Jewish Forum for Justice and Human Rights

Rabbi Alexandra Wright: Senior rabbi at the Liberal Synagogue, St Johnís Wood, and member of Rabbis for Human Rights

Coming on last as a kind of epilogue to the stimulating and thought-provoking presentations we have just heard, is not a recipe which I imagine will claim much attention for very long. You have listened with patience, and no doubt as part of this Forum for Justice and Human Rights will want to voice your own questions and thoughts. So let me be brief and leave you with a number of questions in connection with the three elements of the title of tonightís discussion: Israel, Human Rights and the Occupied Territories. These questions come neither from an academic nor a political commentator, but simply from a Rabbi ñ as one who believes that existence has a meaning and purpose, that despite the depravity and suffering of this world, humanity must not give in to indifference or despair. That, I believe, is a central teaching of Judaism: an affirmation of what Leo Baeck called ëeternal optimismí, not a superficial, self-satisfied complacent view of the world, but rather a very real and often painful struggle to change the world and to realise the good in it.

To speak the name of Israel, implies not simply that narrow strip of land bordering the Mediterranean Sea, but it embraces the Jewish people and by extension the fundamental principles on which Jewish teaching is constructed. That is our connection to the Jewish State, a profound and often visceral attachment through history, faith or tribal connection. And it is that which creates both a deep sense of anxiety and moral responsibility as well as, occasionally, an impatience and disconnection which I have observed among some Jews.

[But perhaps we should not underestimate that tie ñ for would we be sitting here today, if we did not feel that attachment to the Jewish State. How is it that we are not discussing those countries or states that retain the death penalty or cruel and inhumane punishment, particularly against women or minors; how is it that we are not addressing the illegal detention of thousands in Pakistan, or the protection of civilians in Darfur? That is not to say that there are no violation of human rights in the Occupied Territories, but simply to point out that deep bond with Israel ñ with her creation in 1948, her distinctiveness as a Jewish State attempting to live up to an ethical code based on prophetic teachings and enshrined in her Declaration of Independence, with her struggle in hostile surroundings to preserve her security and her prospects for survival and peace. Precisely the nature of our own unique and individual connection to Israel is a question which we constantly need to address to ourselves.]

The very name of Israel demands a certain standard of ethical conduct. Rabbis for Human Rights is based on a platform of traditional Jewish teachings of humanity and moral responsibility. It begins with the most general and fundamental principle that we should strive to emulate the moral attributes which we believe to be perfectly exemplified in God ñ holiness and compassion, and with the belief that humanity is created in the Divine image. RHR draws on the famous teaching from the Mishnah: ìWhoever destroys a single human life is considered by Scripture as if they had destroyed the whole world, and whoever saves a single human life is considered as if they had saved the whole worldî (m. Sanhedrin 4:5) to teach the preciousness of all human life. It considers the teachings from the Torah and from the Talmud to have immediate relevance: no murder, no kidnapping, no bodily harm, no robbing, no stealing, no misappropriation of property, no breaking of promises, no humiliation, no coveting. ìYou shall not hate your brother in your heartî (Leviticus 19:17) ìnor stand idly by when your neighbourís blood is being shedî (19:16). ìYou shall love your neighbour as yourselfî (19:18) is interpreted in Jewish tradition to mean ëfellow citizení, but in case one should wonder about our relationship with the stranger in our midst, the Torah adds: ìLove the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egyptî (19:33-34). The Mishnah urges us to let our neighbourís honour be as dear to us as our own (m. Avot 2:10) and at all costs, to pursue peace (m. Avot 1:12 and Peah 1:1). Between adversaries, we are urged not to take vengeance (Leviticus 19:18), nor to bear a grudge (19:18), but to strive to overcome feelings of enmity and hatefulness (Exodus 23:4, Proverbs 25:21).

Ethics and moral responsibility lie at the heart of Judaism. It is precisely because we expect the highest of conduct from a Jewish State that any whisper of violation of human rights grieves us terribly. We have heard the catalogue of violation of human rights in the Occupied Territories ñ of demolition of Palestinian homes, torture, expropriation of land, massive violations against civilians. We have also heard the plea to see the entire picture, to understand the severe circumstances under which Israeli soldiers operate in order to defend Israeli citizens. That is not to justify those violations, because as we have heard they are not deliberately implemented by the IDF, but to understand the complexity of the context.

It is easy to sit here from afar and judge others by what is fed to us through an often irresponsible and judgemental media. It is far more difficult to address to ourselves the question: What can we do? For as Abraham Joshua Heschel said: ìIf we are not all guilty, we are all responsible,î and quoting the Talmud: ìWhosoever has the capacity to prevent his household from committing a crime and does not he is accountable for the sins of the entire householdî (b. Shabbat 54b).

Let me conclude by suggesting three things which I think we can do, and which might offer a glimpse of hope and some progress forward:

1) One of the strengths of RHR is that it is a cross-denominational organisation for Rabbis drawn from every part of the religious spectrum. Anglo-Jewry could learn from this ñ that it is a strength to work together, setting aside our own doctrinal differences ñ whether orthodox or liberal, and centralising the ethical and moral teachings which lie at the heart of Judaism.
2) We cannot exclude ourselves from the institutions of Judaism and the Jewish people and stand outside as maverick activists ñ we need to work from within synagogues, youth movements, religious organisations, often to change the culture of thinking and to transform perceptions.
3) And perhaps with the greatest difficulty, we need to be patient. At a time when the future seems dark and critical, let me read this remarkable glimpse of breakthrough and hope from the authors of a book entitled Israeli and Palestinian Identities in Dialogue. The authors, who come from the School of Peace at Neve-Shalom/Wahat-Al-Salaam draw from more than two decades of work on conflict resolution and note a typical pattern that can be simplified into five distinct stages. ìIn the initial stage, one of exploratory overtures, the atmosphere is cordial and relaxed. During the second stage, the Arab group begins to feel stronger and to act accordingly; this change causes the Jewish group to feel threatened and anxious. In the third stage, the Jewish group attempts to return to the status quo ante (before the Arab group became stronger); its doing so engenders acute conflict, and the atmosphere turns bitter, sometimes intolerably so. In the fourth stage, when the Arab group refuses to retreat, the atmosphere becomes one of treading water, of impasse. The fifth stage brings a breakthrough, and relations between the two groups become more reciprocal and egalitarian. This breakthrough occurs because the Jewish group comes to terms with the new power relationship and accepts the Arab group as it isÖî (pp. 187-188).

And they conclude: ìLooking to our encounter model as a guide to what is happening, we can see that we are somewhere in the middle of the period of the most profound conflict, with hard and bitter times still to come. Yet the situation as it stands now, tough as it may be, marks tremendous progress in comparison with the counterfeit cordiality of the first stage. If we can weather the storms ahead without entirely losing our way, a more humane and equal relationship with one another awaits us, around the next bend in the road.î