Orthodox rabbis rebuke Israel over Gaza

The declaration was titled: “A Call for Moral Clarity, Responsibility and a Jewish Orthodox Response in the Face of the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis.”

The signatories include four chief rabbis: Rabbi Michael Schudrich (Poland), Rabbi Michael Melchior (Norway), Rabbi Jair Melchior (Denmark) and Rabbi David Rosen (the former chief rabbi of Ireland).

The declaration began by affirming that Hamas is guilty of heinous crimes. But the rabbis also insisted the sins of Hamas do not cancel out Israel’s obligations.

“We affirm that Hamas’s sins and crimes do not relieve the government of Israel of its obligations to make whatever efforts are necessary to prevent mass starvation,” the rabbis stated.

In an article for the Religion News Service, Jeffrey Salkin quoted Rabbi Michael Melchior: “I am advocating for Israel to flood Gaza with food and medicine which is, from a Jewish view, the right thing to do and at the same time no one would be able to profit from the sale.”

Mr Salkin wrote that the signatories of the declaration are the students of, or the spiritual students of, Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, the preeminent modern Orthodox theologian.  

In a 1959 lecture, Rabbi Soloveitchik warned: “Now, with the state of Israel, we are facing the test. Will we behave like any state, ethically? . . .Will we act like masters – or will we understand that Judaism does not know the concept of master and slave, victor and vanquished?”

Mr Salkin stated that “Israel’s military victory or survival is certainly crucial. Every single rabbi who signed that statement would affirm that”.

“But, there is something else that is crucial – Israel’s moral credibility. That credibility carries with it, by extension, the credibility of Judaism itself. As Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz put it, ‘The goal of Israel is not only to survive, but to thrive in Torah and flourish morally and spiritually’.”

Rabbi Yitz Greenberg put it succinctly: “The heart of Torah is justice, not revenge.”

Meanwhile, Radio New Zealand reported that the International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution declaring: “Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide in Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948).”

FULL STORY

When Orthodox rabbis demand moral clarity on Gaza (By Jeffrey Salkin/RNS)

Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, says scholars’ association (Radio New Zealand)

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