Letter to the Editor: Maine rabbis offer a more balanced perspective on Gaza
A Medford resident responds to "OPINION: Christine Barber is out of step with progressive voters on Palestine."
I'm writing in response to a letter about Christine Barber from Chadi Salamoun and Joshua Eckart-Lee. I hesitate to respond because of the divisiveness this issue raises on social media. But I feel a responsibility to respond.
Recently, all of Maine's rabbis penned a statement, which, as described in this article, offers a broader, more balanced perspective and calls for political leaders to seek a path towards a peaceful future for all.
The following is from the article published on the the website of Jewish Telegraphic Agency titled "Maine rabbis call for peace, urge politicians to stop calling Gaza war a ‘genocide’":
"Every congregational rabbi in Maine has signed onto a statement calling for peace and urging the state’s political leaders to stop using the term 'genocide' to describe Israel’s war in Gaza, following a Democratic primary in which several candidates used the label for the first time.
"But the rabbis also indicated that they, too, were unsatisfied with conditions in the Middle East and called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work towards a peaceful future.
"The statement, titled 'A Call for Peace and Responsible Rhetoric,' argues that using the term as a 'political slogan does not advance peace in the Middle East.' The term 'erases essential moral and legal distinctions, diminishes the meaning of genocide, and inflames hatred for the local Jewish community,' the rabbis say.
"Rabbi Josh Stanton, the associate vice president of interfaith and intergroup initiatives for Jewish Federations of North America, also hailed the joint statement.
“'Maine’s Jewish clergy are setting an important example with their call to put aside inflammatory rhetoric and look to the common good,' Stanton said in an emailed statement. 'At a time of rising polarization and declining civil discourse, the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine’s efforts to unify the community around this important message are a mark of true leadership.'”
Respectfully submitted,
Penny Schwartz
Medford
