Tag Archives: Supreme Court

A clear and immediate danger of blasphemy: Get off the Fence!

by Avi Dabush (Translated from the original Hebrew)

The use of Judaism and Zionism to slander, trample and harm entire communities: LGBTQ people, secular, Arabs, leftists and anyone who does not align, is a blasphemy. This is a true call for mobilization: those for whom human dignity, human rights, humanity and Judaism are important must get off the fence and join the struggle.

The idea of blasphemy is about how people harm [religion in general] good name of Judaism through what they do. I always think about this, of course when I see defendants who, on a daily basis, do not wear a kippah put one on as they are being arraigned or remanded in court. It should be the opposite. Continue reading →

Dvar Torah: Building a Tabernacle for the Public Good

Read RHR’s most recent newsletter HERE. Rabbi Daniel Burstyn reminds us of the Jewish traditions of generosity and donations, Revach and Tzedaka; there is also an update on Sheikh Jarrah as the Supreme Court freezes the evictions; RHR’s Executive Director Avi Dabush’s latest article; and a response from RHR on the invasion of Ukraine.

If you would like to donate to BFRHR, you can find more information on the Donations page

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 →

Call on Ambassador Taub: Halt the demolition of Susiya

Dear Ambassador Taub

We are writing to you out of deep commitment to Israel and to Judaism.

The Torah teaches us that ‘the stranger who lives with you shall be as a native from among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt’ (Vayikra 19:34).

Today, the Palestinian residents of Susiya face the imminent destruction of their village, the place they call home. This is scheduled to take place between now and August 3rd. The courts have ruled that 37 structures in the village are due for demolition because they were built without permits, despite the fact the land on which they stand belongs to the Palestinian villagers of Susiya.

Continue reading →

Susiya FAQs

Where is Susiya?

Susiya is a Palestinian village in the South Hebron Hills of the West Bank. The majority of the village is in Area C which means it is under full Israeli control and any decisions about building and civilian infrastructure have to be dealt with by the Civil Administration which is a department of the IDF.

Continue reading →

RHR helps to stop demolition of West Bank village

The Palestinian village of Susya located on south of Jerusalem in the West bank has been saved from immediate demolition by Rabbis for Human Rights. The 350 villagers who have five times been forcibly evicted from the land which they legally own have been granted a stay of execution in the Israeli Supreme Court where they were represented by RHR advocates.

The court decided that within 90 days a plan must be prepared for the village which will make clear where houses can be built and the Israeli authorities must also ensure that Palestinian farmers are not prevented from getting to work on their fields. Until now the Palestinians have not been given permission to build houses on their land which has been declared a site of archaeological interest. As the villagers were not offered any alternative place to live, they set up homes in caves adjoining their fields, and when these were destroyed they put up the  tents in which they now live. However Israeli settlers have been allowed to build a village with good houses in the area and Regavim a right wing organisation supporting the settlers presented a petition to the High Court calling for the demolition of the tents and other property belonging to the Palestinians.