Why I signed a letter with 1,000 rabbis to PM Netanyahu

Morally speaking, there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings, that indifference to evil is worse than evil itself, that in a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible. (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel)

A few days ago, I participated in a Zoom call with American Jewish friends from the USA and Israel, in which some of my friends expressed extreme shock and even anger at what Israel is doing in the war against Hamas in Gaza. Two days before this, on Friday of last week, I received some emails from some rabbinic colleagues, asking me to sign an open letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu.  After I read it carefully, I decided to sign it right away. Why?

The main reason is that I share the moral outrage, embarrassment and sense of frustration, which is the essence of this letter. I fully agree with the opening statement of the letter

The Jewish People face a grave moral crisis, threatening the very basis of Judaism as the ethical voice that it has been since the age of Israel’s prophets. We cannot remain silent in confronting it.

While it is true that I have not remained silent in my writing about the need to end this war for many months in my blog posts and other articles, I wanted to join with other colleagues and friends from all over the Jewish world, to express my deep anxiety about the severe consequences that this war is having, not only for the state of Israel, but for Jews and Judaism everywhere.

The letter was sent out last Friday, and by Monday morning over 1,000 rabbis had signed it. It is an expression of profound angst and deep concern for the fate of both the Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli hostages and everyone else in both Israel and Palestine who are caught up in this horrific war. While I condemn the horrible atrocities of Hamas– which initiated this war and  refuses to end it by releasing the hostages– I am not able to influence them. But I am a citizen of Israel –and I am a rabbi–and therefore I feel obligated to express my concerns to the  government of the Jewish state of Israel.

One of the authors of the letter, Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg  of London told me why he signed it:

I was moved to write because of the terrible suffering, and because the core values, and reputation, not just of Israel but of Judaism are at stake.  There is a point where one can’t keep silent.

I was moved to sign the letter for the same reason.

By now, most people understand that while this was a just war at the beginning, in recent months, it has become severely unjust, so much so that a pro-Israel Catholic conservative like Ross Douthat could denounce it (after first correctly denouncing Hamas!) as such in yesterday’s NY Times  . Also, the war is being called a “total failure”, instead of Bibi’s “total victory” by people like Patrick Kingsley , the Bureau Chief in Jerusalem, who explains cogently why the war has not been effective.

We who signed this letter can no longer collectively tolerate what is being done in Gaza in the name of the government of the state of Israel, the Jewish state (and the Jewish People)  to which we are all inextricably connected, and therefore we said:

We cannot condone the mass killings of civilians, including a great many women, children and elderly, or the use of starvation as a weapon of war… The killing of huge numbers of Palestinians in Gaza, including those desperately seeking food, has been widely reported across respectable media and cannot reasonably be denied. The severe limitation placed on humanitarian relief in Gaza, and the policy of withholding of food, water, and medical supplies from a needy civilian population contradict essential values of Judaism as we understand it.

In addition to being critical of the government’s policies, the letter offers some important positive suggestions to the Prime Minister based on our commitment to Judaism and to the future of the Jewish state:

In the name of the sanctity of life, of the core Torah values that every person is created in God’s image, that we are commanded to treat every human being justly, and that, wherever possible, we are required to exercise mercy and compassion; in the name of what the Jewish People has learnt bitterly from history as the victim, time and again, of marginalization, persecution and attempted annihilation; in the name of the moral reputation not just of Israel, but of Judaism itself, the Judaism to which our lives are devoted, we call upon the Prime Minister and the Government of Israel to respect all innocent life; to stop at once the use and threat of starvation as a weapon of war; to allow extensive humanitarian aid, under international supervision, while guarding against control or theft by Hamas; to work urgently by all routes possible to bring home all the hostages and end the fighting; to use the forces of law and order to end settler violence on the West Bank and vigorously investigate and prosecute settlers who harass and assault Palestinians; to open channels of dialogue together with international partners to lead toward a just settlement, ensuring security for Israel, dignity and hope for Palestinians, and a viable peaceful future for all the region.

I believe that the ideas expressed in this letter represent the moral imperatives of Judaism at this time in our history. They are based on our understanding of Judaism as a religion that cares about human life and human dignity, not just for our tribe, but for all people.

In addition, I should add that in addition to this letter, there have been other important statements of concern from the Reform and Conservative Jewish movements in America, from Israeli Physicians for Human Rights, from university presidents in Israel and more. The list grows from day to day.

It is high time for the government of Israel to heed these calls for sanity and sensitivity to human life now, without delay. Not only is the Israeli present and future at risk, but so is the future for Jews and Judaism around the world.

Who is the person who desires life,
who loves years of seeing good?
Guard your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

(Psalms 34:13-15)