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More coverage of the off-the-record meeting held last Monday between American Jewish organization leadership and President Barack Obama, to address concerns over the framework of a nuclear deal with Iran.

[ALSO READ: B’nai B’rith Encouraged by Corker-Cardin Compromise; Questions Remain on Viability of Iran Deal]

The Jewish Journal has more details about B’nai B’rith International’s involvement in the top-level meetings, as well as a recap of other publications’ reports. Read excerpts from the Jewish Journal, below:


The first meeting, held at 1:45PM, featured National Security Advisors Susan Rice and Colin Kahl. The organization leaders who attended include.

Conference of Presidents’ Malcolm Hoenlein, AIPAC’s Lee Rosenberg and Robert Cohen, ADL’s Abe Foxman, OU’s Allen Fagin, JCPA’s Steve Gutow, Wiesenthal’s Marvin Hier, URJ’s Rick Jacobs, AJC’s Jason Issacson, WJC’s Ronald Lauder, Israel Policy Forum’s Peter Joseph, NCJW’s Nancy K. Kaufman, B’nai B’rith’s Dan Mariaschin, NJDC’s Greg Rosenbaum, Rabbinical Assembly’s Julie Schonfeld, Federations’ Jerry Silverman, past CoP Chair Alan Solow, J Street Vice-Chair Alexandra Stanton, and CoP’s Chairman Robert Sugarman. 

According to a source, the two hour long meeting, featured Potus speaking for around an hour with some time for questions and answers with the President and Rice. 

The second meeting, tailored more for the President’s longtime supporters in the Jewish community, was held at 4:45PM and lasted around an hour and forty minutes. 

The meeting featured President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Susan Rice, Valerie Jarrett, and Robert Malley. According to two sources with knowledge of the meetings, the President began by detailing the day’s previous meeting, with no notes, for around twenty minutes and then went around the room allowing each attendee to ask multiple questions on issues including Iran, Israelis and Palestinians, and the U.S. – Israel relationship. 

One source told Jewish Insider that they had never seen the President as “passionate, emotional and connected to the issues” as he was [today] but added that the President was also candid and honest about expressing frustration with the way some of his views have been portrayed and attacked by others.