NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - January 15, 2009) -
The Central Conference of American Rabbis
(CCAR), which represents nearly 2,000 Reform rabbis, the world's
largest group of Jewish clergy, passed a resolution today affirming
solidarity with Israel in light of the crisis in Gaza and Negev. The
resolution also affirmed Israel's right and obligation to protect its
citizens, including through military action.
The rabbis expressed anguish and pain regarding the deaths of Palestinian
and Israeli innocents; encouraged Israel to continue to take all
appropriate steps to alleviate human suffering in Gaza; and urged the
incoming U.S. Administration to engage more actively in the region, to aid
Israel in securing a just and lasting peace for itself and its neighbors.
The CCAR noted that it intends to express its solidarity with Israel when
it holds its convention in Jerusalem February 24 - March 1, 2009.
To arrange a conversation with Rabbi Knobel or Rabbi Fox, please
contact Adria Greenberg at Sommerfield Communications, Inc. at 212-255-8386
or adria@sommerfield.com.
Following is the full text of the CCAR Resolution on the Crisis in Gaza and
Negev.
CCAR Resolution on the Crisis in Gaza and the Negev
Adopted January 15, 2009
Background
From 1948 to 1967, the Gaza Strip was occupied by Egypt. In 1967, Egypt
and its allies attempted to destroy the State of Israel with acts of war.
Thankfully, Israel was victorious. At the end of that war, Israel occupied
surrounding territory, including the Gaza Strip, as a buffer against future
aggression. In the late 1970s, as a result of the Camp David Accords, and
in the context of a negotiated peace treaty, Israel returned the Sinai
Peninsula to Egypt. Israel wished to return the Gaza Strip to Egypt as
well, but Egypt declined.
In 2005, Israel unilaterally ended its occupation of the Gaza Strip,
removing its entire military presence as well as painfully relocating a
civilian Israeli population which had settled there.
Since 2000, Hamas terrorists in Gaza have launched nearly 8000 rockets at
the civilian populations of Sderot, Ashkelon, and other Israeli
communities. In the city of Sderot, nearly three-quarters of children
exhibit signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the town's bus stops
have all been converted to reinforced bomb shelters. Children have grown up
under the constant threat of Hamas rockets; and families sleep in small
bunkers, knowing that 15 seconds, the amount of time from the warning siren
to the bomb strike, is not enough time to rouse everyone.
Israel's disengagement from Gaza, sadly, did not lead to any reduction in
the bombing. Moreover, during a "cease fire," to which the Hamas
leadership in Gaza declared an end last month, Hamas bombing of these
southern Israeli communities did not cease. Moreover, instead of utilizing
the cease-fire as an opportunity to storehouse food and water, Hamas
stockpiled weapons. The cease-fire proved to be, more than anything else,
an opportunity for Hamas to replenish and upgrade its rocket arsenal.
We are taught, "Seek peace and pursue it." At the same time, every moral
teaching, from Torah to modern Just War Theory, instructs nations to defend
their innocent civilians under attack. After exhausting every other
alternative, Israel has engaged in an armed struggle against the Hamas
terrorists in Gaza, aiming to end the attacks on Negev communities.
The Israeli government has expressed the anguish of the Israeli people at
the loss of innocent life. Tragically, Hamas cynically places its
militants and its munitions in the midst of civilian populations, including
children. As a result, Israel's necessary military actions have tragically
resulted in the deaths of innocents, despite the extraordinary steps taken
by Israel's military to protect and avoid harming civilians.
The United States government, often as a lone voice among the nations of
the world, has expressed solidarity with Israel, defending Israel's right
to protect its citizens.
Most recently, we have seen anti-Semitic outbreaks, some of them violent,
reputedly in response to Israel's military action in Gaza.
We have been taught to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem;" therefore,
The Central Conference of American Rabbis:
1. Expresses solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel;
2. Affirms the right, indeed the obligation, of Israel to protect its
citizens, including through military action;
3. Joins the government and people of the State of Israel in mourning,
expressing pain and anguish at the deaths of innocents, both Israeli and
Palestinian;
4. Prays for the welfare of all members of the Israel Defense Forces,
mourns the loss of life among their ranks, and prays for the healing of
their injured;
5. Encourages Israel to continue taking all appropriate steps to alleviate
human suffering in Gaza;
6. Condemns recent outbreaks of anti-Semitism around the world;
7. Commends the Bush Administration for its support of Israel through
numerous means, including its veto power in the United Nations Security
Council;
8. Urges the current and incoming U.S. Administrations to engage more
actively in the region, to aid Israel in securing a just and lasting
peace for itself and its neighbors; and
9. Looks forward to demonstrating our solidarity in person, when we shall
gather for our annual Convention, to be held in Jerusalem, February 24 -
March 1, 2009.
Rabbi Peter Knobel Rabbi Steven Fox
President Executive Vice President
The Central Conference of American Rabbis, founded in 1889, is the oldest
and largest rabbinic organization in North America. As the professional
organization for Reform Rabbis of North America, the CCAR projects a
powerful voice in the religious life of the American and international
Jewish communities.
Since its establishment, the CCAR has a rich history of giving professional
and personal support to Reform rabbis, providing them opportunities for
study, professional development and spiritual growth beginning while they
are still in seminary, through mid-careers, and into retirement. The CCAR
is uniquely positioned to meet the ongoing needs of its 1,850 member rabbis
(virtually the entire Reform rabbinate) and the entire Reform Jewish
community.
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Adria Greenberg
Sommerfield Communications, Inc.
212-255-8386
adria@sommerfield.com