I just signed onto to this initiative sponsored by Rabbis for Human Rights of North America.
Previously, this letter was sent to all the members of the Senate containing an additional calling on them to reject the nomination of Alberto Gonzales. The reasoning was the way he evaded questions and refused to repudiate the use of torture at his hearing. Unless he commits himself to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate U.S. interrogation and torture policies and to fully release all related documents, we urge the Senate to reject his nomination.
The letter is the first inter-denomination rabbinic statement against the use of torture. It will be used for education and advocacy as part of a longer-term campaign against torture and does not refer to the Gonzales nomination. We hope that a few hundred rabbis from all the movements to sign this statement and also over the next few months invite Jews (hopefully a few thousand) to sign as well.
The text of the letter, along with other materials that we hope to develop, will be used to generate moral discussion and debate in synagogues, Hillels, Federations, community relations councils,
Jewish community centers and other communal institutions.
The letter would also be used as part of an advocacy campaign for a ban by the United States government on the use of torture. We plan to organize meetings of rabbis with their senators and to join with other religious and human rights groups that are working towards the repudiation of the use of torture by the United States
government.
I invite you to join me in this effort--one that speaks to the essence of Judaism's view of shared humanity created in the Divine Image.
Please let me know if this is an issue that interests you.
B'shalom,
Rabbi Bruce
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