Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Rabbis for Human Rights,will introduce Rabbis For Human Rights, some of the issues they care about, and how their positions stem from the Jewish tradition and sources.

About Rabbis for Human Rights:

Founded in 1988, Rabbis for Human Rights is the only rabbinic voice in Israel that is explicitly dedicated to human rights. Representing over 100 Israeli rabbis and rabbinical students from different streams of Judaism, we derive our authority from our Jewish tradition and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our mission is to inform the Israeli public about human rights violations, and to pressure the State institutions to redress these injustices. In a time in which a nationalist and isolationist understanding of Jewish tradition is heard frequently and loudly, Rabbis for Human Rights give expression to the traditional Jewish responsibility for the safety and welfare of the stranger, the different and the weak, the convert, the widow and the orphan.

RHR’s Department of Palestinian Rights in the Occupied Territories, led by Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann, works to protect the rights of Palestinians and Bedouins in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. One of our strongest focuses is ensuring Palestinian farmers safe access to their lands throughout the agricultural year, and we also engage in the promotion of the rights of the Jahalin Bedouin, near Maaleh Adumim. Finally, we have also been active in East Jerusalem (particularly in Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah) on issues of housing discrimination, home demolitions, and evictions.

Challenging Land Confiscation in the Occupied Territories:

RHR works to legally prevent or reverse the takeover of Palestinian lands in Area C, and ensure that Palestinian farmers can safely access those lands. We started working in villages in the South Hebron Hills, and we have recently expanded to the villages around Bethlehem as well as to a few villages in the Northern West Bank. We continually monitor the implementation of previous rulings on land access issues, and currently are working on 200 open cases relating to land confiscation and criminal charges and complaints lodged by Palestinian farmers against settlement security personnel.

Sponsors: Allies for Peace with Justice in Palestine of the First United Methodist Church of Boulder; Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center; Friends of Sabeel-Colorado

Contact: Carolyn Bninski, Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, 720-509-3378, carolynbninski at gmail dot com