Recently, pashkvilim (religiously-themed posters) opposing Israel’s proposed death penalty bill appeared on public walls in Orthodox Jewish communities (most commonly within the Hareidi enclave), as well as the Kneseet, and other locations across Jerusalem. The organization Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) posted these broadsides, aimed at the hearts and minds of far-right religiously motivated proponents of this legislation. In Israel, RHR has been at the center of vocal, strident opposition to this legislation since its inception. Members have been attending the Knesset committee hearings and speaking vociferously against the law. The chair of that committee unceremoniously ejected some of them twice last week alone for their advocacy for human rights. The group has also conducted multiple convincing interviews on social media and Israeli radio. They are directly involved as well with an online petition in Israel that already has well over five thousand signatures. Their compelling position reflects the unambiguous Jewish community statement opposing the bill and the documented massive scale of rabbinic voices who already stand against the death penalty.

Some have disparagingly dismissed Rabbis for Human Rights as a “far-left” fringe group. This characterization is a gross misrepresentation and an insult to the mainstream Jewish world that supports them. Rabbis for Human Rights is the voice of Jewish tradition in the field of human rights. The organization was founded in 1988 (5749) and today has over 170 members—ordained rabbis, rabbinical students, and rabbinic leaders. It is non-partisan and uniquely activist, bringing together rabbis from across all denominations and rabbinical schools in Israel. Among its members are rabbis in public roles, educators, and community rabbis who can generate both grassroots and conceptual change. Recently, Rabbis for Human Rights partnered with T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty (of which this writer is a co-founder), and a myriad of other Israeli and international Jewish organizations, in issuing A Jewish Communal Statement Opposing the Death Penalty Bill in Israel. As of this writing, official signatories for this statement also include Ameinu Canada, Canadian Friends of Peace Now, Hashomer Hatzair USA, J Street, OHALAH: Association of Rabbisa and Cantors for Jewish Renewal, National Council of Jewish Women, New Israel Fund, New Jewish Narrative, Partners for Progressive Israel, Reconstructing Judaism, The Shalom Center, Society for Humanistic Judaism, Union for Reform Judaism and UnXeptable. More rabbinic and Jewish organizations continue to add their names regularly.

Image: Some of the organizations that have signed onto the recent Jewish Communal Statement Opposing the Death Penalty Bill in Israel

RHR disseminated the aforementioned posters with the support of all these Jewish communities across the world, and millions more Jews who stand against this bill. Of this poster campaign, Rabbi Avi Dabush, CEO of RHR, stated: “This bill is unJewish, immoral, dangerous and unnecessary. Jewish tradition abolished the death penalty two thousand years ago out of a deep understanding that humans do not have the authority to make a final decision about another human being’s life. Security officials have been telling us for thirty years that this will not deter any terrorist. And the real danger? Today terrorists, tomorrow who knows who they will use this sword against. We took to the streets with Pashkvilim because this is the way to speak to everyone who understands that the sanctity of life is not a slogan – it is a foundation.”

The posters themselves could not have been more direct and scathing in their indictment of the death penalty bill on religious grounds. Dozens of placards hung in Jerusalem near the Knesset gates on Kaplan Street, in the Nachlaot and Rehavia neighborhoods read: “Where in Israel do we hear such a thing? That a handful of people would seek to assume the authority of a high-ranking official and erect gallows in public!” Another was more explicit:

“Woe to us that such a thing has come to pass in our time! Is it possible that in a state of “law and justice” people will rise up to restore the cruel customs of the Gentiles in the name of “law and justice”? The people of the land are shocked, and they have been shocked! We knew that since the destruction of the Temple and the abolition of the Sanhedrin – we have no permission and we have no right to take a life! Have we forgotten the knowledge of Torah? The great men of all generations have trembled at the voice of ‘the judgment of souls’. All the great men of Israel, without exception, warned that in our time there is no one worthy to judge the judgment of souls! Why should we corrupt our souls?! And where are the rabbinical emissaries who claim to preserve the character of our country? They fell asleep on their watch. The Sanhedrin was exiled from the Gazit Bureau, and the murderers of the Danfis urged them to let the Zionists’ “court” decide the judgment of souls, by a majority of two to one.” (translated from the Hebrew)

Members wrote the following message on yet another poster: 

“Woe to the ears that hear this. They purify themselves and purify themselves on defenses, pretending to be innocent, all supposedly for the sake of the death penalty, killing terrorists, and tomorrow – who knows against whom they will use the sword of the government? ‘Our hands did not shed this blood!’ Do not remain silent! It is the duty of every person to protest against the blasphemy and blasphemy of the name of heaven. Do not let the corrupter corrupt!” (translated from the Hebrew)

We, the thousands of members of L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty salute the members of Rabbis for Human Rights in their tenacity and prophetic voice in speaking truth to power. May their efforts bring success in changing the minds of those in favor of this bill, just as this Jewish prison chaplain’s own position on the death penalty changed years ago. 

As for L’chaim, we have repeatedly outlined many other reasons for supporting abolition. Beyond the religious arguments that RHR cites, the death penalty would incite martyrs and invite murders in Israel. It furthermore viol­ates the human right to life, always con­sti­tutes tor­ture, risks execut­ing the inno­cent, is racist in its applic­a­tion, and – from Adolf Hitler to Don­ald Trump to Ben-Gvir – has been used as a polit­ical tool, par­tic­u­larly dur­ing elec­tion cam­paigns. L’chaim has also illus­trated how many exe­cu­tion meth­ods are dir­ect Nazi legacies, includ­ing fir­ing squad, gass­ing, and lethal injec­tion. Famed death pen­alty abol­i­tion­ist Elie Wiesel best artic­u­lated L’chaim’s stance when he said of cap­ital pun­ish­ment – in the shadow of the Holo­caust – that “death should never be the answer in a civ­il­ized soci­ety.” Members of the Knesset – and all death penalty proponents –  should heed Wiesel’s mes­sage and the voices of reason at Rabbis for Human Rights in recog­nizing that executions are not the answer – and that Israel’s proposed death penalty bill should not be the answer now.

Cantor Michael J. Zoosman, MSM, BCC

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

Advisory Committee Member: Death Penalty Action