LA County rabbis, cantors decry starvation deaths in Gaza, echo demands that Israel end crisis ...Middle East

Dozens of Jewish clergy from all over Los Angeles County converged on the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles Monday, urging immediate food aid to Palestinians in Gaza, an end to the Israel-Hamas War, and the safe return home for Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.

The rally, called “A Jewish Prayer for Peace,” was organized by rabbis across denominations in the Jewish community.

Organizers called the demonstration a “moral cry for an end to the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.”

More than 60,000 Palestinians have died since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, organizers said, and starvation deaths in Gaza have reached record-breaking levels. Around 1,200 Israelis have been killed, with another 251 held hostage. Many of the hostages have been released in ceasefires deals, but around 20 hostages in Hamas captivity are believed to be alive still, according to the Associated Press.

“There is nothing more pro Israel than calling for an end of the war in Gaza, the return of Israel’s hostages to their loved ones and food relief for every Palestinian civilian facing the perils of starvation,” Rabbi Ken Chasen, of Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, said. “There is no standard in Judaism that allows for starvation as a weapon of war. Our people, our tradition and all of humanity are degraded by a famine that can be stopped but still persists.”

Chasen was in Tel Aviv two weeks ago and hit the streets for public outcry for suffering that was unlike anything he’d seen before, he said.

These rabbis are standing in solidarity with “the hundreds of thousands of Israelis in the streets and those risking their freedom to end the atrocities in Gaza,” organizers said.

“As rabbis and cantors, leaders in the Jewish community of Los Angeles, we stand firmly and deeply inside the values of the Jewish tradition lifting up that everyone is made b’tzelem elohim, in the image of God,” Rabbi Susan Goldberg, senior rabbi of Echo Park-based Nefesh, which bills itself as “an open-hearted spiritual community welcoming all of the identities that make up who we are and who we love.”

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“It is time to end the suffering in Gaza and in Israel and be led by those who affirm the safety, dignity, and human rights of all who live in the land,” she added.

Ram’s horns blowing at the rally signaled the beginning of the sacred month of Elul in the Jewish calendar, which many said is a time of reflection in anticipation of the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah.

“This is a season of return and repair,” said Rabbi Dara Frimmer, of Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles. “It is not too late. Help us God… to end the suffering, end the hunter, to let the healing and rebuilding again.”

On Friday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which provides food security and nutrition analyses for decision-making in over 30 countries facing food crises, declared a famine is confirmed in the Gaza Strip, with more than half a million people facing catastrophic conditions characterized by starvation, destitution and death, while another 1.07 million people are facing an emergency and 396,000 are in crisis.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office called the report “an outright lie.”

“Israel does not have a policy of starvation. Israel has a policy of preventing starvation,” the statement issued Friday said. “Since the beginning of the war Israel has enabled 2 million tons of aid to enter the Gaza Strip, over one ton of aid per person.”

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The statement also said, “Like all previous IPC reports, this one ignores Israel’s humanitarian efforts and Hamas’ systematic theft. Hamas steals aid to finance its war machine.

“These were the causes of temporary shortages, which Israel overcame with airdrops, maritime deliveries, safe transport routes, and GHF distribution points manned by American companies,” referring to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the American nonprofit organization established in February to distribute humanitarian aid during the ongoing Gaza humanitarian crisis.

“The only ones being intentionally starved in Gaza are the Israeli hostages.”

Many of the rally attendees were critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying his attempt to take control of Gaza puts hostages and families in danger.

“Every human life, be it Israeli or Palestinian, is precious as a child of God and must be treasured, respected, protected and given the rights that every human being deserves and is entitled to,” Rabbi Mel Gottlieb, president at the Academy for Jewish Religion in Los Angeles, said. “Our moral responsibilities must also carry over to Palestinians who dwell on the West Bank.”

City News Service and Associated Press contributed to this report.

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