Can even rabbis fall for Hamas propaganda?
An international coalition of more than 80 rabbis, rabbas (female rabbis), and rabbaniot who associate with left-leaning Orthodox Judaism has released a statement that critics say echoes Hamas’s propaganda narrative about starvation in Gaza.
The statement, titled “A Call for Moral Clarity, Responsibility, and a Jewish Orthodox Response in the Face of the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis,” accuses Israel of creating a humanitarian disaster while condemning Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.
The initiative was organized by Rabbi Yosef Blau, former president of the Religious Zionists of America and longtime spiritual advisor at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Rabbi Blau said, “My support of Israel and Zionism stems from my commitment to Judaism. A non-critical loyalty is contradictory to the introspection fundamental to Judaism.”
Signatories, including Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich of Poland, describe themselves as loyal supporters of Israel. Yet their statement highlights claims of widespread hunger in Gaza, asserting: “We affirm that Hamas's sins and crimes do not relieve the government of Israel of its obligations to make whatever efforts are necessary to prevent mass starvation.”
Chief Rabbi Michael Melchior, a former Member of Knesset for the leftist Meimad party called for Israel to “flood Gaza with food and medicine.”
The letter also criticizes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for lacking a post-war vision and condemns Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, writing: “Extremist settler violence has resulted in the murder of civilians and has forced Palestinian villagers from their homes.”
Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg, a known leftist and President of the J.J. Greenberg Institute, stated: “The heart of Torah is justice, not revenge.” Rabbi David Rosen, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, added that he was “proud to be associated with this call for moral clarity and action.”
The statement concludes that “the future of Israel depends not only on its military strength but on its moral clarity.”
Many view the letter as falling for Hamas’s propaganda campaign, which claimed that Israel was starving Gazans, shifting blame onto Israel while minimizing the terror group’s central responsibility for the ongoing war that began with the October 7 massacre that killed 1,200 people and triggered the conflict.
Rabbi David Bigman, head of the Ma’ale Gilboa Yeshiva and one of the signatories of the letter, explained in a conversation with Arutz Sheva: “It is important to emphasize that the letter does not accuse Israel of creating the situation but rather demands that the state act responsibly toward the suffering. I signed because I agreed with the spirit of the words, but I was aware that some of the horrifying images are in fact fake, that the extent of the suffering is unclear, and that we are fighting for survival and the situation is extremely complex. It seemed to me that the wording did not ignore this complexity.”
The rabbi also said, “I do not fully share the comment of my friend Rabbi David Rosen. Not that he is wrong—and I too have criticisms of Bibi—but it is easy to talk, and those who do nothing make no mistakes. I am very troubled that we have returned to the clichés of right and left, and everything is judged according to camps, when all the old conceptions have collapsed. The State of Israel needs brainstorming in order to recover and flourish in the face of Islamic fundamentalism and rising hatred in the world.”
Regarding the section that refers to extremist residents in Judea and Samaria, the rabbi added, “I signed on that as well, but on this point, I am aware of the complexity on the ground and that not everything is as it seems. I signed because I agreed with the spirit of the words, and naturally, in matters such as these, one cannot achieve complete precision.”