Obama speaks with US rabbis ahead of Rosh Hashana holiday

US President Barack Obama on Monday conversed with a group of American rabbis ahead of Rosh Hashana.

In the conference call, the outgoing US president lauded the rabbis for their contributions to their communities and what he said was their work on policy issues.

The call was organized by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Rabbinical Council of America and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Assembly.

Obama then turned to what he said was his administration’s “unshakable commitment to Israel’s security,” noting the recent signing of a $38 billion military aid deal between Washington and Jerusalem.

The president also touched on the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, including the US, which he said demonstrated his commitment to preventing Tehran from gaining atomic weapons capabilities.

According to PJMedia.com, Obama told the rabbis “every pathway to a nuclear weapon is now closed off” to Iran thanks to his administration’s “principled diplomacy.”

He also said that “we have worked incredibly closely with many of you” on issues including the UN recognition of Yom Kippur, and the global climate change deal signed in Paris.

Of course, we’ve still got a lot of work to do – on the refugee crisis, on criminal justice reform, reducing violence, and creating a political culture in this country that’s a little more functional,” Obama continued. “But a new year brings new hope, and the community represented on this phone call has always known what it means to stand up for the less fortunate, the stranger, the immigrant, the refugee.”

Other topics of discuss reportedly included antisemitism and Holocaust survivor reparations.