Sylvan Adams, the newly appointed president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) – Israel Region, warned on Sunday against renewed diplomatic appeasement of Iran’s nuclear program. Speaking at the opening gala of the WJC’s 17th Plenary Assembly in Jerusalem on Sunday, Adams called for Jewish unity, bold leadership, and decisive action.
The event at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem brought together more than 300 Jewish leaders and delegates from over 70 countries. It marked the start of the WJC’s highest decision-making forum and a new chapter in global Jewish advocacy, according to the organization.
In his speech, Adams addressed the urgent threat posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “We must not end up with another Obama-style Iran nuclear deal that leaves this problem for a future American administration,” he said.
“If Iran refuses to eliminate its uranium enrichment, then Israel, together with the United States, must end their nuclear program with a committed bombing campaign. Iran has never been weaker, thanks to Israel. But their strategy of delay and obfuscation must not succeed.”
Adams also criticized Qatar for its support of Hamas: “Qatar is not our friend. It shelters the Hamas billionaires who planned October 7. If they wanted peace, they would hand them over and begin real hostage negotiations.”
Huckabee: ‘Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon’
Adams spoke alongside US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who delivered his first public remarks since President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East last week.
“The president is very clear, Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon, they are not going to enrich, they are going to have total dismantlement, and those are the words that he has said,” Huckabee said.
“So, whatever they are discussing, those are the criteria that the president has set forth. Even if they said they agree to it – do we believe them? That becomes the next big question. Do we believe them? They haven’t kept anything they’ve said for 46 years.”
New initiative to promote Aliyah
Adams also unveiled a new initiative to promote aliyah to Israel. “Tonight, I am proud to announce a bold and visionary goal: to promote the aliyah of one million Jews to the State of Israel. Just as we welcomed a million Jews from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s, we will once again reinvigorate our homeland. The purest form of Zionism is expressed with one’s feet,” Adams said.
“WJC Israel is committed to turning that expression into reality,” he added.
Later in the evening, Adams and Ambassador Huckabee presented a special Israeli Resilience Award to freed hostages Tal Shoham, his wife Adi, and children Yahel and Naveh.
Adams closed his speech with a rallying cry for global Jewish unity: “Together, we can face and overcome the many battles being waged against us: the war in Gaza, the existential threat from Iran and its proxies, the global rise in antisemitism, and the insidious spread of propaganda and disinformation. We are one people – Am Yisrael. Division only empowers our enemies. But united, we are unstoppable.”
Jesus Christ is King
