Action Alert

MENUM Letter to Sharon

The following letter was sent by the MENUM Steering Committee to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Israel and to the Israeli Ambassador to the US in Washington DC in response to news of the arrest of Rabbi Arik Ascherman in Israel. Please feel free to use the points made in the letter to send your own letter or email to Prime Minister Sharon. The email address is pm_eng@pmo.gov.il and address is Office of the Prime Minister, Knesset, Jerusalem, Israel.

Rabbi Puts Israeli Policy of Home Demolitions on Trial
Rabbi Arik Ascherman (Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights) along with two co-defendants are on trial in Jerusalem (next hearing will be on Wednesday, March 24 2004), for standing in front of bulldozers in an effort to block the demolition of Palestinian homes. They are charged with interfering with the police in the execution of their duties. If convicted, they face up to three years in jail or a fine. For more information go to the website of the Rabbis for Human Rights at www.rhb.israel.net.

Embassy of Israel
3514 International Drive NW
Washington, DC 20008

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
Office of the Prime Minister
Knessett
Jerusalem, Israel

February 24, 2004

Dear Prime Minister Sharon:

We, the undersigned United Methodists and steering committee members of the Middle East Network of United Methodists (MENUM), are writing to you in support of Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights, and the courageous stand he has taken in defense of Palestinian human rights.

We believe that Rabbi Ascherman acted in the best tradition of his faith in trying to prevent demolition of the homes of ordinary families who are unable to defend their homes against unfair policies and bulldozers. It is our view that Rabbi Ascherman’s actions not only show the courage of his convictions but also provide a basis for hope in the Palestinian community.

We commend Rabbi Ascherman for his stand on human rights and for his stand in the courtroom when he said that …”moral inheritance tells us that the policy of home demolitions is immoral. It may be technically legal according to Israeli law narrowly interpreted. However, not everything that is legal is just. The policy is certainly illegal according to international law and tramples on the Torah which I, as a rabbi, am sworn to uphold - The Torah which commands us to love those different than us, not to have double standards and to have one law for all." We believe that Rabbi Ascherman is following in the footsteps of two of his modern-day heroes, Rabbi Abraham Josua Heschel and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Several of us had the opportunity to meet with Rabbi Ascherman when he was in the United States and found him to be a voice of reason, hope and compassion. We believe that he is a modern-day prophet, as a number of Jewish leaders have suggested, warning Israel against continuing to do injustice by demolishing the homes of innocent Palestinians.

We are aware that security is a legitimate concern of Israel but also understand that the homes that were being demolished were not razed for security reasons. They were leveled because of a violation of zoning regulations in a context where it is almost impossible for Palestinian families in those parts of the West Bank under Israeli civilian control or in Jerusalem to obtain building permits legally. We are concerned that home demolitions are part of a policy that has made more than 16,000 Palestinians homeless since 1987 while Israel has continued building homes for literally thousands of Jews on Palestinian lands.

We urge you to drop the charges against Rabbi Ascherman and to stop Israel's illegal acts of demolishing homes of Palestinians.

Sincerely yours,

Middle East Network of United Methodists -MENUM Steering Committee:

The Rev. Bartlett C. Beavin
Napersville, IL, MENUM Co-Chair

Mr. James Vitarello, Esq.
Washington, DC, MENUM Co-Chair

Dr. David Graybeal,
Madison, NJ

Mr. Dwight Haberman,
Minneapolis, MN

Ms. Joan Overman,
Corning, New York

Dr. Les Solomon
Alexandria, VA

Ms. Maurla White
Herndon, VA

Ms. Doris Warrell,
Washington, DC

The Rev. DarEll Weist,
Los Angeles, CA

Ms. Tina Whitehead
Uniontown, PA

Dr. Virginia Lapham
Vienna, VA, Middle East Consultant

The Rev. Kathryn Johnson
Executive Director Methodist Federation for Social Action