The ZOA praised U.S. strikes as long overdue and said they would’ve been necessary even if Israel didn’t exist, because of the Iranian regime’s antagonism against the U.S. and the West.
(February 28, 2026 / JTA) Many — but not all — major American Jewish groups are backing the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran that began Saturday morning, while urging heightened security at Jewish institutions amid fears of retaliation.
The strikes, which were billed by both President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an effort to topple the Islamic Republic regime that has long targeted Israel, follow weeks of stalled diplomacy between the United States and Iran over its nuclear program that failed to produce an agreement.
The American Jewish Committee quickly threw its support behind the United States and Israel Saturday morning, writing in a statement that the “responsibility for this crisis lies entirely with Tehran.”
“The world will be a safer place when the threat of the Iranian regime’s illicit nuclear and missile programs, along with the IRGC, is dismantled once and for all,” the AJC said. “We hope today’s military action is a decisive step toward fulfilling that vital mission.”
In a post on X, the Anti-Defamation League wrote that it “stands with the United States, Israel and the Iranian people, who deserve dignity and freedom from a regime that murders its own citizens.”
The strikes also follow large-scale nationwide protests in Iran last month over its economic crisis and widespread calls for political change, which were met by a violent government crackdown.
The World Jewish Congress also came out in support for the strikes, calling on the international community to “stand behind this historic effort and support further measures that end the ability of theocratic tyrants to inflict harm on the Iranian people and the world at large any longer.”
Jewish Federations of North America wrote that it will “pray for the success of the joint United States and Israeli actions in Iran,” simultaneously urging Jewish communities in the United States to maintain security protocols.
“All security protocols in North America should be fully observed. May this moment bring a renewed understanding of our shared responsibility for the future of the Jewish people and the free world,” Eric Fingerhut, the CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, said in a statement.
Following Saturday morning’s attacks, the Secure Community Network “urged continued vigilance across Jewish communities.” In the wake of Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites last June, Jewish security groups also warned Jews abroad to remain vigilant, as Iran has a track record of violence against Jewish and Israeli targets abroad following military setbacks on its home turf.
“Relevant national organizations and Jewish security professionals remain in close coordination, including with institutions, to monitor developments, share timely information, and strengthen protective measures, particularly in light of Shabbat services and upcoming Purim gatherings,” SCN wrote in a post on X.
The Zionist Organization of America praised the strikes as “long-overdue” and said they would be merited by the United States “even if Israel didn’t exist” because of the Iranian regime’s antagonism against the West.
“We are profoundly grateful to President Trump for the courageous, necessary joint U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran’s terror regime and its monstrous terrorist leadership,” ZOA President Morton Klein said in a statement. He added, “History will record that when the moment came, President Trump chose strength over surrender, and that decision may finally change the course of the Middle East.”
But while major national and international Jewish groups rallied behind the military intervention, some progressive Zionist Jewish political groups condemned the strikes.
“Americans are waking up to the deeply unsettling news that President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose to start a war with Iran,” wrote New Jewish Narrative, a progressive Zionist Jewish organization, in a post on X. “This is wrong. It needs to stop.”
Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of the liberal pro-Israel lobby J Street also voiced his opposition to the strikes, writing in a statement that the group was “appalled by President Trump’s reckless decision to launch a war of choice against Iran explicitly seeking regime change.”
“The Iranian government’s nuclear and missile programs, support for proxy groups throughout the Middle East and brutal repression of its own people represent a real national security challenge for the United States and its allies, including Israel. We would be pleased to see this government replaced with one that is a responsible international actor and responsive to the needs and demands of its people,” wrote Ben-Ami. “However, Iran does not present an imminent threat that requires launching a ‘preventive’ war.”
A range of religious organizations issued statements late Saturday and on Sunday, after Shabbat ended.
“There are many questions about the lead-up to this war and the way the U.S. Congress has been prevented from fulfilling its constitutional role in making the decision to wage it,” the Reform movement said in a statement signed by leaders of five of its organizations. “And yet, there can be little doubt that Iran has been a malign force against its own people and against Israel, America, the global Jewish people, and so many others in the region and beyond.”
The Conservative movement, meanwhile, did not offer a specific take on the war but called the Iranian regime “repressive” and said, “We are focused on the safety of American and Israeli armed forces, the people of Israel, and all civilians in Iran and elsewhere who are in harm’s way.”
This article was originally published in JTA and can be viewed here.