Rabbi Akiva says: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself—this is the greatest principle of the Torah—that is, you should not say, “because I have been disgraced, let my fellow be disgraced alongside me; since I have been cursed, let someone else be cursed alongside me. Rabbi Tanchuma said, “If you did thus, know whom you are disgracing, for in the image of God, God created the human being.” (B’reishit Rabbah 24:7)
NEW YORK – On Monday, hundreds of right-wing protesters stormed the Sde Teiman military detention facility in the southern Negev to stop the arrest of nine army reservists accused of violently sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee. The military police, under the orders of Itamar Ben Gvir, did not block them from entering. T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization, condemned the torture of Palestinian prisoners and urged accountability for both the army reservists suspected of torture and for those who broke in.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“The IDF is right to arrest those accused of torturing and sexually assaulting a prisoner in Sde Teiman. The perpetrators must be brought to justice, and the IDF must also conduct a full investigation of the systems that allowed this to happen. This horrific behavior is an absolute violation both of international law and of the Jewish insistence on the dignity of every human being, created b’tzelem Elohim (“in the image of the Divine”).
“In Jewish text, torture is most often associated with evil rulers such as the Romans, who famously tortured rabbis who dared engage in Torah study. The 19th century Torah scholar Shmuel David Luzzato (Shadal) insisted that historically the Jewish people would always reject torture, ‘to the point that the people around them would say “behold, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful kings.”’(Yesodei HaTorah 24)
“T’ruah has a long history of standing up against state-sponsored torture, including fighting U.S.-sponsored torture beginning in 2005 and being among the founders of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. We will continue standing up to torture, whether perpetrated by the U.S. or by Israel.
“Adding to this horror is the sight yesterday of hundreds of protesters, including at least two extremist members of Knesset, violently attempting to stop the arrest of the alleged perpetrators. Make no mistake: These extremists fundamentally reject the authority of the state and the rule of law and are intent on turning Israel into a fascist theocracy.
“For decades, the extremist right in Israel, driven by the settler agenda, has believed itself to be above the law, and has acted accordingly and often violently — both toward Palestinians and also Israelis — including soldiers who attempt to stop the violence. This is the faction of Israeli society who violently attacked soldiers carrying out the disengagement from Gaza; who claimed Elor Azaria, a soldier who killed an incapacitated Palestinian, as a hero; who attempt to block aid trucks to Gaza; and who regularly attack Palestinians in the West Bank and have even wounded soldiers who attempt to stop this violence. To these extremists, the rule of law means nothing—and now, the current extremist government, which includes leading members of this faction, only empowers them.
“Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other authorities were right to condemn this break-in. Now they must stick to these principles, and hold the perpetrators of torture responsible, while also ensuring that no acts like this occur again in an Israeli prison. Every human being — regardless of their actions — is a creation in the image of God, and therefore deserves dignity, and safety, even when incarcerated.
“Anyone who cares about the future of the State of Israel — including every Jewish organization that “stands with Israel” — must stand with those who are fighting for democracy and human rights. This includes the courageous Israeli and Palestinian human rights leaders and organizations, who for years have been working to stop abuses such as these; and the Israelis who have been on the street fighting for democracy and new elections for much of the past two years.”
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About T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights brings the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering our network of over 2,300 rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights for all people in the United States, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.