Among the recent public letters was one from dozens of Orthodox rabbis demanding “moral clarity” to what they called a #HumanitarianCrisis.
As Israel’s tactics in Gaza have increasingly provoked international condemnation, rabbis from across the world are taking the unusual step of speaking out against the Israeli government’s conduct in the #war, on moral & religious grounds.
Over the past few weeks, as reports of #MassKillings in #Gaza have spread & experts declared the area is officially suffering from #famine, a significant number of clergy across the spectrum of #Jewish observance & affiliation have signed a series of high-profile, carefully crafted public letters criticizing the Israeli government.
Associations representing Reform congregations & Conservative #rabbis — denominations that encompass nearly half of American #Jews — have called for #Israel to release additional #aid, citing Jewish values & what one group called a “moral priority” to feed the hungry. Nearly three dozen rabbis were arrested in demonstrations in #NewYork & #Washington last month, calling for more aid to #Gaza & for Israel & its prime minister, Benjamin #Netanyahu, to end the #war.
Perhaps most notably, those raising concerns now include a small group of Orthodox #rabbis, whose communities have broadly not wavered in their support of #Israel throughout the #war.
Last week ~80 Orthodox rabbis signed an open letter demanding “moral clarity, responsibility, & a #Jewish Orthodox response” to the #HumanitarianCrisis in #Gaza. Signers included chief rabbis of #Poland & #Norway, & the fmr chief rabbi of #Ireland. Organizers said that >½ of those who signed were from the #US.
“We affirm that #Hamas’s sins & crimes do not relieve the government of #Israel of its obligations to make whatever efforts are necessary to prevent mass #starvation,” the letter said. “Orthodox Jewry, as some of Israel’s most devoted supporters, bears a unique moral responsibility. We must affirm that Judaism’s vision of justice & compassion extends to all human beings.”
A primary organizer was Rabbi Yosef Blau, the former religious leader of #YeshivaUniversity, a Modern Orthodox institution in Manhattan. Blau said his concerns encompassed not only the Israeli government’s treatment of #civilians in #Gaza but also reported #violence against #Palestinians by Orthodox #Jewish settlers in the #WestBank.
“The responsibility & the lack of concern that #Hamas has for the health & welfare of its own people does not free #Israel from having responsibility for the destruction that it has caused,” Rabbi Blau said. “It is not a zero-sum game.”
The #Jewish community is far from a monolith, & support for the tactics & mission of Israel’s war in #Gaza has varied. But until recently, many mainstream Jewish organizations & leaders had defended Israel’s war against Hamas, if with growing unease.
The deteriorating conditions in #Gaza & the denial of #aid to #Palestinian #civilians is prompting some who consider themselves ardent supporters of #Israel to publicly object to the #FarRight government’s stewardship of the #war, arguing that it crosses a #religious & #moral line. The Torah & #Jewish tradition command Jews to feed the poor & hungry, respect the sanctity of life & show mercy & compassion.
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