More than 400 rabbis sign letter urging Israeli government to allow ‘international’ aid into Gaza, halt settler violence and pursue peace
July 25, 2025 10:52
The senior rabbi of Masorti Judaism Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg is leading an intervention by more than 400 rabbis from around the world calling on the Israeli government to cease what he describes as “the callous indifference to starvation.”
In an open letter, the senior rabbi – who signed in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the Masorti movement – joined Jewish leaders from around the world calling on Israel “to respect all innocent life".
Speaking to the JC, Wittenberg emphasised that the letter was drafted by “people who love Israel” but want to see a change in the way it’s conducting the war.
The letter says “what the Jewish People has learnt bitterly from history as the victim, time and again, of marginalisation, persecution and attempted annihilation,” and appeals to “the moral reputation not just of Israel, but of Judaism itself.”
British signatories include Rabbi Jeremy Gordon of New London Synagogue, Rabbi Jeff Newman of Finchley Reform Synagogue, Liberal Rabbi Alexandra Wright and Reform Rabbi Larry Tabick alongside rabbis from across America, Europe and Israel.
The letter urges the Israeli government to permit the entry of “extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza under international supervision, while guarding against control or theft by Hamas.”
The letter, which lists Boston’s Rabbi Arthur Green and Rabbi Ariel Pollak from Tel Aviv as its authors alongside Wittenberg, calls for an immediate end to hostilities in Gaza and intensified efforts “by all routes possible to bring home all the hostages.”
Their appeal comes in the wake of a World Health Organisation (WHO) claim that large sections of Gaza’s population are now “experiencing starvation”.
Israel stopped aid deliveries to Gaza in early March following a two-month ceasefire, citing factors including Hamas stealing the aid supply. It has since established a new aid system run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Israel has denied it is responsible for shortages of food and other supplies.
In a statement on Thursday, Israeli Colonel Abdullah Halabi, head of COGAT’s Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, said that approximately 1,000 trucks’ worth of aid are awaiting collection by the United Nations and aid groups.
Halabi blamed a “lack of cooperation from the international community” for the limited aid entering Gaza and dismissed the “famine narrative” as a tactic used by Hamas “to improve their standings”.
“The Jewish People face a grave moral crisis,” the letter states, “threatening the very basis of Judaism as the ethical voice that it has been since the age of Israel’s prophets. We cannot remain silent in confronting it.”
The letter cites “the sanctity of life” and core Torah values, including the belief that “every person is created in God’s image” and the commandment to “treat every human being justly.”
The letter also refers to violence in the West Bank. The rabbis have called on Israeli authorities to “use the forces of law and order to end settler violence on the West Bank and vigorously investigate and prosecute settlers who harass and assault Palestinians.”
While voicing support for Israel’s right to defend itself and the legitimacy of its military campaign against Hamas and Hezbollah, the letter states: "We cannot condone the mass killings of civilians, including a great many women, children and elderly, or the use of starvation as a weapon of war.”
It describes “the severe limitation placed on humanitarian relief in Gaza” and “the policy of withholding of food, water, and medical supplies from a needy civilian population” as being in conflict with Jewish values.
Israel denies it is responsible for starvation in Gaza.
The rabbis go on: “Repeated statements of intention and actions by ministers in the Israeli government, by some officers in the Israeli army, and the behaviour of criminally violent settler groups in the West Bank, often with police and military support, have been major factors in bringing us to this crisis.”
The letter urges political dialogue, calling for “open channels of dialogue together with international partners to lead toward a just settlement, ensuring security for Israel, dignity and hope for Palestinians, and a viable peaceful future for all the region.”
The Israeli embassy in London has been approached for comment. The full list of signatories is available here.
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