Temple Clergy Statement: Amnesty International Report

The clergy of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas add their collective voices, with the strongest possible endorsement, to the call of our Reform Movement to strongly condemn the report produced by Amnesty International entitled: “Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity” which wrongly accuses Israel of, “perpetuating the international wrong of apartheid.” The term “apartheid” is commonly understood to refer to the institutions of formal and rigid segregation, the denial of political and social rights, and the basic dehumanization practiced by the South African regime over decades. Using it to describe the relationship between the State of Israel and the Palestinian people does not reflect an understanding of the history, context, and nuance of the current situation. We reject this report which seeks to incite those who want to delegitimize Israel’s very existence who can now cite it as equating Israel with South Africa as an apartheid state to justify encouraging anti-Zionism and antisemitism. We are proud to be among the leaders of the largest religious and Zionist Movement in Jewish life in North America, and are each committed to Israel’s Jewish as well as its democratic character, which must ensure the civil, political, and human rights of all citizens.

You can read the full statement of our movement here.