T’ruah responds to increase in antisemitic attacks
NEW YORK — Today, T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization that represents over 2,000 rabbis and cantors and their communities in North America, released the following statement in reaction to instances where criticism of Israel crosses the line from valid critique to antisemitism.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T’ruah, released the following statement:
“We condemn the recent attacks on Jews and on Jewish institutions, including physical assaults on Jewish diners in Los Angeles, on Jews in Brooklyn, in the Diamond District in New York, and on a Jewish driver in London; the vandalization of synagogues in Illinois, Utah, Arizona, and elsewhere; and harassment of Jews on social media even for posting about Jewish rituals or craft projects. These attacks are not criticism of Israel or of the Israeli government, but are attacks directed at Jews because they are Jewish, which is the very definition of antisemitism.
“Israel, like every other sovereign state, can and should be criticized when it doesn’t live up to its human rights obligations, including toward its own citizens and residents — whether Jewish, Palestinian, or members of any other group — as well as toward those living under occupation. But it is antisemitic to equate Jews or Jewish institutions with the State of Israel, or to take out anger about Israel’s actions against Jews or Jewish institutions.
“I am proud to be a signatory on the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, which clearly differentiates between criticism of Israel — including harsh criticism and language one might reject — and antisemitism. Too many, both on the right and the left have unfortunately blurred this distinction. Some on the right classify almost any strong criticism of Israel as antisemitism; some on the left argue that nothing can be antisemitism, as long as it is couched in criticism of Israel. Neither stance is satisfactory; one denies Israel its responsibilities as a modern state, and the other denies individual Jews the right to be more than stand-ins for a foreign government.
“We are heartened by statements by many progressive leaders, including Palestinian leaders, denouncing the recent antisemitic attacks. We must continue to speak out against antisemitism while building bridges between Jewish communities and those of all people who are marginalized and maligned, because we know that none of us can be free until we are all free.”
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,000 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.