A Powerful Webinar Driving out the Darkness of the Death Penalty

I recently had the profound honor of representing thousands of members L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty at a powerful gathering of Israeli and Jewish human rights groups for a webinar focused on the proposed bill to impose the death penalty on non-Jewish terrorists. Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel (RHR), T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and The Association for Civil Rights in Israel hosted the online Hanukkah event, which was entitled “We Will Drive out the Darkness by Increasing the Light.” Rabbi Avi Dabush, the Executive Director of RHR, and Rabbi Kobi Weiss of RHR – who passionately spoke against the bill in the Knesset recently – were joined by Attorney Elza Bugnet of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the Executive Director of T’ruah for a most enlightening conversation that framed the conversation about the death penalty within Jewish law and the lighting of the Hanukkah candles.

The title of the webinar recalled the famous quote by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his 1963 work Loving your Enemies, Strength to Love, in which he wrote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” My own contribution was to speak to L’chaim’s role in working against the death penalty in the United States, focusing on our recent essay: “8 Reasons to vote Against the Death Penalty this Hanukkah.” 

The message and consensus was clear: there is no place for the death penalty in Israel, nor in any civilized society. 

The horrific massacre at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia this Hanukkah has, as expected, led to renewed calls for the death penalty for terrorists in Israel and across the world. One commenter on Facebook wrote: “Israel, Australia, the United States and France should adopt mandatory death penalty for terrorism. Just like Saudi Arabia has laws against drug use and apostasy. Especially France after Charlie Hebdo/Bataclan/Nice attacks, Australia after The Bondi Beach attack, Israel after Oct 7 2023 and the US after the Thanksgiving 2025 Washington shooting. From trial to public hanging its supposed to be 10 weeks.”

The threat of a death penalty would not have stopped the perpetrators of the heinous massacre at Bondi Beach, nor any other incomprehensible murderous act of the past, present and future. The fear of capital punishment would not have deterred terrorist acts on October 7, 2023, just as it did not deter the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Shooter, who now faces execution. Meta-studies have concluded time and again that when it comes to deterrence, there is no demonstrable link between the presence or absence of the death penalty and murder rates. 

As renowned anesthesiologist Dr. Joel Zivot has reminded the world, “Israel’s death penalty would bring darkness, not deterrence.” Advocates for death invoke deterrence as a veil for what truly underlies the desire for executions: vengeance.

Two Hanukkahs ago, L’chaim released our interview with Sister Helen Prejean, famed author of Dead Man Walking. Sister Helen thanked us for keeping the torch of Elie Wiesel lit with the light of abolition. May the members of the Knesset find it in their hearts to do the same this season as we light the Hanukkah candles, and as they contemplate this ultimately Divine power of creating – and extinguishing – the light of life.

L’chaim!

Cantor Michael J. Zoosman, MSM, BCC

Co-Founder: L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty

Advisory Committee Member: Death Penalty Action