“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.

#WarCrimes

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.

#Israel #war #genocide#WarCrimes

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.

#Israel#HumanitarianCrisis #genocide#WarCrimes

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.