People attend an interfaith service on October 29, 2018 at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption
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Alex Wong/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
More than 1,000 rabbis and other Jewish leaders from around the globe, including in Israel and the U.S., have signed a public letter urging Israel to allow extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The letter denounces Israel’s “mass killings of civilians” and “the use and threat of starvation as a weapon of war.” The Jewish leaders say Israel’s actions damage not just the country’s reputation, but Judaism itself.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied reports of starvation in Gaza. However, the letter calls upon Netanyahu and the Israeli government “to respect all innocent life.”
Rabbis from several denominations in the U.S., Canada, Israel and across Europe have signed the letter, which focuses on starvation and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but does not denounce the war. The signatories clearly state that they support Israel’s battle against Hamas.
Former Rabbi Charles Feinberg led Adas Israel Congregation, the largest Conservative synagogue in Washington, D.C. for over eight years. Israel is a “source of great pride” for many Jewish people, Feinberg said, adding however that he is “disturbed by the conduct of the war.” He called the lack of food aid in Gaza “a terrible assault on Jewish ethics.”
“I think it is a real test of our faith. And that’s why this is such an important moment,” he told Morning Edition. “We, Jews, say every day a line: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one.’ And so, do we still believe that God is one? That God is one means that God cares about every human being, not just Jewish people.”
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Many American Jews still support the war and stand firmly behind Israel, but growing numbers, particularly younger Jews, have grown frustrated with the length and devastation of the conflict that began nearly two years ago. Some are stepping away from mainstream Jewish institutions altogether, according to Yonat Shimron, a senior editor at Religion News Service.
In a conversation with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, Feinberg explains why he signed the letter and what Jewish leaders want from Israel.
The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview Highlights
Steve Inskeep: Why sign this letter now?
Charles Feinberg: Oh, I think I myself am particularly disturbed by the conduct of the war, and the lack of food aid within Gaza just seems to be a terrible assault on Jewish ethics, actually.
Inskeep: Is it clear from you observing this that you believe it is within Israel’s power to do more and to allow more than they are currently doing?
Feinberg: Yes, I believe that that’s part of the responsibility of the military operation, is to provide for the civilian population.
In Gaza, people line up for food distribution. AFP via Getty Images hide caption
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AFP via Getty Images
In Gaza, people line up for food distribution.
AFP via Getty Images
Inskeep: Now, in reading the letter that you signed, it begins by saying this, “The Jewish People face a grave moral crisis, threatening the very basis of Judaism as the ethical voice that it has been.” What about this crisis seems to you to implicate your entire faith?
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Feinberg: Well, I think it is a real test of our faith. And that’s why this is such an important moment. We, Jews, say every day a line, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one.’ And so, do we still believe that God is one? That God is one means that God cares about every human being, not just Jewish people. And so the fact that aid is not being given in an efficient way, in a way that people can receive [and] in a way that’s not too costly, is really an important Jewish value because we believe God is one.
Inskeep: What have you thought about when you’ve heard the Israeli government’s response? The prime minister says there’s no starvation. Other Israeli officials will blame Hamas.
Feinberg: Yes. Well, I think that’s part of the problem, there has been no real decision about what should be the end of this war. And I think that’s also very concerning, that there’s no plan about how to end the war.
Inskeep: Of course, you need two parties to make peace. Hamas is part of this, but Israel has declined to sketch out what it wants the end of the war to be.
Feinberg: And it’s not taken any steps to organize civilian society within Gaza.
Inskeep: Can you describe how, if at all, this has increasingly divided American Jews? If we think about people in your extended family or in your neighborhood or in the congregation that you led for so long.
Feinberg: Yes, there is a lot of tension about this because Jewish people are pulled in different directions. The state of Israel has always been a source of great pride to Jewish people, and we have supported it. And it’s been part of a dream that we would have our own state and that we would have our own power to protect ourselves. But part of having power is to be responsible with it. And there’s lots of debate within the Jewish community of what that means.
Inskeep: And the Jewish community is famous for debate. But I wonder if this is getting to be one of those discussions where you can’t even stand to have the debate. You have to fall silent almost among people you love.
Feinberg: That is true. And I think over the last few years, it’s been difficult to publicly debate some of these issues because emotions are so high. And rabbis have been reluctant to address some of these issues because they’re so fearful that it may split their community.
Inskeep: We heard in the report earlier that the letter calls for humanitarian aid for Gaza, but remains in support of the war, the war against Hamas. Can you explain how both of those things can be true at the same time?
Feinberg: Well, Hamas is a small faction within the Palestinian people. And so they must be eliminated and overcome. What I believe, strongly, is that we need to support those Palestinians who do want to make peace with Israel. And there are many Israeli Jews and Palestinians who are working together to think about a way to resolve the conflict. And we need to put our effort in supporting those groups.
The audio story was produced by Nia Dumas and edited by Mohamad ElBardicy. The digital story was edited by Olivia Hampton.
