To End the Manufacturing and Trade in Fissionable Material Suitable for the Production of Nuclear Arms

60th General Assembly
November 1989
New Orleans, Louisiana

BACKGROUND
In 1981 the General Assembly of the UAHC adopted a resolution that called for "The United States to take vigorous world leadership in the achievement of effective non-proliferation treaties." This resolution also called for a freeze on the production, testing, and deployment of nuclear arms. All the major nuclear materials production facilities are now closed in the United States because of unsafe working conditions, radioactive contamination and past accidents. The reactors are wearing out as they near the end of their designed lifetimes. The Department of Energy has requested $81 billion dollars over the next twenty years to clean-up and rebuild these facilities while outside expertise suggests the cost will exceed $150 billion. As yet there has not been established a method for long term disposal of the radio-active waste coming from these plants.

There are now over 50,000 nuclear warheads posing a threat to mankind.

THEREFORE , the Union of American Hebrew Congregations resolves to:

  1. Appeal to world leaders, especially President Bush and President Gorbachev, to initiate multi-national negotiations which would lead to a world-wide treaty banning the production of and trade in fissionable material for the production of nuclear arms; and
  2. Urge the United States government to delay replacing existing nuclear reactors which are used to produce such materials while it explores, with the Soviet Union, a moratorium on such production.