Reflections on Being Named a Rabbinic ‘Human Rights Hero’

It is one of the greatest honors of my life that my esteemed colleagues at T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights have seen fit to select me as a recipient of one of their 2025 Rabbinic Human Rights Hero Awards. I was chosen for my “leadership as one of the most prominent voices mobilizing Jewish communities against the death penalty.” I humbly accept this accolade in the hope that it will open and change hearts and minds in the Jewish and general community regarding this vital issue. I pray in turn that it will remind others of the shared responsibility of maintaining human rights as a core value across the globe. As Vancouver-area Canadian indigenous Elder Rueben George teaches: “there is nothing wrong with making good people better.” 

I am no exception. I myself used to support the death penalty. It took me decades to see the light of death penalty abolition – far longer than many of my T’ruah peers who have been advocating for this cause and for other human rights issues for more years than I have walked this Earth.  Each of them could easily merit the “human rights hero” banner.

In fact, I would firmly assert that all vocal death penalty abolitionists are heroes in their own right. There have been countless renowned thinkers and activists over the centuries, including many Jewish abolitionists – my mentors – dedicated to eradicating this moral stain on humanity. A great number of us have done so knowing that our position is unpopular, and emotionally triggering, enough so to subject us to public and private ridicule and demonization. Examples include the hateful vitriol endured by spiritual advisors Sister Helen Prejean in Louisiana and the Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood in Arkansas. It also certainly applies for fellow activists such as the Death Row Soul Collective’s Karine Omry in Israel, life-saving abolitionist documentarian Sabrina van Tassel in France, and Death Penalty Action’s Abraham Bonowitz in Ohio. Much of the ire to which we are subjected stems from common misconceptions about us, including the notions that we support the crimes of the condemned, refuse to mourn their victims, and do not care about the unimaginable pain of their surviving loved ones. These almost daily vile and baseless accusations are difficult to endure.  If I am a tsaddik (righteous one) for persevering in the face of such sustained enmity, then so are we all…

A recent experience challenged my feelings in receiving this award. I was speaking with a longtime friend and member of the Jewish clergy who I greatly admire about the idea of moderation and maintaining a balanced view in all circumstances. She respectfully suggested that this need for nuance applied universally, even with respect to human rights. While I certainly do ascribe to the notion of rejecting extremism, I draw the line on moderation when it comes to upholding human rights. I instead hold to the oft-cited idea – of unknown authorship – that “human rights is not a buffet where we can choose some things and not others. If we believe in human rights, we believe in it for all people.” There can be no compromise in applying this universal truth. If, as others have accused me, this constitutes “virtue signalling,” then so be it. It is far better to err on the side of any so-called wanton public display of courage than to bend toward stifling fear by toeing a party line and remaining silent. It could very well be that my “extremism” in this way does indeed make me a “human rights hero.” In that case, I am most grateful for this label, particularly if it might inspire others to hold a similar line.

My fellow 2025 T’ruah honorees indeed exemplify such heroism.  Stephanie Rapp has affected tremendous social change through creativity in building opportunities for social justice and interfaith partnerships in the world of Jewish philanthropy, while Rabbi Gerry Serotta has provided decades of galvanizing leadership as a founding board member of T’ruah. Rabbi Hilly Haber has served as nothing less than an inspiration for many fellow clergy and I for their fierce dedication to the dignity and support of people on Rikers Island, those coming home from prison and individuals seeking refuge and asylum in New York City. At a moment like the present when Donald Trump’sauthoritarian regime threatens the very fabric of the rule of law in the United States and across the world,  the need for heroes like these feels more prescient and pressing than ever. 

Another poignant recent example of someone who prophetically is warning Jews and non-Jews against the danger of double standards in applying human rights is Peter Beinart. In his illuminating – and indeed “heroic” –  2025 book Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning, the renowned columnist and Jewish Currents editor has powerfully illustrated his refusal to compromise on the all-encompassing application of human rights, including for both Israelis and Palestinians. One need not look far today for other examples of such larger-than-life heroes. Ukrainian President Volydymyr Zelensky and the late Russian opposition leader, lawyer, anti-corruption activist and political prisoner Alexei Navalny, Z’L, immediately come to mind as individuals who have stood up to inherent human rights violations at great risk to themselves and those they hold most dear. Indeed, Navalny was murdered as a result of his refusal to stop speaking truth to power. Equally inspiring are the soldiers who have endangered life and limb to defend against the global rise of authoritarian regimes. Dedicated activists like me the world over stand on the shoulders of such giants.  

I have heard detractors retort that my attention to human rights has become a kind of religion. They have effectively argued that IHL (international humanitarian law) has become my personal version of Halacha  (Jewish law) and that the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights has replaced the Torah as my sacred text. If such supplanting means saving more human lives and upholding ethical norms across the world, then I stand guilty as charged. None of my human rights-related values undermine the spiritual balm I find in my Jewish traditions and observance. On the contrary, they serve to enhance my Jewish identity by helping to reshape my practices (as in the case of my transformed observance of the Jewish holiday of Purim) and bring them in line with 21st-century ethical standards (as with the issue of death penalty abolition itself). Honoring human rights makes me better equipped to uphold the famous Jewish maxim – as echoed in so many spiritual traditions – that “whoever destroys a life, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” (Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 4:5) It enables me to fulfill the Psalm 51 verse chosen for the seal of my Brandeis University alma mater, demanding “Emet: truth, even unto its innermost parts.” If adherence to this stringency makes me a false or self-hating Jew, then I shudder to consider what a “real Jew” would mean for humanity and for Judaism itself. 

I firmly believe that the “Human Rights Hero” title that T’ruah has conferred upon various colleagues and me over the years places us in lockstep with countless others who follow the moral arc of the universe, aligning us with the most viable path forward for civilized humanity. Values matter, and posterity and history will judge us based on the values by which we choose to live – and how we apply them. I choose to join my friends at T’ruah  who do so across the board – without exception. 

And so, the 3800+ members of our group “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” and I raise a glass to all death penalty abolitionists and human rights heroes at T’ruah and elsewhere.  We invite others to join us in standing on the side of human rights – for the sake of twenty-first century Judaism, and for all of civilized humanity. To those readers who wish to do so by donating to T’ruah (even from Canada) to help fulfill this sacred mission as we mark this inspiring occasion, we offer a toast to them as well, chanting “L’chaim- To Life!”

Cantor Michael J. Zoosman, MSM

Board Certified Chaplain –  Ohalah: Association of Rabbis and Cantors for Jewish Renewal

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

Advisory Committee Member –  Death Penalty Action