Rabbis For Human Rights

Rabbis for Human Rights is perhaps the only pluralistic religious organization in the country. It has as members rabbis from all religious streams in Judaism. It was founded to give a voice to a Jewish tradition, which speaks of a prophetic vision of social justice, equality and humanity.

As such, RHR offsets a portrayal of Judaism in Israel that is often characterized by a chauvinistic theology, in which a national ego is projected onto God, and any act is justified as a Divine right. When God is presumed to reside with one community above the other, then Yigal Amirs, Baruch Goldsteins and Jewish undergrounds are born. In this world-view, anyone who opposes an extreme "particular" version of a "heavenly course" for the Jewish people in the Jewish state is a traitor.

Israel is the only country in the world for which the Jews are morally and politically responsible - which may explain why the image of the Jewish people and the perception of Judaism are often determined by what happens here. Therefore, a moderate religious voice must be heard - one that balances our enthusiasm for Joshua the conqueror with the wisdom of Amos the prophet; that gives equal importance to David the Psalmist as it does to David the warrior; that praises those who built yeshivot of learning and understanding in Yavne in equal measure to those who martyred themselves at Massada.

Because of its open and inclusive positions, RHR has attracted virtually the entire leadership of non-Orthodox rabbis in Israel, as well as the active support of numerous rabbis in the Orthodox camp. It has received the official endorsement of the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist rabbinical organizations of North America.

Yet despite RHR's work, which was awarded the Speaker of the Knesset Prize for Peace and Tolerance, there are some within the family of "enlightened" rabbis who would try to discredit the organization.

Indeed, one would think that rabbis who oppose some of RHR's positions would do so in a way that would cling to the principle of pluralism: that is, disagreement "for the sake of heaven." But this is not the case with a small but vocal group within the Israeli Conservative movement. They have defied any pluralistic debate by labelling RHR members "traitors" and "enemies of the Jewish people."

Yet worse, they have resurrected the ghost of McCarthyism, demanding that no Conservative rabbi be employed by the movement in Israel and be a member of RHR.

Their claim is that RHR is a political organization designed to undermine Israel. It is of little interest to them that RHR has never taken a stance on the political situation in the territories. So caught up are they with the parochial question of "who is a Jew," they forget the more important questions of "what is a Jew" and "how should a Jew behave."

What has so upset this fringe group is that RHR has raised money for its "Olive Tree Campaign," in order to replant trees that have been uprooted by the army and bands of marauding settlers, who claim that Palestinians use the olive groves as cover for their assaults on Israelis. Anyone with the slightest bit of environmental sensitivity knows that olive groves do not provide a hiding place of any worth for a would-be attacker. But more so, RHR is instructed by the biblical commandment: "When in a war against a city, if you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them." (Deuteronomy 20:19)

It is ironic that those Conservative rabbis who see this project as traitorous know little of war-time escapades in Israel, as virtually none of them have been in the army here, unlike the vast majority of those rabbis in RHR who, having served in the IDF, find no contradiction between service to their country and support for this campaign. RHR does not undermine Israel. It upholds Jewish morality in the Jewish state.

But RHR does not confine itself only to matters of Palestinian rights; it is also engaged in protecting the rights of women, Ethiopians, Israeli Arabs, Beduins, foreign workers, matters of economic justice and inter-faith dialogue. RHR is publishing a Mishnaic-like tractate on Israel's Declaration of Independence.

It has received government funding for a pilot project to set up workshops in Israeli schools based on its book: Life, Liberty and Equality in the Jewish Tradition.

RHR has provided lecturers for the army on "Human Rights in the Jewish Tradition." Because Israel is the lightening rod by which Jews are judged, both here and around the world, RHR will persist in prodding the Jewish state to fulfill its biblical promise of becoming a "light unto the nations."

Understanding the meaning of pluralism, RHR will also continue to create a positive image for all Israeli rabbis, even for those of its detractors affiliated with the Conservative movement.

Originally published by The Jerusalem Post, 26 Tevet 5762; Thursday January 10, 2002
Original Online version can be found at: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/12/27/Columns/Columns.40704.html
© 1995-2001, The Jerusalem Post - All rights reserved
Republished with Permission.