Sir, – People who remember former chief rabbi of Ireland David Rosen will not be surprised to find him among the 80 Orthodox Jewish rabbis worldwide who issued on Tuesday “a call for moral clarity” on the Israel-Hamas war.
As reported in the liberal Israeli daily Haaretz and the centrist Times of Israel, the rabbis condemn Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, complaining that “the justified anger towards Hamas has been dangerously expanded by some extremists into blanket suspicion of the entire population of Gaza – children included – as future terrorists”.
The statement observes that “Hamas’s sins and crimes do not relieve the government of Israel of its obligations to make whatever efforts are necessary to prevent mass starvation”.
The rabbis affirm that “Judaism’s vision of justice and compassion extends to all human beings. Allowing an entire people to starve stands in stark contrast to this teaching.”
RM Block
They also address the situation on the West Bank, where “extremist settler violence has resulted in the murder of civilians and has forced Palestinian villagers from their homes”.
The joint statement was spearheaded by Rabbi Yosef Blau, long-time spiritual adviser at Yeshiva University, New York. – Yours, etc,
LOUIS MARCUS
Dubin 16
