Rabbis For Human Rights - North America

Resources

“Rabbi Akiva said: One who sheds blood negates the Image of God for it says: ‘Whoever sheds a human’s blood, by a human shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made God the human.' (Genesis 9:6)." (Tosefta, Yevamoth 8:4)

Resources

• The Necessity of K'vod Habriot in an Age of Terror, Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster


• A D'var Torah for Shavuot and Torture Awareness Month by Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, an RHR-NA Board Member.

• A Jewish Statement Against Torture  signed by Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel and more than 800 rabbis. The public letter calls on the U.S. to abolish torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees held under United States control.

 

• A Rabbinic Resource on Jewish Values and Torture contains a resource booklet to help rabbis and communities discuss the intersection of Jewish values and the torture questions. It includes the shorter versions of Rabbi Melissa Weintraub's articles on torture and Jewish law, liturgical material, and study questions.

 

• Bar against Self-Incrimination as a Protection against Torture in Jewish and American Law (full length) (abridged). Rabbi Melissa Weintraub developed this resource in 2005 based on the Jewish prohibition against self-incrimination and the Fifth Amemendment to the U.S. Constitution.

• Human Dignity in Jewish Sources, Human Degradation in American Military Custody (full length) (abridged). An educational resource written by Rabbi Melissa Weintraub in 2005.

 

• But Does Torture Save Lives? The Rodef and the "Ticking Time Bomb" (full length) (abridged). In this 2005 article, Rabbi Melissa Weintraub analyzes and ultimately rejects the defense of torture based on the idea that the use of torture will save lives because it will prevent terror attacks.

 

• Human Dignity, Defense of Life, and "Ticking Bombs"; Torture in Jewish Law and Values. Educational materials prepared by Rabbi Melissa Weintraub in 2008; includes a source sheet and an update on the torture situation. These materials are accompanied by a teacher's guide.

 

• Heart of a Stranger: The Jewish Historical Memory of Torture. An educational resource written by Rabbi Melissa Weintraub in 2005.

 

• Jewish Values and Torture Curriculum. This curriculum, written by Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal, includes interactive lessons that are appropriate for high school, college, and adult education settings, and can be used in a sequence or as stand alone lessons. The curriculum also includes an introductory lesson on the Jewish obligation to speak out for others. The experiential nature of these lessons is meant to go beyond traditional text studies to allow participants to engage with key moral questions and wrestle with what steps we are willing as Jews and Americans to be taken in our name in order to stay safe.

 

• First Do No Harm: Balaam and the Ethics of Responsibility: A Dvar Torah on Parshat Balak and torture by Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, June 2010.

• Indefinite Detention and Jewish Sources on Justice: By Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster for Human Rights Shabbat, December 2010.

• Righteousness, Justice, and Reuben Fulfilled: A Dvar Torah by Rabbi Menachem Creditor for Parshat VaYeshev 2010/5770.

• Sermon Talking Points on Detention for Parshat Vayeshev: Sermon talking points prepared by Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster for Human Rights Shabbat 2009 about Parshat Vayashev and the ongoing controversy about indefinite or preventive detention of detainees in the war on terror.

• Teaching Children about Human Rights: A Curriculum from the Jewish Campaign Against Torture: Prepared for Human Rights Shabbat 2009 by Rabbi Margaret Holub.

• Curriculum on Human Dignity, Self-Defense, and Judicial Process: The following 3-part curriculum was written by Rabbi Ed Feld. It looks at 3 aspects the intersection of Jewish texts and human rights and includes an introduction for educators: The importance of human dignity  (k'vod habriot), the limits of self-defense, and the role of the judicial process.

• 2008 Conference Transcript: Honor the Image of God: Jewish Texts on the Torture Crisis. Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky discusses Jewish texts that relate to torture, and ponders the question of whether the rabbis considered a Jewish life to be of higher value than a non-Jewish one. The transcript includes a summary of the session and discussion questions.

 

• Prayer from the National Summit on Torture, September 11, 2008 by Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster.

 

• Prayer from the National Summit on Torture, September 12, 2008 by Rabbi Charles Feinberg. 

 

• High Holidays Sermon 2007 / 5768: Call of the Shofar, by Rabbi Ed Feld about torture and indefinite detention.

 

• Al Chet: A Public Confession for the Sin of Torture. This liturgy is based on the traditional public confession of sins on Yom Kippur and is meant to complement the existing al chet found in the mahzor. Prepared by Rabbi Ed Feld in 2007 for Yom Kippur 5768.

• Closing Guantanamo: A Dvar Torah for Va'era by Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, January, 2010.

• 2008 Conference Transcript: Beyond Guantanamo. Transcript of presentation by lawyers Tom Wilner and Gita Gutierrez from RHR-NA’s 2008 conference. They discuss their work on behalf of detainees currently held in Guantanamo. They offer solutions for how to better bring some of these men to justice, and meditate on the values that inform their work.

 

• Eleh Ezkerah: A liturgy for Yom Kippur by Rabbi Melissa Weintraub and Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg.

• These Things I Remember and I Pour Out My Heart Out: A Sermon for Kol Nidre 2005/5766 by Rabbi Ellen Lippmann.

• For the Sin of Torture by Americans: By Rabbi Simcha Y. Weintraub.

 

• First Nail in the Sukkah: Prepared for Sukkot 2005/5766 by Rabbi Margaret Holub.

• Shabbat Zachor: Prepared by Rabbi Ed Feld for Shabbat Zachor 2009/5769, the Shabbat before Purim.

• Hashkiveinu: Asking God to Shelter with the Promise of Peace for All Those Who Suffer: A prayer for victims of torture by Rabbi Ed Feld.

• Service for a Gathering to Address U.S.-Sponsored Torture: >Created by Rabbi Margaret Holub.

• Mussar Practice for Torture Awareness Month: By Rabbi Margaret Holub.