Rabbis For Human Rights - North America

Torture/Indefinite Detention

“We cry out because the heart of the stranger is our own heart, the humiliation of the stranger is our own humiliation and the persecution of the stranger our own persecution. We cry out and commit ourselves to action to ensure that no one under our government’s jurisdiction be made to suffer torments like those our ancestors endured.” -Rabbi Melissa Weintraub

Torture/Indefinite Detention

Honor the Image of God Campaign: A Return to Jewish and American Values on National Security

Background

In 2004, people around the world were shocked by the images of torture and humiliation from the American prison at Abu Ghraib. Since then, it has become clear that these acts were not the work of individual torturers, but part of a profound shift in American policy on lawful interrogations and the rights of detainees held during the war on terror. What was once unthinkable--that Americans would use torture as an interrogation technique and justify its use under convoluted readings of American and international law-- became policy. The authorizations for torture went up to the highest levels of government. Even now, with torture once again prohibited by the Executive Branch, the philosophy that allows the President to circumvent the rule of law and the Constitution in the name of American safety during the War on Terror remains in effect.

 

Since 9/11, not only has American policy on torture shifted significantly, but the moral conversation has shifted as well. Ordinary citizens, concerned about their safety and influenced by depictions of torture in the popular media as a successful interrogation technique, have begun to see harsh tactics as justified in some or all circumstances. The questions raised by American use of torture remain: how can we as a society ensure our own safety while upholding the values we cherish?

 

As a response to revelations of American use of torture, Rabbis for Human Rights-North America launched a coordinated Jewish response, Honor the Image of God: Stop Torture Now, A Jewish Campaign Against Torture. As historical victims of torture, the Jewish community has a special responsibility to insist that torture is never morally or legally justified. More than 800 rabbis signed the Rabbinic Letter Against Torture, which read in part:

 

We want to express our moral concerns about the human situation – concerns that stem from the heart of America's values, the essence of democracy, and the soul of Jewish tradition.

We understand that the most fundamental ethical principle, which results from our belief in God as Creator of the world and Parent of all humanity, is that every human being is seen as reflecting the Image of God. Torture shatters and defiles God's Image.

 

The purpose of torture is to remove a person's pride, humiliate that person, or make his or her life so painful that the person does or says whatever the interrogator wants. Torture 'works' by attempting to deprive a human being of will, spirit, and personal dignity. The humanity of the perpetrators, as well as the victims, is inevitably compromised by the use of torture.

Jewish tradition calls for humane treatment even of one's adversaries.