Dozens of Jewish Rabbis Arrested in Washington and New York During Protests Demanding an End to the Gaza Siege

In a new protest move, American police arrested dozens of Jewish rabbis affiliated with leftist currents while participating in demonstrations demanding an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza and an end to the blockade imposed on the sector. The arrests came after a series of sit-ins in front of political and diplomatic headquarters in Washington and New York, as reported by RT network.

In detail, 27 rabbis from the organization "Jews for Food Aid to the People of Gaza" entered the office of the Senate Majority Leader, Republican Senator John Thune, this morning, carrying banners that read: "Rabbis say: Protect life!" and "Rabbis say: End the siege!".

Two of the rabbis recited an excerpt from the Book of Lamentations, which is read on the Jewish fast day of Tisha B'Av, with the translation of the phrase: "Little children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them". The attendees then sang Psalm 23 to a tune used in Jewish funerals, before Capitol police intervened to arrest and remove them from the building.

One of the participants in the sit-in said: "We are here to demand elected officials protect life and take immediate action to end the famine affecting everyone in Gaza, including Palestinians and Israeli hostages still held there".

In turn, Rabbi Elisa Weiss, the founding director of the organization "Rabbis for Ceasefire", issued a statement saying: "This is a matter of life and death. Our urgent spiritual responsibility as Jews and as rabbis is to protect life. Every life is sacred, but Palestinian souls are not seen as such, and this is a stain on our collective human conscience. We are here to affirm the sanctity of every Palestinian life, every Israeli life, and every one of us".

These protests come one day after the arrest of 8 rabbis outside the Israeli consulate in New York during a protest organized by the organizations "T’ruah" and "New York Jewish Agenda", with the participation of hundreds of protesters demanding increased aid for Gaza, an end to the war, and the release of hostages.

Rabbi Evan Traylor, an assistant at the "Beth Elohim" congregation in Brooklyn, posted on his Instagram account: "I am okay, and I will continue to speak and work to end the famine in Gaza, release the hostages, end the war, achieve justice, and real peace for all people in Israel/Palestine".

These actions come in the context of escalating international calls to end the war and alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Gaza, where civilians are experiencing a widespread famine crisis.

In the past two months, more than 23,500 American Jews, including 750 rabbis and a hundred Jewish congregations and organizations, have signed a statement titled "Jews for Food Aid for People in Gaza". Additionally, more than a thousand rabbis worldwide signed an open letter this week demanding Israel to "stop using famine as a weapon in war", an accusation strongly denied by the Israeli government.

These protests reflect ongoing activism among American Jews, who have been organizing a series of demonstrations since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, calling for a ceasefire and the protection of civilians.