We the undersigned rabbis, write in response to the recent statement circulated under the title “A Call for Moral Clarity, Responsibility, and a Jewish Orthodox Response in the Face of the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis.” We are compelled to honor the numerous truths omitted by that statement.
Responsibility for Suffering in Gaza
The letter assigns partial responsibility for the suffering of Gaza’s civilians to Israel. This is false; the one and only source of Gaza’s ongoing tragedy is Hamas. To state otherwise is to grant unintended support to antisemitic inversions of this obvious truth.
In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza at enormous personal and national cost, uprooting thriving Jewish communities with the hope that Gaza might become a peaceful and prosperous society. Instead of investing in schools, hospitals, and infrastructure, Hamas stole that aid and transformed Gaza into a fortress of terror, for one purpose alone: the eradication of Israel and the slaughter of its Jews.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprovoked massacre of unprecedented brutality, murdering, raping, and burning alive more than a thousand innocent Israelis, while kidnapping over two hundred. Thousands of so-called “civilians” joined in looting, torture, and celebration. Gaza’s civilians were offered millions of dollars and safe passage out of Gaza for information about the location of hostages, and not a single one has come forward to help.
Israel did not choose this war—it was forced upon her. And as long as Hamas refuses to release the remaining hostages and persists in its campaign of terror, Hamas—and only Hamas—bears full and exclusive responsibility for the ongoing suffering of Gaza’s population.
It is not enough to remind the world that Israel continues to facilitate the transfer of food, medical supplies, and aid, all while under fire. If these deliveries fail to reach civilians, it is due to Hamas’s seizure and control. Casting Israel as the source of starvation echoes Hamas’s false narrative and undermines Israel’s just conduct under fire.
Israel’s Paramount Responsibilities are Self-Defense and Elimination of Danger
Our faith indeed demands compassion and dignity for all, but the value that the Torah places upon the protection of every life begins with one’s own. Deuteronomy 4:15 commands, Venishmartem me’od lenafshoseichem, “you shall profoundly guard your life,” and in 13:16, Uvi’arta hara mikirbecha, “you shall eradicate evil from your midst.” And in the Medrash (Tanchuma, Parshas Metzora), Rebbe Eliezer teaches us that “Whoever is kind to the cruel will end up being cruel to the kind.”
The current crisis in Gaza is the direct result of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, its deliberate policy of using civilians as human shields, and most of all, its ongoing cruelty to the remaining hostages. The primary goals of Israel’s military must be to free those hostages, to eliminate the danger posed by a genocidal terrorist organization, and to deter hostile actors from future efforts to murder its populace. It is irrational and indeed counterproductive to suggest that other “responsibilities” must take priority.
John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at West Point’s Modern War Institute, recently pointed out that “There is no historical precedent for a military providing the level of direct aid to an enemy population that Israel has provided to Gaza.” Statements implying that Israeli forces must prioritize moral optics over genuine security assist Hamas and wound both the front line soldiers and the spirit of the Israeli people.
The Reality of Humanitarian Aid
The claim that Israel has deliberately starved Gaza is a falsehood spread by Israel’s enemies. In fact, Israel has facilitated the entry of thousands of tons of food, medicine, water, and fuel into Gaza. Israel continues to provide electricity and water, and has allowed multiple international efforts to deliver humanitarian relief. That the media is saturated with falsified photographs of children with unrelated medical conditions, created by AI, or lifted from unrelated conflicts elsewhere, testifies to the utter absence of signs of genuine starvation, with the notable exception of the inhumane behavior by Hamas towards the hostages.
To whatever extent other Gazans face shortages, the problem is again not Israel’s willingness to provide aid, but Hamas’s theft and exploitation of that aid. Time and again, food shipments are seized by Hamas, diverted to their fighters, or resold at exorbitant prices to ordinary Gazans. There is no question that the wholesale provision of “humanitarian aid” without appropriate safeguards has prolonged the conflict. To suggest that the appropriate course is to do more of the same is to foolishly advocate for further suffering on all sides.
Accountability for Violence
The statement references “extremist settler violence” without balance or context. It ignores the reality of decades of consistent, ongoing Arab terror against Jews living in Yehuda and Shomron—bombings, shootings, stabbings, kidnappings, and rapes. Families have been shattered, children murdered, and communities traumatized. The statement offers not a word of acknowledgment or compassion towards these victims.
Instead, it actually places blame upon them, focusing only upon those few who respond inappropriately to the barbarism to which they are subjected on a daily basis. It is not those isolated crimes that “destabilize the region,” but the fact that Israel must construct walls and erect warning signs to alert Jewish citizens that simply entering a particular village risks their lives. Arabs in Israel face no similar danger, and only those blinded by ideology could fail to recognize the source of the violence.
A Torah Viewpoint
We note that the statement presents itself as an “international coalition of Orthodox rabbinical leaders.” This claim is misleading at best. The overwhelming majority of its signatories are not representative of mainstream Orthodoxy, but rather come from the ranks of “Open Orthodoxy,” including nearly twenty women who have adopted the title “rabbi” and several openly gay clergy. Whatever one’s view of such movements, they are not acting in accordance with Torah, and are not recognized as Orthodox by the vast majority of Orthodox Jewry worldwide. The attempt to speak in the name of Orthodoxy while presenting views outside its consensus is disingenuous at best. This letter, to the contrary, represents the broad spectrum of mainstream Orthodox, Torah-observant Judaism, as evidenced by my signature and those of my esteemed colleagues.
True Moral Clarity
True moral clarity requires recognizing that the root of this crisis is Hamas’s evil intent, and that genuine peace requires the eradication of the threat posed by Hamas and allied Gazan terror organizations to civilians. Israel’s moral obligation is to destroy that threat while doing its utmost to mitigate civilian harm. Demanding otherwise risks moral capitulation, endangers lives, and betrays Jewish history and ethics.
By amplifying Hamas’s narrative, even unintentionally, moral critiques can become moral liabilities. To accuse Israel of moral failure while she sacrifices her soldiers, who risk and give their lives to minimize civilian harm, is an inversion of truth and justice.
There can be no peace until evil is defeated. That is not only a matter of political necessity—it is a Torah imperative. For all of the foregoing reasons, it is my privilege to sign this letter.
The officers of the CJV
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld
President
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Dov Fischer
Vice President
Irvine, CA
Rabbi Pesach Lerner
President Emeritus
Far Rockaway, NY
Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer
Chairman of the Rabbinic Circle
New York, NY
Rabbi Yonah Gross
Mid-Atlantic Regional VP
Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Moshe B. Parnes
Southern Regional VP
Hollywood, FL
Rabbi Ze’ev Smason
Midwestern Regional VP
St. Louis, MO
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky
Israel Regional VP
Modi’in, Israel
Rabbi Jonathan Guttentag
International Liaison
Manchester, UK
Rabbi Yaakov Menken
Executive Vice President
Baltimore, MD
And the following rabbis from the United States and around the world
Rabbi Elie Abadie
Aventura, FL
Rabbi Reuven Abedon
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Elchanan Abergel
Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Shalom Abramczyk
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Moshe Abramowitz
Elizabeth, NJ
Rabbi Elan Adler
Efrat, Israel
Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Yosef Bart
Charleston, SC
Rabbi Mordechai Becher
Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Hershel Becker
Miami, FL
Rabbi Doron Beckerman
Beit Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Sam Biber
Chicago, IL
Rabbi Eli Biegeleisen
Woodmere, NY
Rabbi Chesky Blau
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Abraham Bleich
Oak Park, MI
Rabbi Asher Brander
Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Akiva Brezner
Airmont, NY
Rabbi Chaplain Bruce Bublick
Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Nesanel Cadle
Yardley, PA
Rabbi Elie Cohen
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Marc Cohen
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Matisyahu Meir Cohen
Far Rockaway, NY
Rabbi Yaakov Cohen
Niagara, NY
Rabbi Yisroel Cohen
Ramot, Israel
Rabbi Judah Cohen
Woodmere, NY
Rabbi Mordechai Cohen
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Jochanan Davis
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Yossef Dinim
New York, NY
Rabbi Adam Dubin
Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Yisroel Edelman
Deerfield Beach, FL
Rabbi Ally Ehrman
Givat Ze’ev, Israel
Rabbi Avrohom Eichenthal
Pikesville, MD
Rabbi Mayer Elefant
Scranton, PA
Rabbi Yaakov Ely
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Ayson Englander
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Bentzi Epstein
Dallas, TX
Rabbi Emanuel Feldman
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Ilan Feldman
Atlanta, GA
Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell
Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell
Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Reuven Fink
New Rochelle, NY
Rabbi Binyomin Fishman
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Yitzchok Frankel
Cedarhurst, NY
Rabbi Shraga Freedman
Pikesville, MD
Rabbi Tzvi Fried
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Alan Betsalel Friedlander
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Jonathan Friedman
Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Michael Friedman
Bet Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Ari Galandauer
Nmb, FL
Rabbi Gershon Gewirtz
Clifton, NJ
Rabbi Jonah Gewirtz
Silver Spring, MD
Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz
Wesley Hills, NY
Rabbi Beinish Ginsburg
Bet Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Aaron Glatt
Woodmere, NY
Rabbi Chaim Glazer
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Aryeh Goetz
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Shaul Gold
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Sander Goldberg
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Zev Goldman
Las Vegas, NV
Rabbi Joseph Goldstein
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Simcha Goldstein
Coral Springs, FL
Rabbi Yitzchak Goldstein
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Michael Gottesman
Skokie, IL
Rabbi Jonathan Green
Far Rockaway, NY
Rabbi Yitzchak Gross
Wynnewood, PA
Rabbi Dovy Grossman
Highland Park, NJ
Rabbi Eliot Gutow
Cleveland Heights, OH
Rabbi Yehoshua Hecht
Norwalk, CT
Rabbi Yisroel Hecht
Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Dovid Hirsch
Nyc, NY
Rabbi Shlomo Hochberg
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Avrohom Hoffman
New York, NY
Rabbi Mathew Hoffman
New Rochelle, NY
Rabbi Hillel Horovitz
Beit Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Shmuel Jablon
Efrat, Israel
Rabbi Moshe Kahan
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Dovid Kaplan
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Naftali Karp
Waterbury, CT
Rabbi Martin Katz
Flushing, NY
Rabbi Avraham Kelman
Memphis, TN
Rabbi Ezra Kier
Henderson, NV
Rabbi Gary Kopstick
Staten Island, NY
Rabbi Y A Korff
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Doniel Kramer
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Ira Kronenberg
Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Mark Kunis
Atlanta, GA
Rabbi Dovid Kupchik
Cedarhurst, NY
Rabbi Gavriel Lakser
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Joel Landau
San Francisco, CA
Rabbi Dovid Lando
Toronto, Canada
Rabbi Eliezer Langer
Beit Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Chaim Dovid Lapidus
Pikesville, MD
Rabbi Boruch Leff
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Boruch M Leibowitz
Beit Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Yonah Levant
Flushing, NY
Rabbi Menachem Levine
Chicago, IL
Rabbi Hershel Lutch
Silver Spring, MD
Rabbi Rabbi Aharon Mandel
Spring Valley, NY
Rabbi Rabbi Tzvi Mandel
Spring Valley, NY
Rabbi Reuven Mann
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Baruch Pesach Mendelson
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Ephraim Mendlovitz
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Yitzchak Moeller
Pomona, NY
Rabbi Yehuda Morgenstern
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Yerachmiel Morrison
Toms River, NJ
Rabbi Aryeh Moshen
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Yechezkel Moskowitz
Valley Stream, NY
Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum
Cleveland, OH
Rabbi Yaakov Novograd
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Yaakov Novograd
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Yehuda L. Oppenheimer
Afula, Israel
Rabbi Yaacov Orimland
Margate, NJ
Rabbi Yoel Phillip
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Menachem Pinck
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Yosef Pollak
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Elisha Prero
Chicago, United States
Rabbi Yisroel Rabinowitz
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Aaron Reichel
New York, NY
Rabbi Eli Reidler
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Yechiel Reidler
Lakewood Township, NJ
Rabbi Yitzchok Reidler
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Shimson Dovid Roberts
Berlin, Germany
Rabbi Elazer Robinson
Hewlett, NY
Rabbi Avi Rosalimsky
Fair Lawn, NJ
Rabbi Gil Rosen
Bayside, WI
Rabbi David Roth
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Dovid Rubin
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Yitzhack Rubin
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Nosson Sachs
Bet Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Daniel Sayani
Clifton, NJ
Rabbi Benzi Saydman
Lake Forest, CA
Rabbi Avi Scheiner
Clifton, NJ
Rabbi Elchanan Schulgasser
Atlanta, GA
Rabbi Laib Schulman
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Tsvi G Schur
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Moshe Schwartz
Beit Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Shlomo Segal
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Jonathan Seidemann
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Mendel Senderovic
Milwaukee, WI
Rabbi Yehuda Shain
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi J. Menashe Shapiro
Silver Spring, MD
Rabbi Moshe Shipkin
Phoenix, AZ
Rabbi Evan Shore
Syracuse, NY
Rabbi Isaac Shulman
Deerfield Beach, FL
Rabbi Simcha Silverman
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Rashi Simon
London, United Kingdom
Rabbi Yehoshua Singer
Providence, RI
Rabbi Ephraim Slepoy
Ma\'Ale Adumim, Israel
Rabbi Shmuel Avigdor Spero
Toronto, Canada
Rabbi Yehuda Spitz
Givat Zev, Israel
Rabbi Jacob Teller
Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Aaron Tendler
Owings Mills, MD
Rabbi Brian Thau
Beit Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Alexander Tsykin
Elsternwick, Australia
Rabbi Benzion Twerski
Milwaukee, WI
Rabbi Chaim Veshnefsky
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Avraham Weiner
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Mark Weiner
Chicago, IL
Rabbi Yecheskel Weinfeld
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Avrohom Weinrib
Cincinnati, OH
Rabbi Moshe Zev Weisberg
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Moshe Weisblum
Wantagh, NY
Rabbi Shimon Weiss
Pittsburgh, PA
Rabbi Yosef Wetstein
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Yosef Wikler
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Avraham M. Wolf
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Boruch M. Wolf
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Chaim N. Wolf
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Naftali Z. Wolf
Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Richard Wolpoe
Teaneck, NJ
Rabbi Shaul Zilcha
Phoenix, AZ
