| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"peace.seeker.27" |
| Date: |
02 Sep 2006 09:47:22 AM |
| Object: |
Reform youth battle over conflict |
Close to 50 Reform youth leaders urged the movement to address the
deaths of civilians on both sides in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
"We applaud the Union for condemning Hezbollah's and Hamas'
violent and terrifying rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, who have
been put in grave danger by the ongoing conflict," said the letter
delivered by 48 student leaders Tuesday to leaders of the Union for
Reform Judaism.
But it adds: "We urge the Union to likewise condemn the Israeli
Defense Force's killing of unarmed Lebanese and Palestinian
civilians, as well as its premeditated targeting of civilian
infrastructure, which has put additional lives at risk and hampered
relief efforts."
A response, signed by 11 Reform student leaders, took a different stand
on the conflict.
"We are concerned about the equivalency made between the tactics of
Hizbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces," the response said.
The Reform movement's leader, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, also weighed in.
"No side is completely blameless in a war, but I am confident that
the government of Israel has taken all reasonable precautions to avoid
civilian casualties," Yoffie wrote to the first student letter.
http://jta.org/page_view_breaking_story.asp?intid=3D4200
* * *
FIRST LETTER:
August 15th, 2006
To: Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President,
Robert Heller, Chairman of the Board Union for Reform Judaism
Dear Rabbi Yoffie and Chairman Heller,
We, the college and youth leaders of the Reform Movement, urge the
Union for Reform Judaism to take a stand for the Jewish values of peace
and justice by declaring its support for a sustained bilateral
ceasefire and peace negotiations in the Middle East.
As the future leaders of the Reform Movement, we heed the call of Rabbi
Hillel to "be from the students of Aaron, love peace and pursue
peace." As we see events unfold around us, we look to fulfill our
religious obligation by speaking out on the moral issues of our day. As
Jews, we declare our commitment to protect our historic homeland,
Israel, and to ensure the safety and well-being of its inhabitants. As
Jews, we also believe that upholding the sanctity of all human life is
of the utmost importance.
In a month of war in Lebanon, over 700 civilians, both Lebanese and
Israeli, were killed. During the same period of time, while the world
was focused on Lebanon, over 150 Palestinian civilians were killed in
the Gaza Strip as well.
In light of these facts:
=B7 We applaud the Union for condemning Hezbollah's and Hamas's
violent and terrifying rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, who have
been put in grave danger by the ongoing conflict. We support the
Union's denunciation of these groups' destructive behavior, which
has harmed the lives of thousands of innocent Israelis and Arabs. We
express solidarity with our Israeli brothers and sisters, who are
bravely coping with the mental and physical hardships of war. We
support and appreciate the Union's ongoing efforts to ease the trauma
of Israelis in this difficult time, as well as provide for their
safety, security, and well-being.
=B7 We urge the Union to likewise condemn the Israeli Defense Force's
killing of unarmed Lebanese and Palestinian civilians, as well as its
premeditated targeting of civilian infrastructure, which has put
additional lives at risk and hampered relief efforts. As we recall, in
the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, God agrees to spare the cities if
Abraham can find even ten innocent civilians. In light of this, we
implore the Union to make clear that these actions violate our
religious values, and are morally unacceptable responses to
Hezbollah's and Hamas's provocations. Furthermore, we ask the Union
to support humanitarian aid efforts underway in Lebanon and Gaza, in
the same spirit of chesed which has guided its support for relief work
in Israel.
We are proud to be part of the Union, a movement that has declared its
support for the principle of peace negotiations. As indicated by the
resolution "Support of the Peace Process," the Union called on
"the United States Government to continue to lend its good offices to
the ongoing negotiations for peace" (General Assembly - November 30 -
December 3, 1995 Atlanta). The precedent for the Union to advocate for
diplomacy in the name of peace has already been set.
We therefore call upon the Union for Reform Judaism to declare its
support for a continued bilateral ceasefire and renewed peace
negotiations in the Middle East. Only dialogue, diplomacy, and mutual
understanding will bring a lasting peace and guarantee the security of
all peoples. We recognize that there are a variety of opinions within
the movement on the current conflict. As is appropriate for our Reform
tradition, we embrace a diversity of viewpoints. Unfortunately, we feel
that our voice has been excluded from Union statements and materials,
and we ask for inclusion. We look forward to beginning a healthy and
meaningful dialogue in the name of peace, here and everywhere.
B'shalom,
Matt Adler
Adrian Shanker
* * *
RABBI ERIC YOFFIE'S RESPONSE
August 15, 2006
Dear Matt and Adrian,
Thank you for your passion and your commitment to the State of Israel.
We appreciate your desire to give voice to your beliefs and to
participate in determining the direction of the Reform movement.
Obviously, our KESHER and NFTY programs have encouraged you to ask hard
questions and to be concerned with justice in our world.
The loss of innocent lives is terrible beyond words. As I said in a
speech on August 1, "let us not think for a moment...that we can be
indifferent to the death of innocents. The death of any child, Israeli
or Arab, Muslim or Jew, is an unspeakable tragedy that rends the
heart." It is not possible, however, to equate the unprovoked attacks
by Hezbollah and Hamas with the actions of the Israeli Defense Forces.
The IDF, as has been well publicized, warned the citizens of Lebanon of
impending attacks and did everything in its power to avoid the loss of
civilian life. Hezbollah, in contrast, operates from civilian areas and
uses Lebanese civilians as shields while firing missiles at Israel's
cities. It does this knowing that in order to protect its own citizens,
Israel will be forced to endanger the lives of Lebanese civilians, and
the result will inevitably be to increase civilian deaths, no matter
how precise Israel's weaponry. And these deaths in turn will be used
to ratchet up the violence and hate.
No side is completely blameless in a war, but I am confident that the
government of Israel has taken all reasonable precautions to avoid
civilian casualties. I am confident too that when we review all aspects
of this conflict, justice clearly resides with Israel.
We all are grateful for the recent ceasefire. We hope and pray that the
ceasefire will hold and the killing will stop.
Thank you again for sharing your views with me.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie
President
Union for Reform Judaism
* * *
OTHER STUDENTS RESPOND
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Dear Rabbi Yoffie and Chairman Heller,
We are a group of students, led by members of the KESHER-ARZA
Fellowship and other campus leaders, who are distraught by the recent
letter sent out by our peers surrounding the issues in Israel. While we
agree with many of the issues that they have presented, we disagree
with their call for an unconditional bilateral cease-fire and
equivalency made between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hizbollah.
We would like to applaud the Union for Reform Judaism, its leaders and
affiliates, for its support of the State of Israel during this time. We
would like to urge the URJ to keep its trust in the Israeli government
as it decides the best path for Israeli security. The decision to
refrain from military escalation while attempting diplomacy shows their
willingness and eagerness to achieve peace. They have also expressed a
willingness to support an international force in Lebanon.
We are concerned about the equivalency made between the tactics of
Hizbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces. We understand that civilian
casualties are a horrible effect of war. We hope that no civilians
would be caught in the cross-fire; or more deplorably, directly
targeted. Israel has shown that she cares about civilian life. We
applaud her efforts to protect civilians, both Israeli and Lebanese.
She warns Lebanese civilians of impending attacks while trying to keep
her own citizens safe and has expressed sorrow for the loss of civilian
life in Lebanon. Hizbollah shows complete disregard for civilians, even
their own, using non-combatants as shields while directly and
indiscriminately targeting Israeli civilians.
Diplomacy and negotiations are one of many darchai shalom, paths of
peace. However, an unconditional bilateral cease-fire at this time is
not a true derech shalom. When Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000,
Hizbollah claimed victory. In the last six years they have continued to
be rearmed by Iran and Syria, in preparation for this war. We cannot
let this happen again. A true stand for peace and justice would not
place Israeli citizens, both Jewish and Arab, at risk to more attacks
by Hizbollah. The world must call for Syria and Iranto end their wanton
aggression towards Israel through their supply of weapons and training
for Hizbollah. A lasting peace cannot be achieved until militant groups
in Lebanon, specifically Hizbollah, are disarmed as the UN has already
resolved. The true stand for peace is to call the world to support the
government of Lebanon to protect its citizens from the violence
initiated by a group of terrorists.
We would also like to urge the URJ to continue supporting the Israeli
government and non-governmental organizations that are helping Israelis
who are being hurt, emotionally and physically, by this lechima. Kol
Yisrael arevim zeh l'zeh; we need to support ourselves and our
movement first and foremost, until we as a people are no longer in
need.
Lastly, we urge the URJ to not forget the three kidnapped Israeli
soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, and Gilad Shalit, and to do all
in its power to have the soldiers freed by Hizbollah and Hamas and
returned to Israel.
We thank the Union again for its continual support of Israel and her
people during this difficult and unnecessary war. We also continue to
urge the URJ to continue to support the actions of the Israeli
government and not to put Israeli into a position that could prove
detrimental to her security and the safety and wellbeing of her
citizens. We hope that Israel and her neighbors soon realize peace and
the casualties will cease on both sides. V'natata shalom ba'aretz
v'simchat olam l'yoshveiha.
L'shalom,
Members of the ARZA-KESHER Fellowship:
* * *
The text of the three letters comes from Jewish Voice for Peace
http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
.
|
|
| User: "nadr" |
|
| Title: Re: Reform youth battle over conflict |
02 Sep 2006 12:06:31 PM |
|
|
"peace.seeker.27" <vesuvian.doppelgange@lycos.com> wrote in message
news:1157208442.121865.141080@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
Close to 50 Reform youth leaders urged the movement to address the
deaths of civilians on both sides in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
Yes, there is a need to hold both sides accountable. No civilized person
would accept targeting civilans whether they are Jewish or Arab. I find it
repugnant and criminal.
"We applaud the Union for condemning Hezbollah's and Hamas'
violent and terrifying rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, who have
been put in grave danger by the ongoing conflict," said the letter
delivered by 48 student leaders Tuesday to leaders of the Union for
Reform Judaism.
But it adds: "We urge the Union to likewise condemn the Israeli
Defense Force's killing of unarmed Lebanese and Palestinian
civilians, as well as its premeditated targeting of civilian
infrastructure, which has put additional lives at risk and hampered
relief efforts."
A response, signed by 11 Reform student leaders, took a different stand
on the conflict.
"We are concerned about the equivalency made between the tactics of
Hizbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces," the response said.
The Reform movement's leader, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, also weighed in.
"No side is completely blameless in a war, but I am confident that
the government of Israel has taken all reasonable precautions to avoid
civilian casualties," Yoffie wrote to the first student letter.
http://jta.org/page_view_breaking_story.asp?intid=4200
* * *
FIRST LETTER:
August 15th, 2006
To: Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President,
Robert Heller, Chairman of the Board Union for Reform Judaism
Dear Rabbi Yoffie and Chairman Heller,
We, the college and youth leaders of the Reform Movement, urge the
Union for Reform Judaism to take a stand for the Jewish values of peace
and justice by declaring its support for a sustained bilateral
ceasefire and peace negotiations in the Middle East.
As the future leaders of the Reform Movement, we heed the call of Rabbi
Hillel to "be from the students of Aaron, love peace and pursue
peace." As we see events unfold around us, we look to fulfill our
religious obligation by speaking out on the moral issues of our day. As
Jews, we declare our commitment to protect our historic homeland,
Israel, and to ensure the safety and well-being of its inhabitants. As
Jews, we also believe that upholding the sanctity of all human life is
of the utmost importance.
In a month of war in Lebanon, over 700 civilians, both Lebanese and
Israeli, were killed. During the same period of time, while the world
was focused on Lebanon, over 150 Palestinian civilians were killed in
the Gaza Strip as well.
In light of these facts:
· We applaud the Union for condemning Hezbollah's and Hamas's
violent and terrifying rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, who have
been put in grave danger by the ongoing conflict. We support the
Union's denunciation of these groups' destructive behavior, which
has harmed the lives of thousands of innocent Israelis and Arabs. We
express solidarity with our Israeli brothers and sisters, who are
bravely coping with the mental and physical hardships of war. We
support and appreciate the Union's ongoing efforts to ease the trauma
of Israelis in this difficult time, as well as provide for their
safety, security, and well-being.
· We urge the Union to likewise condemn the Israeli Defense Force's
killing of unarmed Lebanese and Palestinian civilians, as well as its
premeditated targeting of civilian infrastructure, which has put
additional lives at risk and hampered relief efforts. As we recall, in
the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, God agrees to spare the cities if
Abraham can find even ten innocent civilians. In light of this, we
implore the Union to make clear that these actions violate our
religious values, and are morally unacceptable responses to
Hezbollah's and Hamas's provocations. Furthermore, we ask the Union
to support humanitarian aid efforts underway in Lebanon and Gaza, in
the same spirit of chesed which has guided its support for relief work
in Israel.
We are proud to be part of the Union, a movement that has declared its
support for the principle of peace negotiations. As indicated by the
resolution "Support of the Peace Process," the Union called on
"the United States Government to continue to lend its good offices to
the ongoing negotiations for peace" (General Assembly - November 30 -
December 3, 1995 Atlanta). The precedent for the Union to advocate for
diplomacy in the name of peace has already been set.
We therefore call upon the Union for Reform Judaism to declare its
support for a continued bilateral ceasefire and renewed peace
negotiations in the Middle East. Only dialogue, diplomacy, and mutual
understanding will bring a lasting peace and guarantee the security of
all peoples. We recognize that there are a variety of opinions within
the movement on the current conflict. As is appropriate for our Reform
tradition, we embrace a diversity of viewpoints. Unfortunately, we feel
that our voice has been excluded from Union statements and materials,
and we ask for inclusion. We look forward to beginning a healthy and
meaningful dialogue in the name of peace, here and everywhere.
B'shalom,
Matt Adler
Adrian Shanker
* * *
RABBI ERIC YOFFIE'S RESPONSE
August 15, 2006
Dear Matt and Adrian,
Thank you for your passion and your commitment to the State of Israel.
We appreciate your desire to give voice to your beliefs and to
participate in determining the direction of the Reform movement.
Obviously, our KESHER and NFTY programs have encouraged you to ask hard
questions and to be concerned with justice in our world.
The loss of innocent lives is terrible beyond words. As I said in a
speech on August 1, "let us not think for a moment...that we can be
indifferent to the death of innocents. The death of any child, Israeli
or Arab, Muslim or Jew, is an unspeakable tragedy that rends the
heart." It is not possible, however, to equate the unprovoked attacks
by Hezbollah and Hamas with the actions of the Israeli Defense Forces.
The IDF, as has been well publicized, warned the citizens of Lebanon of
impending attacks and did everything in its power to avoid the loss of
civilian life. Hezbollah, in contrast, operates from civilian areas and
uses Lebanese civilians as shields while firing missiles at Israel's
cities. It does this knowing that in order to protect its own citizens,
Israel will be forced to endanger the lives of Lebanese civilians, and
the result will inevitably be to increase civilian deaths, no matter
how precise Israel's weaponry. And these deaths in turn will be used
to ratchet up the violence and hate.
No side is completely blameless in a war, but I am confident that the
government of Israel has taken all reasonable precautions to avoid
civilian casualties. I am confident too that when we review all aspects
of this conflict, justice clearly resides with Israel.
We all are grateful for the recent ceasefire. We hope and pray that the
ceasefire will hold and the killing will stop.
Thank you again for sharing your views with me.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie
President
Union for Reform Judaism
* * *
OTHER STUDENTS RESPOND
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Dear Rabbi Yoffie and Chairman Heller,
We are a group of students, led by members of the KESHER-ARZA
Fellowship and other campus leaders, who are distraught by the recent
letter sent out by our peers surrounding the issues in Israel. While we
agree with many of the issues that they have presented, we disagree
with their call for an unconditional bilateral cease-fire and
equivalency made between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hizbollah.
We would like to applaud the Union for Reform Judaism, its leaders and
affiliates, for its support of the State of Israel during this time. We
would like to urge the URJ to keep its trust in the Israeli government
as it decides the best path for Israeli security. The decision to
refrain from military escalation while attempting diplomacy shows their
willingness and eagerness to achieve peace. They have also expressed a
willingness to support an international force in Lebanon.
We are concerned about the equivalency made between the tactics of
Hizbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces. We understand that civilian
casualties are a horrible effect of war. We hope that no civilians
would be caught in the cross-fire; or more deplorably, directly
targeted. Israel has shown that she cares about civilian life. We
applaud her efforts to protect civilians, both Israeli and Lebanese.
She warns Lebanese civilians of impending attacks while trying to keep
her own citizens safe and has expressed sorrow for the loss of civilian
life in Lebanon. Hizbollah shows complete disregard for civilians, even
their own, using non-combatants as shields while directly and
indiscriminately targeting Israeli civilians.
Diplomacy and negotiations are one of many darchai shalom, paths of
peace. However, an unconditional bilateral cease-fire at this time is
not a true derech shalom. When Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000,
Hizbollah claimed victory. In the last six years they have continued to
be rearmed by Iran and Syria, in preparation for this war. We cannot
let this happen again. A true stand for peace and justice would not
place Israeli citizens, both Jewish and Arab, at risk to more attacks
by Hizbollah. The world must call for Syria and Iranto end their wanton
aggression towards Israel through their supply of weapons and training
for Hizbollah. A lasting peace cannot be achieved until militant groups
in Lebanon, specifically Hizbollah, are disarmed as the UN has already
resolved. The true stand for peace is to call the world to support the
government of Lebanon to protect its citizens from the violence
initiated by a group of terrorists.
We would also like to urge the URJ to continue supporting the Israeli
government and non-governmental organizations that are helping Israelis
who are being hurt, emotionally and physically, by this lechima. Kol
Yisrael arevim zeh l'zeh; we need to support ourselves and our
movement first and foremost, until we as a people are no longer in
need.
Lastly, we urge the URJ to not forget the three kidnapped Israeli
soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, and Gilad Shalit, and to do all
in its power to have the soldiers freed by Hizbollah and Hamas and
returned to Israel.
We thank the Union again for its continual support of Israel and her
people during this difficult and unnecessary war. We also continue to
urge the URJ to continue to support the actions of the Israeli
government and not to put Israeli into a position that could prove
detrimental to her security and the safety and wellbeing of her
citizens. We hope that Israel and her neighbors soon realize peace and
the casualties will cease on both sides. V'natata shalom ba'aretz
v'simchat olam l'yoshveiha.
L'shalom,
Members of the ARZA-KESHER Fellowship:
* * *
The text of the three letters comes from Jewish Voice for Peace
http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
.
|
|
|
| User: "Stan de SD" |
|
| Title: Re: Reform youth battle over conflict |
02 Sep 2006 01:56:33 PM |
|
|
"nadr" <nadr@lebanon.info> wrote in message
news:rSiKg.592$MF1.312@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
The loss of innocent lives is terrible beyond words. As I said in a
speech on August 1, "let us not think for a moment...that we can be
indifferent to the death of innocents. The death of any child, Israeli
or Arab, Muslim or Jew, is an unspeakable tragedy that rends the
heart." It is not possible, however, to equate the unprovoked attacks
by Hezbollah and Hamas with the actions of the Israeli Defense Forces.
The IDF, as has been well publicized, warned the citizens of Lebanon of
impending attacks and did everything in its power to avoid the loss of
civilian life. Hezbollah, in contrast, operates from civilian areas and
uses Lebanese civilians as shields while firing missiles at Israel's
cities. It does this knowing that in order to protect its own citizens,
Israel will be forced to endanger the lives of Lebanese civilians, and
the result will inevitably be to increase civilian deaths, no matter
how precise Israel's weaponry. And these deaths in turn will be used
to ratchet up the violence and hate.
We are concerned about the equivalency made between the tactics of
Hizbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces. We understand that civilian
casualties are a horrible effect of war. We hope that no civilians
would be caught in the cross-fire; or more deplorably, directly
targeted. Israel has shown that she cares about civilian life. We
applaud her efforts to protect civilians, both Israeli and Lebanese.
She warns Lebanese civilians of impending attacks while trying to keep
her own citizens safe and has expressed sorrow for the loss of civilian
life in Lebanon. Hizbollah shows complete disregard for civilians, even
their own, using non-combatants as shields while directly and
indiscriminately targeting Israeli civilians.
The "moral equivalence" crowd needs to consider the above points before
blathering that "Israel and Hizbollah are equally to blame"... :O|
.
|
|
|
| User: "nadr" |
|
| Title: Re: Reform youth battle over conflict |
02 Sep 2006 02:42:34 PM |
|
|
"Stan de SD" <standesd_DIGA_NO_A_SPAM@covad.net> wrote in message
news:5fd13$44f9d3dc$45035f0d$5592@msgid.meganewsservers.com...
"nadr" <nadr@lebanon.info> wrote in message
news:rSiKg.592$MF1.312@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
The "moral equivalence" crowd needs to consider the above points before
blathering that "Israel and Hizbollah are equally to blame"... :O|
Israel has targeted roads and bridges, airports, seaports, government
buildings and other civilian areas here there were np Hizballah targets. The
Israelis know this and they know it. The massive shelling of civilian areas
was done in the hope that the Lebanese will rise against Hizballah. This
like the police ina hostage situation in a mall crowded with people, start
shooting at the unarmed people hoping that they will get so mad at the
hostage takers. It is well documented that Israel was not fighting
Hizballah and most of the causalties were not military. They were
civilians, children, men and women. This will breed hate that last for a
long time. Frankly, I would not have been as incensed if the Israeli
military killed only Hizballah fighters and Hizballah fighters killed only
Israeli soldiers. But both targeted civilans.
.
|
|
|
| User: "docremington" |
|
| Title: Re: Reform youth battle over conflict |
02 Sep 2006 05:03:34 PM |
|
|
nadr wrote:
"Stan de SD" <standesd_DIGA_NO_A_SPAM@covad.net> wrote in message
news:5fd13$44f9d3dc$45035f0d$5592@msgid.meganewsservers.com...
"nadr" <nadr@lebanon.info> wrote in message
news:rSiKg.592$MF1.312@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
The "moral equivalence" crowd needs to consider the above points before
blathering that "Israel and Hizbollah are equally to blame"... :O|
Israel has targeted roads and bridges, airports, seaports, government
buildings and other civilian areas here there were np Hizballah targets.
Just because Nasrallah and his willing collaborators said so?
The
Israelis know this and they know it.
Evidently, israelis knew better, didn't they?
The massive shelling of civilian areas
was done in the hope that the Lebanese will rise against Hizballah.
Just because hizboz and their apologists said so?
This
like the police ina hostage situation in a mall crowded with people, start
shooting at the unarmed people hoping that they will get so mad at the
hostage takers.
Only if hizboz play hostage-takers, of course.
It is well documented that Israel was not fighting
Hizballah and most of the causalties were not military.
Since when did hizbags become military?
They were
civilians, children, men and women.
Exactly the categories Nasrallah had been listing his dead hizbags
under, apparently.
This will breed hate that last for a
long time.
Who cares, the hate-filled individuals never run out of it.
Frankly, I would not have been as incensed if the Israeli
military killed only Hizballah fighters and Hizballah fighters killed only
Israeli soldiers. But both targeted civilans.
Indeed. Hizbags *are* civilians.
.
|
|
|
| User: "nadr" |
|
| Title: Re: Reform youth battle over conflict |
02 Sep 2006 07:26:05 PM |
|
|
"docremington" <docremington@safe-mail.net> wrote in message
news:1157234614.686308.231390@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...
Who cares, the hate-filled individuals never run out of it.
Frankly, I would not have been as incensed if the Israeli
military killed only Hizballah fighters and Hizballah fighters killed
only
Israeli soldiers. But both targeted civilans.
Indeed. Hizbags *are* civilians.
With this mentality, hate is guaranteed to last for a long time. Extremists
thrive on violence and they avoid peace because they can not survive in
peace.
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| User: "docremington" |
|
| Title: Re: Reform youth battle over conflict |
02 Sep 2006 10:48:24 AM |
|
|
peace.seeker.27 wrote:
Close to 50 Reform youth leaders urged the movement to address the
deaths of civilians on both sides in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
I'm listening.
"We applaud the Union for condemning Hezbollah's and Hamas'
violent and terrifying rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, who have
been put in grave danger by the ongoing conflict," said the letter
delivered by 48 student leaders Tuesday to leaders of the Union for
Reform Judaism.
So far, so good.
But it adds: "We urge the Union to likewise condemn the Israeli
Defense Force's killing of unarmed Lebanese and Palestinian
civilians, as well as its premeditated targeting of civilian
infrastructure, which has put additional lives at risk and hampered
relief efforts."
Let us indulge in a more interesting reading:
"A Christian from the village of Ain Ebel, who requested to remain
nameless for fear of a reprisal from Hezbollah, reported that he found
Hezbollah fighters setting up a launcher on his rooftop. Hezbollah
fighters ignored his pleas to stop and fired the missiles. He
immediately gathered his family and fled his home, which was bombed 15
minutes later by an Israeli air strike.
Hezbollah has also attempted to stop Christians from fleeing their
villages. According to Christian Solidarity International, on July 28,
Hezbollah fighters fired upon several Christians fleeing Rmeish with
their families, wounding two."
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=7314
How about that?
A response, signed by 11 Reform student leaders, took a different stand
on the conflict.
"We are concerned about the equivalency made between the tactics of
Hizbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces," the response said.
The Reform movement's leader, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, also weighed in.
"No side is completely blameless in a war, but I am confident that
the government of Israel has taken all reasonable precautions to avoid
civilian casualties," Yoffie wrote to the first student letter.
http://jta.org/page_view_breaking_story.asp?intid=4200
Very sane thinking, and, hopefully, sanity prevails.
.
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
