July 31, 2015

The International Rabbinic Fellowship, an organization of over 180 Modern-Orthodox rabbis, communal scholars and clergy, condemns and expresses its revulsion over the murder of Ali Saad Dawabsha, an 18 month old Arab infant, in an arson attack in Kfar Dumah in the Shomron, allegedly carried out by Jewish terrorists.

This horrific act comes on the heels of the stabbing of six marchers by a Jewish extremist at the gay pride parade in Jerusalem this week. These acts are an affront to all human decency, halakha and Jewish ethics predicated on the recognition that all human beings are created in the image of a loving and caring God. 

The political and religious leadership across the board in Israel have condemned the attacks in no uncertain terms. We call on the entire community to categorically reject the teachings of hate that stand behind these actions, and deeply examine and uproot the roots of these pernicious ideas in our educational and communal life. Rabbinic and political figures who spout rhetoric and lay the groundwork for such actions should be challenged at every turn and their teachings of hate rejected and condemned. 

The IRF extends its condolences to the family of Ali Saad Dawabsha and offers its prayers for the speedy recovery of all other family members injured in this heinous crime as well as the speedy recovery of those injured in the stabbing attack in Jerusalem.