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Michael Zoosman

Oct 30, 2026, 5:31 PM

I used to support the death penalty – then, I became a Jewish prison chaplain

At its core, the death penalty feeds one of the basest desires known to humankind: the thirst for vengeance. The 5,000+ members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” — a group I co-founded in 2020 — have joined...

Michael Zoosman

Oct 28, 2026, 11:39 AM

Christa Pike has corresponded with me for over a year: She is not a “monster”

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As a former Jewish prison chaplain and co-founder of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty,” I have communicated via phone and computer messaging for years with many individuals on American death rows before their ultimate execution. One of our...

Oct 27, 2026, 12:49 AM

Elisha Wiesel: Risk Power to Protect Jews

A Star of David pendant. Illustrative photograph. Photo: DAVIDSON L U N A/Unsplash.

As three parties move toward forming Berlin’s next government, Elie Wiesel’s son says protecting Jewish life must come before political survival. I asked Elisha Wiesel what political leaders should be prepared to sacrifice to protect Jewish life. “They should be willing...

Michael Zoosman

Oct 26, 2026, 10:29 AM

Corresponding with the Dead: Lessons on Capital Punishment from Beyond the Grave

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The 5,000+ members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty,” of which I am co-founder, occasionally receive posthumous letters from the condemned individuals with whom we correspond. The latest example came just this past week, when it seemed William...

Michael Zoosman

Oct 17, 2026, 8:57 AM

A society that condemns a human being to death condemns itself infinitely more.

(Note: An original version of this article appeared here in Evolve on October 6, 2025.) We, the thousands of members of the group “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty,” from across Israel, the United States, and the world, firmly believe that Judaism in the...

Michael Zoosman

Oct 16, 2026, 12:07 AM

L’chaim’s Response to Trump’s Decision not to Live-Stream Firing Squad Execution

U.S. President and convicted felon Donald J. Trump recently decided not to live-stream the military firing squad state-sponsored murder of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people, and injured dozens more, at a medical processing center...

Henry Greenspan

Oct 15, 2026, 11:37 PM

Disposable People Studies

Although I’ve been at it for over fifty years, I have never been comfortable with the phrase, “Holocaust Studies” as a description of my field. I am not alone. I know colleagues who avoid the term because of the...

Michael Zoosman

Oct 9, 2026, 6:16 PM

L’chaim’s Statement on Live-Streamed American Firing Squad Execution at Hanukkah

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The thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” from across the USA, Israel, and the world roundly denounce the announcement of a televised and live-streamed firing squad execution slated to take place the day before Hanukkah...

Michael Zoosman

Oct 8, 2026, 3:51 AM

Distribution of Noose-Themed Pins in School Dishonors October 7th Anniversary

The thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” from across Israel, the United States, and the world join Herzliya Mayor Yariv Fisher in condemning Otzma Yehudit in the wake of a disgusting display in which a...

Michael Zoosman

Oct 5, 2026, 7:36 PM

Opposing the Death Penalty for the Perpetrator of the flydubbai Terror Attack

We, the thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty,” from across Israel, the United States, and the world, condemn the calls for the death penalty for the terrorist who perpetrated the flydubbai FZ1073 cockpit attack. Israeli...

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