Holy Land: Rabbis raise voices against death penalty

Source: Rabbis for Human Rights

This week, the Knesset's National Security Committee held yet another discussion on the proposed bill to impose the death penalty for terrorists - a proposal that has resurfaced repeatedly, especially in the shadow of October 7.

Rabbis for Human Rights CEO Rabbi Avi Dabush, himself a survivor of the October 7 attacks, addressed the committee. Dabush spent more than 30 hours sheltering in a safe room in Kibbutz Nirim and lost countless friends and acquaintances from the Gaza border communities. Speaking from personal loss and moral conviction, he said:

"I can understand the emotions, including feelings of revenge. But this proposal existed even before October 7. It is simply exploiting those emotions - and in my view, exploiting them cynically."

Rabbi Dabush reminded the committee of a foundational Jewish principle, quoting Maimonides: "The laws of the Torah are not about vengeance in the world, but about compassion, kindness, and peace in the world." He also recalled the unequivocal ruling of Israel's first Chief Rabbis, Rabbi Isaac Herzog and Rabbi Ben-Zion Uziel, who determined that there would be no death penalty in the State of Israel.

During the same discussion, Anton Goodman, Director of Partnerships at Rabbis for Human Rights, spoke directly to the committee chair:

"You're walking around carrying a hangman's noose - it's a lust for death."

Anton was removed from the hearing for stating a simple truth: there is nothing Jewish - and nothing moral - about the death penalty bill.

Rabbi Avi Dabush is now in the USA on a speaking tour. Over the coming weeks, he'll be joining communities across the country to speak about moral responsibility, Jewish values, and standing up for human rights in Israel-Palestine.

LINK

Rabbis for Human Rights: www.rhr.org.il/en/