Rabbis for Human Rights

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rabbis for Human Rights describes itself as "the rabbinic voice of conscience in Israel, giving voice to the Jewish tradition of human rights".^[1] Their membership includes Reform, Orthodox, Conservative and Reconstructionist rabbis and students. According to their web site, the organization includes "some ninety ordained rabbis".

The organization was founded in 1988. In December 2004, their executive director, Rabbi Arik Ascherman was among three defendants on trial in Jerusalem for standing in front of bulldozers in an effort to block the demolition of Palestinian homes. RFHR opposes the construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier in any place where it entails the expropiation of Arab-owned land, the division of villages, or cutting farmers off from their fields. RFHR achieved a major victory in 2006 when it won a lawsuit to prevent the division by the fence of the village of Sheikh Sa'ad. (Israel Today, May 2006).

The organization has received the Niwano Peace Prize in 2006.^[2]

Rabbi Ascherman served as co-director of Rabbis For Human Rights, becoming executive director in 1998.^[3] After stopping Israeli bulldozers from demolishing Palestinian homes in Jerusalem, Ascherman was charged with "interfering with police performance of duties on two different occasions in 2003, and the intention to commit acts to prevent police from performing their duties." In March 2005, a magistrate court ruled Ascherman guilty, but said that he wouldn't have a criminal record.^[4]

David Bedein from IMRA has criticized RHR, accusing it of supporting the PLO at the UN Anti-Racism conference that convened in Durban, South Africa.^[5]