Press

An End to Bloodshed

July 4, 2014

שְׂאִי אֵלָיו כַּפַּיִךְ, עַל-נֶפֶשׁ עוֹלָלַיִךְ Lift up your hands toward God for the life of your young children. –Lamentations 2:19 We send comfort to the family of Muhammed Hussein Abu Khdair today as they bury their son, who was abducted and killed on Wednesday morning, in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Though we do not yet know...

Remembering Eyal Yifrach, Naftali Frankel, and Gilad Sha’ar

June 30, 2014

With heavy hearts, we mourn the tragic deaths of Eyal Yifrach, Naftali Frenkel, and Gilad Sha’ar and pray for comfort for their families. We condemn these horrific and unjustified killings. Children should never be pawns of war. May we soon see a day when there will be peace for all inhabitants of the land, “when...

Praying for Yeshiva Students Missing from Gush Etzion

June 13, 2014

T’ruah is praying for the safe return of the three missing Israeli yeshiva students. Our thoughts are with their families and friends. We categorically condemn kidnapping and encourage anyone with information regarding their whereabouts to come forward. We also urge the IDF to respect the human rights of civilians as it conducts its search.

T’ruah Applauds Senate Intelligence Committee for Voting to Release Torture Report

April 17, 2014

On April 3, 2014 the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to release critical portions of its report on the Central Intelligence Agency’s use torture after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In an 11-3 bipartisan vote the Committee agreed to seek declassification of the executive summary of its report on the CIA’s rendition, detention and interrogation...

Eighth Annual Refugee Seder Set for Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, Holot Detention Facility, and Outside Israeli Embassy in Washington DC

April 4, 2014

Since 2007, Israelis and African asylum seekers have come together for an annual interfaith Refugee Seder in Tel Aviv where they honor both ancient and modern exodus stories at Passover time. This year, Refugee Seders will be held in three places: Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, outside of the Holot “open” facility in an isolated...

T’ruah Statement on Rocket Attacks from Gaza

March 14, 2014

T’ruah condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the rocket attacks against Israeli civilians in the south of Israel. Targeted attacks on civilians, such as these, are a clear violation of international human rights law, as well as all religious prohibitions against attempted murder or harm of a creation in the divine image. We call on...

15 Jewish Organizations Urge Israel to Respect and Protect Refugee Rights

February 9, 2014

As an advocate for refugee and asylum seeker rights in Israel, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights joined with 14 other Jewish groups in calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement asylum policies that are consistent with Israeli court rulings, international law obligations, and core Jewish values. In a joint letter, T’ruah...

T’ruah Stands in Solidarity with African Asylum Seekers Protesting in Israel

January 5, 2014

T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights today announced its solidarity with the unprecedented tens of thousands of African asylum seekers participating in a three-day general strike in Israel. These protesters, along with T’ruah, are demanding that the Israeli government stop widespread arrests of asylum seekers and end the policy of indefinite detention under the...

T’ruah Praises African Asylum Seekers’ Courageous Acts of Civil Disobedience in Israel

December 17, 2013

T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights today praised the courageous non-violent acts of civil disobedience carried out by indefinitely detained African asylum seekers in Israel. Some 150 Sudanese asylum seekers staged a walk out of Israel’s new Holot “open” internment camp on Sunday and marched from the southwest Negev to Jerusalem in protest of...

T’ruah Thanks Netanyahu for Canceling Bedouin Relocation Plan

December 12, 2013

T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights applauds Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s withdrawal of the Prawer-Begin Plan which would have led to the forced relocation of 30,000-40,000 Bedouin Israelis and demolition of their villages. This announcement came just a few days after T’ruah rabbis delivered a letter from nearly 800 rabbinic and cantorial colleagues to...