Thu Oct 03 13:31:43 UTC 2024: ## Jewish New Year Calls for Confronting Genocide in Gaza, Rabbi Argues
**Chicago, IL -** Rabbi Brant Rosen of Congregation Tzedek Chicago has issued a powerful call to action for Jewish communities, urging them to confront the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the role of Zionism in perpetrating it. In a Rosh Hashanah message, Rosen argues that this year’s High Holiday season holds a unique and urgent moral imperative to acknowledge the suffering of Palestinians and actively work towards ending the violence.
“The shofar calls out to us in no uncertain terms: We Charge Genocide,” declares Rosen, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. He cites numerous experts and reports documenting the systematic destruction and suffering inflicted on Palestinians, including the targeting of civilians, the decimation of healthcare systems, and the widespread use of torture.
Rosen’s call for action is rooted in the understanding that the current violence is not an isolated event, but rather a continuation of the Nakba, the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948. He argues that the ongoing oppression of Palestinians is directly linked to the ideology of Zionism, a colonial movement seeking to establish and maintain a Jewish majority nation-state in historic Palestine.
He criticizes the Israeli government’s open discussion of further ethnic cleansing and displacement of Palestinians, highlighting the chilling resemblance to the Nakba. “We must take these leaders at their word,” he warns. “We can never say we didn’t know.”
Rosen’s message is a challenge to Jewish communities to grapple with the uncomfortable truth of their own history and the devastating consequences of Zionism. He acknowledges the difficulty of accepting that a state founded in the wake of the Holocaust could be perpetrating a genocide, but insists that such denial is ultimately morally indefensible.
He calls upon individuals to confront their own complicity and to translate their knowledge into action. “We must be ready to answer: What did we do in the last year to bring this genocide to an end?” he asks, urging individuals to actively participate in efforts to bring about a ceasefire and a just resolution to the conflict.
Rosen’s message, published in the Chicago Sun-Times, is a powerful call to action for Jewish communities worldwide, urging them to acknowledge the reality of the situation in Gaza and to actively work towards a just and peaceful future for both Israelis and Palestinians.
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