I participated in a civil disobedience demonstration outside the Israeli Consulate in New York City this week along with ten other rabbinic colleagues.After causing traffic disruptions on Second Avenue, eight of us—including myself—were taken into custody and held for a short time. Although I had previously been detained at a protest, this was the first time I had done so in opposition to the Israeli government’s policies.
It was extremely hard and challenging to take action and speak out against the Israeli government. Even though I really didn’t want to, my knowledge of Zionism and Judaism required that I speak up. I sat in the street with two pictures in my hands: one of a starving child in Gaza and the other of Gali and Ziv Berman, cousins of a congregant who are still suffering in captivity, with humility, pain, and resolve.
I have been calling for a quick release of the hostages, a negotiated halt to the conflict, and a flood of humanitarian aid for the innocent people of Gaza for almost two years, using every available instrument. I have attempted to argue for this future vision and the specific steps I think would move us in that direction in a number of ways, including sermons from our bimah, private discussions with members and coworkers, the media and podcasts, open letters, and meetings with legislators behind closed doors.
An evident escalation occurred when a group of Zionist rabbis, including those from well-known and established congregations, were arrested on the street as part of an action organized by mainstream, liberal Zionist organizations New York Jewish Agenda, Torah, and J Street.
The hardship and malnutrition of innocent Gazans is unquestionably the fault of Hamas, a terrorist group that has no shortage of them. However, sincerity and our Jewish principles require us to recognize that this stain has evidently extended to the activities of the Israeli government as well.
In addition to an unparalleled breakdown in access to food, clean water, medication, and other necessities, over two million Gazans are facing what has been described as the worst-case scenario of hunger. The Israeli government is degrading the soul of Judaism and breaching its roots while pretending to represent it.
Tonight marks the start of Tisha B Av, a time when we all grieve for the loss of our Jerusalem Temple and the horrific devastation that our people have since experienced. This day’s main lesson is that when we disobey the Torah, bad things happen to us. A lovely and revered tradition has been passed down to us. My life’s work as a rabbi is to spread and teach that tradition.
Right now, it is precisely this heritage that drives us to stand out against the brutality being perpetrated by individuals claiming to speak for us. No, they don’t.
Judaism encourages us to support the intrinsic worth of every human being and to provide food for the hungry. We must make sure that words have significance if we hold to the idea that we are all made in the image of God, a lesson that is taught in the very first chapter of the Torah.
Furthermore, the most pressing Torah need to rescue the captives is not being fulfilled by anything that is taking place in Gaza. Because failing to fulfill this major commandment is a multifaceted offense in and of itself, Maimonides prioritized it over even helping the impoverished. I thought Israeli military action was required to liberate the captives in the weeks after October 7. However, Israeli ministers and officials showed day by day that they were more concerned with destroying Gaza than they were with ensuring their release.
A week following October 7, I said from our bimah that the violence committed by Hamas on that day could not be justified by history, theory, oppression, or analysis. The truth of those words has never been greater. I am a Torah teacher, but I am neither a military strategist nor a political leader. Therefore, I must also state that no Torah teaching, text, or interpretation can support an unending conflict and the starvation of innocent Gaza residents.
We read in Pikrei Avot that “There is no Torah when there is no bread.” There is genuinely no bread for the millions of innocent Palestinians who are starving to death and the innocent Israelis who have been held captive for more than 660 days. Therefore, it is the responsibility of Jewish leaders to uphold Torah and demand that the captives be returned immediately, that the siege and blockade of Gaza be lifted, and that this war be ended in a fair manner that respects the dignity and right to self-determination of both peoples in the region.
Timoner is Brooklyn’s Congregation Beth Elohim’s senior rabbi.
