Category Archives: About

What are you doing on October 15th?

We are excited to announce that Rabbis for Human Rights’ Olive Harvest Project, protecting Palestinian communities in the West Bank will begin on October 15th!  In partnership with 5 Palestinian communities we will be bring volunteers every day of the Harvest to join Palestinian farmers and their families in picking olives, and ensuring a peaceful harvest by repelling settler violence.

We have recently released our volunteer sign-up form and hundreds of people have already signed  up to be volunteers at one or several of the harvest opportunities. If you are in the region of have friends and family who would like to join, we would be so pleased to welcome you to the Harvest!

You can find the sign up form here: מסיק הזיתים השנתי – הרשמה לימי פעילות | The annual olive harvest – activity day registration (google.com)

It is also not too late to support the Olive Harvest with a donation, our fundraising campaign has received donations from over 200 donors from Israel and around the World, click below to make a gift!

Support the Olive Harvest today! Continue reading →

Kolot: Voices of Hope – A Different Judaism

This essay is the latest in RHR’s series of ‘Kolot: Voices of Hope’ profiles of Israelis and Palestinians furthering the cause of peace and equality and is also presented as part of their END THE EXPULSIONS matching grant campaign from June 1 to June 30. With only one day left in RHR’s campaign, please help them to reach our goal and double the impact of your gift by giving now. 

On the 21st of January 2022, Palestinian and Israeli activists gathered together at the West Bank Palestinian village of Burin to plant olive trees. Roughly corresponding with the holiday of Tu B’Shvat, olive tree planting in Palestinian villages as well as participation in the Palestinian olive harvest are longtime Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) traditions. While the activists were working, settlers from the Givat Ronen settlement descended down the hill, threw rocks at them, attacked them with clubs, and torched a car. This attack was carried out in the name of Judaism—or, should we say, in the name of a distorted version of Judaism that, among other things, subscribes to the belief that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jews, and the Jews alone.

Education – RHR’s Education program brings Israeli gap year students to Jerusalem to learn about
human rights & Judaism on the ground. Credit: RHR

Continue reading →

Notice of AGM 2021

The AGM of British Friends of Rabbis for Human Rights will be held by Zoom on Monday 6 December, at 6pm*.  Please use the following links for the meeting papers:

Zoom and telephone links tba.

*The AGM start time has been changed to 6pm (from 8AM) to accommodate Rabbi Michael Marmur, Chair of the Board of Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel, who will address us.

The Olive Harvest Continues: Over 500 Volunteers So Far!!

Dear Friends,

The Olive Harvest continues and this week, as we reported, has been one of excitement, pain and success. As we reported to you earlier in the week, on Monday our staff and volunteers were attacked as they participated in the harvest near Awarta. However, even in the face of violence, threats and indifference we continue and are proud of the over 500 volunteers who have joined us thus far, where we all work to show that justice and solidarity can overcome violence and oppression. Continue reading →

The Calling of Shavuot: Standing Again at Sinai & Standing for Justice

As the holiday approaches, Rabbis for Human Rights share a special Shavuot edition of their newsletter.

The Calling of Shavuot: Standing Again at Sinai & Standing for Justice
Rabbi Michael Marmur, Chairperson, Rabbis for Human Rights

Shavuot Sameach! This year the festival of Shavuot will be experienced in a different way than usual. In various stages of post-lockdown, puzzling over the cultural, institutional and economic impact of this global crisis, Continue reading →

The Emergency Social Justice Hotline in the Shadow of the Covid-19 Crisis

Many places around the world are in various stages of dealing with horrific consequences of the Covid-19 health crisis. Far too many people got sick and far too many people died. Our hearts go out to those who lost their fight and we mourn with the families.

We are in awe of the people who were and are on the front line of this terrible struggle: Continue reading →

Vicious? We’re the opposite!

First published in the Jewish Chronicle on 21 January 2016.

Bible records how the Israelites developed from tribal families to become Am Yisrael, a people in their own land. We see how they developed societal structures to spread power away from a tiny leadership and we can also read about the problems that happened when those structures were eroded. The model preventing concentration of power became the tripartite leadership of King, Priest and Prophet.

Continue reading →