Brit Tzedek v'Shalom

Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2006
Contact: Diane Balser, (617) 868-3480 (w) or (617) 388-5642 (c)
Tel: 312 341-1205

Nearly 400 Rabbis Urge President to Preserve Prospects for Peace

WASHINGTON – March 6, 2006 – Nearly four hundred rabbis from across the country and the denominational spectrum of American Judaism sent a letter Friday to President Bush, urging him to "maintain a cautious approach to the new Palestinian government, so as to preserve the future possibility of bringing Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table, which is the only path to achieve true peace and security for both peoples."

The letter, whose lead signers include prominent national pulpit, academic and organizational rabbis such as Paul Menitoff (Former Executive Vice President, Central Conference of American Rabbis), Rabbi Elliot Dorff (Rector, Professor, University of Judaism), Amy Small (Immediate Past President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and Rabbi, Congregation Beth Hatikvah in Chatham, NJ), urges the President to pursue policies of constructive engagement of moderate Palestinians and sustained humanitarian aid.

The full text of the letter and a complete list of signers follow. They can also be found at http://rabbisletter.btvshalom.org.

While the letter does not address specific legislation, it comes at a time when Congress is considering imposing severe sanctions and restrictions on the Palestinian Authority in response to Hamas' recent victory in the Palestinian elections. If enacted, these restrictions would remain in place indefinitely regardless of the make-up of the Palestinian legislature in the future, thereby tying the United States’ hands as a broker of future negotiations.

"These rabbis from across the country and the spectrum of American Judaism have united to promote the constructive engagement of moderate Palestinians and continued humanitarian aid as the best response to Hamas' electoral victory," says Rabbi John Friedman of Durham, North Carolina, who chairs the Rabbinic Cabinet of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, which organized the letter. "The letter challenges the perception that American Jews uniformly believe that the best way to protect Israel's security interests and combat Hamas' extremism is through the complete isolation of the Palestinian government."

"It is critical that the United States find ways to constructively engage Palestinians, such as President Abbas, who seek peace with Israel, " adds Rabbi Amy Small. "Treating all Palestinians as though they are members of Hamas plays into the hands of the extremists and marginalizes the moderates," she says.

The Rabbis specifically address the need for sustained humanitarian aid, as a tangible means to try to mitigate the radicalization of the Palestinian population: "The immediate and short-term needs of the Palestinian people are pressing. We know that the deterioration in their plight only increases support for extremism, which, in turn, endangers Israel."

"To remove humanitarian aid from the Palestinian civilians who so desperately need it is morally wrong and politically unwise. It is abundantly clear that the dire conditions of the Palestinian population are responsible for Hamas' victory in the first place," says signatory Rabbi Rolando Matalon, Senior Rabbi of Congregation B'nai Jeshrun of New York City. "It is possible to ensure that humanitarian funds do not reach the hands of those who engage in terror," he adds.

For more information or to schedule interviews with participating rabbis, please telephone Diane Balser at (617) 868-3480 (w) or (617) 388-5642 (c).