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Aug 13, 2024, 3:43 PM

Yesterday I witnessed the Khurban (Destruction) of somebody’s world

At 8:00 today we set out on our annual Tisha B'Av journey to read Eikha (Lamentations) at sites of khurban (destruction) in our times. Standing next to the burned-out Sderot police station, we will recite new kinot (Tisha B'Av...

Jul 26, 2024, 7:11 PM

We all should read the ICJ opinion – this week I experienced it

The damage to a warehouse caused by an attack by Jewish settlers from the Homesh settlement in the Palestinian village of Bazariya near Nablus, July 12, 2024. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

The Court described de facto annexation and a failure to extend protections to Palestinian residents. That's exactly what I see.

Jun 11, 2024, 8:03 PM

Are We Moving Towards or Away From Sinai? Shavuot 5784

It was exactly a year ago, on the eve of Shavuot that the last of the Eyn Samia shepherding community finished dismantling their homes and fled their homes because of State backed settler violence. Since then, another 20 communities...

May 15, 2024, 11:40 AM

A Yom HaAtzmaut Plea To God And Ourselves Given Events In Gaza And The West Bank

This was post was intended on Monday, but as is recounted at the end just before my plea, emergency events in the field intervened. At the Har Herzl military cemetery on Monday there was a group of yeshiva boys singing...

May 10, 2024, 6:44 PM

‘Yeah-Boo” and Other Memories of My Dad, Discourse, and Parashat Kedoshim

My father’s yahrzeit was on the 30th of Nissan (Wednesday). More about him and what we can learn from him regarding our current situation and Parashat Kedoshim at the end. But reflecting on the events of the past few days...

Apr 19, 2024, 10:02 PM

Sixty Harrowing Hours of Pogroms and Violence In An Upside Down World: Metzorah

Please share this post on the murder of Binyamin Ahimeir, the wave of violence during the 60 hours from last Friday to Monday (and still ongoing), upside down values in our inverted world and Parashat Metzora with those you...

Mar 22, 2024, 10:50 AM

Can we be non-binary this Purim?

I recently was sent a picture of an International Women’s Day demonstration on behalf of Israel. I thought, “With Israeli women murdered, raped and taken hostage, and thousands of Gazan women and children dead from our bombings, and hundreds...

Nov 10, 2023, 4:55 PM

Abraham Died In Peace Because His Children Loved Each Other

The purchase by Abraham of the Makhpelah Cave in Hebron to bury Sarah in this week's Torah portion -- Khayei Sarah --, is seen by many as proof of Jewish ownership of the entire Biblical Land of Israel, in...

Nov 3, 2023, 7:31 PM

Vayera: Dispel Darkness By Distinguishing Between the Guilty and the Innocent

I still believe we will one day emerge from the ark, but for now our ark is journeying further into darkness. Spending last night as part of the protective presence in Massafer Yatta (South Hebron Hills) they sometimes listened to...

Oct 22, 2023, 10:40 AM

Innocent West Bank Palestinians are like Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor

Before this week’s Parashat Noakh, two thoughts about Bereshit: `1. The first is the obvious. Chapter 1:27 teaches us that ALL human beings are created in God’s Image. When Cain answers God “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Rabbi Shimshon Rafael...

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About Me

Rabbi Arik Ascherman is the founder and director of the Israeli human rights organization "Torat Tzedek-Torah of Justice." Previously, he led "Rabbis For Human Rights" for 21 years. Rabbi Ascherman is a sought after lecturer, has received numerous prizes for his human rights work and has been featured in several documentary films, including the 2010 "Israel vs Israel." He and "Torat Tzedek" received the Rabbi David J. Forman Memorial Fund's Human Rights Prize fore 5779. Rabbi Ascherman is recognized as a role model for faith based human rights activism.

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