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 response to yesterday’s Israeli elections, including a condemnation of Kahanist parties in the new Knesset. These parties are considered the reincarnation of Kach, the party formed in the 1970s by terrorist Meir Kahane, which was later outlawed in Israel and deemed a terrorist group by the United States government.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T’ruah, released the following statement:
“As we await final results of the Israeli elections, we refuse to despair. If there’s anything we’ve learned in Jewish history, it’s that there are better times, hard times, and even harder times — but we do not give in to despair.
“If these elections lead to the formation of a government, it is likely to be one dominated by a right wing committed to continuing occupation, to de facto annexation of the West Bank, and to abandoning the rule of law — both domestically and internationally. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s increasingly desperate attempts to avoid conviction have led to a right-wing assault on the justice system, as well as a dangerous campaign to discredit the elections — similar to the U.S. “Stop the Steal” campaign that led to the deadly insurrection at the Capitol.
“We particularly condemn the inclusion of Kahanist and anti-LGBTQ parties in the new Knesset. Itamar ben Gvir, who will be a new member of Knesset, is a well-known extremist who has engaged in violence, and who has been known to display in his living room a portrait of Baruch Goldstein, who carried out a massacre of Palestinian worshipers in Hebron in 1994. In the 1980s, Israel banned Meir Kahane’s Kach party from Knesset, based on their incitement and virulent racism. This precedent should have blocked the parties Otzmah Yehudit and Noam from the most recent elections. T’ruah has a long history of working to stop U.S. funding of Kahanist organizations, including by initiating a series of IRS complaints, and will continue our efforts to ensure that U.S. taxpayer money does not go toward violent extremism.
“If the inconclusive results of this election lead to new elections in a few months, we hope that Israeli citizens will vote in a government committed to human rights and democracy. The current stalemate is a direct result of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s refusal to abide by previous rotation agreements in order to avoid facing trial for the charges on which he is under indictment.
“But politicians, parties, and governments come and go. Regardless of what ultimately happens in this election, T’ruah rabbis and cantors will continue to be moral voices committed to standing up for human rights for both Israelis and Palestinians. We continue to stand with our Israeli partners, including human rights and civil society organizations, in fighting for human rights for all people in the region.”
About T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
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.