Learn how you can respond to the President's release of four new "Torture Memos." Call for a Commission of Inquiry and read analysis of the decision to make the memos public.

On April 17, the Justice Department released more memos detailing the brtual tactics used on prisoners at Guantanamo and in CIA secret prisons. The release of the memos, which had been opposed by the CIA, was seen as a move towards greater transparency about American interrogation tactics since the beginning of the War on Terror. At the same time, President Obama assured CIA agents that they will not face prosecutions for their actions. Read more.

In this article, Rabbis for Human Rights' Executive Director Rabbi Arik Ascherman explains why RHR and ten other Israeli human rights organizations are calling for an independent investigation into allegations of army abuse during the Gaza War.

RHR UK supporter Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg wrote this letter to his congregation, the New North London Masorti Synagogue, on the eve of Shabbat Vayikra in response to the recent allegations of abuse by IDF troops in the Gaza War.

Rabbis for Human Rights has joined with ten other Israeli human rights organizations calling for an inquiry into alleged abuses by the Israeli Defense Forces during the Gaza War.

Brit Tzedek v'Shalom is inviting you to take action by writing to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the issue of settlements in the Occupied Territories.

In a disturbing article for the New York Review of Books, which is excerpted in the New York Times, Mark Danner reveals the contents of a leaked International Red Cross Committee report about the treatment of detainees held at CIA secret prisoners. The horrific details reinforce the need for a Commission of Inquiry to uncover the abuses committed by the American government since 9/11.

On March 11, 2009 Rabbis for Human Rights – North America sent Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton a letter in support of her recent statements that the proposed Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem was “unhelpful to the peace process” and “not in keeping with the obligations entered into under the 'road map.'"  The letter is published here.

As a country, we must put into place safeguards to ensure that torture never happens again. To do this, we need to understand what has happened since 9/11, and ensure that those responsible are held accountable. Rabbis for Human Rights-North America has joined with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture to call for an impartial, nonpartisan, and independent "Commission of Inquiry" to investigate U.S.-sponsored torture policies and practices. Endorse their statement and read an article from Salon about the views of various experts on why a Commission needs to be truly independent. Also, important analysis from Gary Kamiya and Dahlia Lithwick. Learn more.

Read RHR-NA Board Member Rabbi Ed Feld's response to Go Fight My War, a booklet  published by the Jewish Awareness Department of the Chief Military Rabbinate in Israel and distributed to soldiers in the fighting units before they entered Gaza as part of Operation "Cast Lead." 

Rabbis for Human Rights-North America and K'vod Habriot: A Jewish Human Rights Network are sending a letter of appreciation to President Obama for his Executive Order on Ensuring Lawful Interrogations. Learn how you can add your name to the letter.

A Washington Post/AP poll shows that the majority of Americans are against torture, the Atlantic discusses why the Task Force to study interrogation is a good thing, Glenn Greenwald at Salon has a lot to say about changes in the Office of Legal Counsel and about why there need to be prosecutions of the previous Administration, John Kerry discusses why torture weakened national security, Jane Mayer looks behind the scenes of the Executive Orders on torture and Guantanamo, and Stephen Colbert's take on sacrifice.

On January 22, 2009, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order ending the practic of U.S.-sponsored torture. Watch video of this historic day and read a letter from the leadership of RHR-NA, as well as a press release.

Rabbi Brant Rosen, an RHR-NA Board member, wrote this entry about the Gaza Crisis in his blog on January 20, 2009. 

RHR-NA leadership participated in two meetings with members of the Obama Transition team to discuss the new President issuing an Executive Order against torture on his first day in office. On January 14th, RHR-NA Chair Rabbi Gerry Serotta participated in a meeting with team members, including key advisor Michael Strautmanis, and on January 16th, Director of Education and Outreach Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster joined a follow-up conference call with members of the Obama Administration's outreach to religious communities. Read more about the meetings, and a recent report by the AP that an Executive Order against torture may appear soon.