NEWYORK: Orthodox Jews led by the Rabbinical Alliance of the USA staged protest demonstration outside the Israeli Consulate in New York City, against Israel, its ongoing wars, and its recent campaign of forced military conscription.
According to press release issued by Rabbinical Alliance of the USA, participants denounced the State of Israel and its ongoing crimes against humanity, as well as the persecution of anti-Zionist religious Jews in the Holy Land, who refuse military service and reject participation in actions they believe violate their conscience and the teachings of the Torah.
Protesters also denounced the arrests, intimidation, and brutality directed against those who publicly oppose the Israeli government or refuse to serve in the military.
Rabbi Nachem Mayer, a spokesman for the demonstration said, “forcing Jews into military service against their religious convictions constitutes a violation of freedom of religion, while targeting those who protest represents an assault on freedom of speech”.
Mayer emphasized that “the existence of the State of Israel itself stands in total contrast to basic Jewish belief.”
He said that traditional Judaism teaches that the Jewish people remain in a Divinely decreed exile and are forbidden to establish sovereignty through force, wage wars, or rebel against any nation.
The Rabbi said that masses of Jews around the world, from New York to Jerusalem, oppose the State of Israel and its actions and will never participate in or support the Israeli military.
The participants of the rally highlighted the distinction between Judaism and Zionism. According to them, Judaism is a religion devoted to serving Almighty God and promoting peace, while Zionism is a political movement based on nationalism and continuous wars. They said State of Israel does not represent world Jewry and its actions are not condoned by the Jewish religion.
Demonstrators condemned ongoing settler violence and the continued expansion of settlements, which deepen injustice and further distance the region from peace and reconciliation.
The gathering expressed solidarity with anti-Zionist Jewish communities living under the Zionist regime and appeal to the international community to help safeguard their religious freedoms and their right to remain faithful to their beliefs.
The rally called for peace and justice in the Holy Land, together with prayers for an end to bloodshed and suffering and for a future in which all people may live together with dignity and security.
