Ending war and starvation for the sake of Judaism
JVL Introduction
As someone who cares passionately about Jewish communal life, Joseph Finlay writes about how many Jewish communities have largely retreated into themselves since October 7th.
People are fearful of how divisive it can be to talk about the conflict and Finlay explains the many ways in which people are silenced by this fear. Individuals may speak up but “the community remains studiously neutral”.
This has huge costs. Avoiding politics, while ostensibly neutral, is inevitably taking sides with the status quo. And it makes our Jewish organisations increasingly irrelevant. Who will listen to us on the environment or other social issues where we believe our Judaism has much to offer if we had nothing to say on the issue of our day?
So we must speak out: for aid to enter Gaza unconditionally; for Israel to end the war, for a withdrawal from Gaza, for a hostage-prisoner exchange deal.
Of course we should do this out of a concern for Palestinian human rights.
But also out of a concern for the interests of Judaism, no longer allowing ourselves, in the diaspora, to he used as human shields by the current Israeli government:
“It does outrageous things and when these cause an outcry it claims that this is motivated by a hatred of Jews not by its action. It blurs any distinction between Israel and the Jewish people and then pretends to be surprised when protestors around the world fail to make such a distinction.”
For our own sakes “and for the sake of Judaism,” says Finlay, “we need to speak out. Today.”
RK
This article was originally published by Torat Albion on Fri 25 Jul 2025. Read the original here.
Ending war and starvation for the sake of Judaism
The time for equivocation is over if we want Judaism to remain relevant
Loading article text…
There is so much wrong with this that it’s hard to know where to begin. Perhaps the claim of the Board of Deputies that it represents the Jewish community when it gives full support to the genocide. How many congregations have spoken out?
I ask myself what is this Judaism which is ‘a wisdom tradition; a source of values, ethics, stories, philosophy, all of which are actualised through ritual and halacha.’
Finlay speaks of Judaism being ‘a living and meaningful tradition’ and remaining relevant.
Judaism the religion has always been backward and reactionary. The Bund and struggling workers came up against the rabbis. The unemployed felt the lash of Chief Rabbi Hermann Adler. The present Chief Rabbi supports the genocide.
Religion reflects the people who practice it and today it has been almost totally Zionised apart from a handful of Orthodox anti-Zionists.
The Talmud and Halacha are hardly an inspiration with passages that treat non-Jewish life as less valuable than Jewish life. Of course there are biblical passages such as welcoming the stranger that can be utilised by progressives but there is also Joshua, Amalek and Phineas.
Today’s Judaism is a set of rituals to bind the tribe to an apocalypic state, nothing more. There is no liberation theology in Judaism. Of course some will try and create one and good luck to them but the majority current of Judaism will always be backward and reactionary.
The silence of most of the organised Jewish community is testament to the irrelevance of Judaism to the future of humanity.
What a beautifully strong and clear statement of some very obvious things – and what a shameful, horrific degradation it is that our “official” community “leaders” need these things pointed out to them. I wish we could send a copy of this to every rabbi, especially the Reform/”Progressive” ones who so pride themselves on their environmental credentials etc.
This is a beautiful and thoughtful response to tragedy. I hope people take heed and make their voices heard.