| Monsey | 10 | 5:30 | 4:45 Monsey 5:30 Teaneck | Park & Ride (next to Pathmark) RT. 59 , Monsey 600 Roemer Ave. Teaneck, NJ | |
| Edison | 11 & 12 | 5:45 | 6:00 | 48 Edgemount Rd., Edison, NJ | Cong Ohr Torah |
| HP | 13 | 5:45 | 6:00 | 216 South First Ave, Highland Park, NJ | Cong. Ahavas Achim |
| E. Brunswick | 24 | 5:45 | 6:00 | 193 Dunhams Corner Road, E. Brunswick | Young Israel of E.B. |
| West Orange | 14 & 15 | 5:20 | 5:45 | 300 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ | Cong Ohr Torah |
| Stern / YU | 16 | On Bus | 5:00 Stern 5:40 YU | 245 Lex. Ave & 186th @ Amsterdam | |
| Riverdale | 17 | On Bus | 5:30 | 237th and Independence Ave, Riverdale, NY | Riverdale Jewish Center |
| NYC | 18 | 5:45 | 6:00 | 69th and Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY | Lincoln Square Synagogue |
| 5Towns | 19 & 20 | On Bus | 5:00 | 775 Branch Blvd, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 | Sephardic Temple |
| KGH | 21 | On Bus | 5:15 | 72 Ave & Park Drive East, Kew Gardens Hills, NY | |
| Long Branch | 22 | ? | 5:45 | 250 Park Avenue Long Branch, NJ 07740 | Congregation Brothers of Israel |
| Westchester | 25 | ? | 5:45 | 1149 North Ave, New Rochelle, NJ | YI New Rochelle. |