Editor’s note 12/19: The introduction to this statement has been edited to clarify that it is solely the position of T’ruah and has not been endorsed by all of our clergy members.
For additional explanation, read Rabbi Jill Jacobs’s op-ed in JTA: “The pro-Israel case for a negotiated end to the war in Gaza”
NEW YORK — T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights called on the U.S. administration to pressure Israel to return to the negotiating table immediately to achieve another ceasefire and end the war as soon as possible. T’ruah voiced their support for an amendment to the President’s spending bill that would require supplemental military aid be used in compliance with U.S. and international law, along with additional reporting requirements.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“We call on the U.S. government to act urgently to bring all parties back to the negotiating table to achieve another ceasefire, so that all remaining hostages can be released safely, sufficient humanitarian aid can reach desperate people in Gaza, and steps can be taken toward ending the war as quickly as possible. This must be done immediately in order to prevent additional deaths of Palestinians and Israelis. In doing so, we stand with the families of Israeli hostages, who this week have protested in front of the Knesset to demand that the government prioritize their loved ones’ safety over continuing the war.
“Following Hamas’s brutal attack on civilians in Israel on October 7, T’ruah supported Israel’s right to defend itself through military action — even while recognizing that a true end to the conflict would require a political, not only military, solution, and with the knowledge that the current Israeli government is composed of the same extremists against whom we have been protesting for the last year. But we must be extremely clear: Nothing can justify the level of death and destruction in Gaza. People of conscience must speak out. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote while protesting the Vietnam War, ‘Our own integrity as human beings is decaying in the agony and merciless killing done in our name.’
“This war is unwinnable. As the war drags on and the number of reported Palestinian deaths surpasses 18,000, with 1.9 million people displaced and rampant hunger and disease, the U.S. administration must demand that Netanyahu define Israel’s military objectives and make clear that this war will end soon — or lose U.S. support. Those military plans cannot include ongoing aerial bombardment in Gaza or depriving 2 million civilians of sufficient food, water, medicine, and fuel. For two months, the Israeli military has bombed civilian structures they say are legitimate military targets, knowing the human toll would be extremely high. While we recognize the ways in which Hamas has repeatedly endangered the lives of their own people — including through using civilian structures to house weapons and fighters — that does not excuse Israel or anyone else recklessly treating Palestinian civilians as collateral damage.
“Disarming Hamas is a necessary step toward a long-term political solution. Recognizing that does not absolve us of our moral responsibility to call out all war crimes being committed in the conflict — including by Israel. The laws of war apply to all parties regardless of who started the conflict. Hamas continues to commit war crimes by targeting civilians in Israel with rocket fire and refusing to release the remaining hostages. We are extremely concerned that Israel is also committing war crimes through indiscriminate bombing and by imposing collective punishment through a continuing siege of civilians in Gaza. Even when fighting in dense urban areas where Hamas is committing war crimes by using civilians as human shields or hiding in schools and hospitals, Israel is still obligated under the laws of war to minimize civilian casualties.
“We recognize the important role the U.S. government continues to play in restraining the extremist Netanyahu government. The Biden administration must be even firmer than it has been in the past. T’ruah joins the growing list of Jewish organizations supporting the amendment proposed by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dick Durbin, (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and others calling for additional reporting to help ensure U.S. military aid is used in compliance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law, and the laws of armed conflict. The amendment also stipulates that countries receiving aid must cooperate with U.S. efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance.
“The U.S. must also step up pressure on Israel to comply with international law in the West Bank. While international attention has largely focused on Gaza, Israel’s far-right government has taken advantage of the moment to foment and enable settler violence and displacement of Palestinians. The bulldozing of entire Palestinian villages for the purposes of building more illegal Jewish settlements is in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions. While we appreciate the U.S. imposing a visa ban on violent settlers, there is more the U.S. must do, including ensuring that U.S. weapons are not distributed to settlers to terrorize Palestinians.
“Finally, an international coalition should be assembled to govern post-war Gaza and produce a detailed plan for rebuilding. This plan cannot involve a militarized Hamas remaining in power or Israel’s re-occupation of the Gaza Strip, and it must ensure the human rights and long-term flourishing of Palestinians in Gaza. Israelis must be able to safely return to their homes along the southern and northern borders. We call on the administration to use a firm hand in carving a path toward a political solution — one that ensures self-determination for and protects the human rights of both Palestinians and Israelis.”
“This week, Jews commemorate the story of the Maccabees, a small group of religious zealots, who take on a mighty empire and win. But the Chanukah story is also a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of placing military might above morality. There is no question that the Maccabees are justified in their quest to oust the Seleucids, protect Jewish practice and tradition, and rededicate the defiled Temple. But their insistence on ruling by the sword is ultimately their downfall. Their victory ushers in the bloody Hasmonean Dynasty, which is marred by corruption and civil war and eventually opens the door to Roman occupation. For this reason, the ancient rabbis instead emphasized the divine miracle of oil, pulling the focus away from human arrogance and back to God.
“We must learn from this story. This war is not only devastating for Palestinians in Gaza; it is becoming catastrophic for the soul of Am Yisrael, the Jewish people. We must refuse to harden our hearts to the suffering of Gaza’s children and all other civilians caught in the crossfire, or we risk losing our own humanity. We call on all those who care about the future of Israel to join our call for a speedy end to this unwinnable war.”
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,300 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.