To Ben Gvir’s Host

As a rabbi, I am sure you are familiar with the Ten Commandments—specifically the one about not carrying God’s name in vain. By inviting Ben Gvir to speak to Jewish students at Yale University, you have desecrated God’s name. You have invited and will be hosting an enemy of the Jewish people, someone with innocent Jewish blood on his hands—Itamar Ben Gvir—to speak at what is supposed to be a home for Jewish voices and learning, near Yale University.

You have carried God’s name in vain by saying, regarding this invitation: “Shabtai believes in free discourse and hosts speakers with a variety of views on American politics, business, ethics, religion, literature, the arts and more. We promote Judaism and free speech. It’s Talmudic.” You then went on to say, “I admire Ben-Gvir. Itamar promotes what he believes is best for his people that democratically elected him.” If you are a Kahanist and a fan of Ben Gvir—as your statement certainly indicates—then just say it. Don’t tarnish the sacred Talmud or God’s name to excuse your adoration for these reprehensible figures.

Many of us have spent the past 18 months advocating for the return of the hostages. While we lost sleep worrying about the hostages and calling for their release, Ben Gvir bragged about keeping them in the tunnels of Hamas. “In the last year, using our political power, we managed to prevent this deal from going ahead, time after time,” Ben Gvir said.

It is hard to consider Ben Gvir even Jewish, considering his opposition to the early hostage deal that did go through—and allowed a four-year-old girl, Abigail Idan, orphaned on October 7th and kidnapped to Gaza, to be rescued. She was kidnapped while Ben Gvir, as National Security Minister, criminally neglected his duty as Minister of National Security, yet he voted against a deal that would free Jewish children and women from the horrors of Hamas captivity. A man who votes to leave Jewish babies and children in Hamas captivity is not someone I would consider Jewish. And you chose to make him the face of Israel that Yale students will now associate with the Jewish people. That is a desecration of God’s name of the highest order.

Ben Gvir cannot be considered a Zionist either, as he repeatedly undermines the existence of the State of Israel while advancing his anti-Zionist, Kahanist agenda. The Israeli Knesset and Supreme Court have both outlawed Kahanism—the racist and anti-Zionist ideology espoused by Meir Kahane and championed by Ben Gvir—because it is an anathema to the values of Zionism upon which Israel was founded. Israel is a democracy that guarantees equal rights to all, regardless of religion, race, or creed.

Ben Gvir was rejected by the IDF because the IDF knows what is good for Israel’s security, and they rightfully determined Ben Gvir to be a danger to that security.

Ben Gvir’s support for terrorism—including his unforgivable display of Baruch Goldstein’s picture in his living room (a man who murdered 29 worshipers as they were praying in Hebron)—is indefensible. There is never an excuse for terrorism. Giving even the slightest platform or validation to someone who supports terrorism at Shabtai—an institution many associate with the Jewish people and with Yale—has brought shame and dishonor on both the Jewish people and Yale University.

Disinviting Ben Gvir would be a good first step in repenting for the damage already done by your invitation to this contemptible terrorist sympathizer. But there is much more that must be done. I hope you take the coming weeks to begin to undo some of the unfathomable damage caused by inviting Ben Gvir, and that you offer a sincere apology to the Jewish community, the Yale community, and the greater New Haven community.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Elchanan Poupko