A Call for Peace and Responsible Rhetoric

Maine Jewish Leaders Speak Out

Since October 7, 2023, I have counted myself among those American Jews who understand that one of the greatest challenges of this war between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, is an existential war against Zionism and Israel’s very existence. My entire rabbinic life of service, I have persistently taught, as a core value of my worldview, that the Jewish people and the Palestinian people share an attachment to and indigenousness to the same land. Despite more than 100 years of bloodshed and the horrific war that is still being fought in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank of the Jordan River, or, the ancient names Judea and Samaria — and the additional fronts in Lebanon against Hezbollah and in Iran — despite this all, as a rabbi, I continue to teach the necessity for hope, justice and peace. In my mind, at the core of my being, this is the only way.

I am therefore very proud to share this statement below, forged with hope by my colleagues here in Maine. We are rabbis and leaders across the denominational and political spectrum in both American and Israeli politics. We do not agree on all our politics; we pray and observe Judaism in different ways as well. But we are united in our love for the Jewish people; in the inherent justice of Jewish national self-determination — which is what Zionism actually is; in our deep anguish over the unconscionable loss of innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives; and finally, in our fervent desire for hope.

We came together to make this statement as we watched the disgraced Graham Platner’s campaign implode while other Democratic Senatorial hopeful’s — who prior to Platner dropping out had never uttered a word about genocide or AIPAC (code for disproportionate and deceitful Jewish power in politics) — suddenly snapped into gear, mimicking the talking points of the anti-Israel, antisemitic forces on the Left and the Right.

We could not bear not responding.

And so we wrote this statement together, sometimes one line at a time, on Zooms and shared docs, over the past two weeks. And today we have published it. As of this writing, it’s already being picked up by news outlets. Hope can be contagious, too.

I will single out one truly extraordinary and brilliant young man, Zach Schwartz, who directs Maine’s Jewish Community Relations Council. Zach is mature, steady, fierce and strategically focused beyond his years. He is on the way to doing great things in this world. Over and over throughout this fraught and tricky process, while facing obstacles every step of the way — whether our own internal debates about this statement or by the onslaught of hate and violence which continues to boil over, Zach kept saying to his colleagues, “I refuse to believe in a world where it’s not safe for my son to grow up.” Hope is a generational obligation. We need to always know that, teach that, pray that, and walk that walk. Thank you to all my colleagues here in Maine; and thank you Zach, for insisting we do this. If not now, when?

Shabbat Shalom.

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A Call for Peace & Responsible Rhetoric

We call upon Maine’s leaders, and particularly its political leaders, to reject the irresponsible usage of the term “genocide” in describing the Israel-Hamas War. We also call upon Israeli and Palestinian leaders to end the cycle of violence and create a better world for both Palestinian and Israeli children. History teaches us to take our language seriously: when words lose their meaning and are instead repurposed to serve the current political trend, democracy suffers.

We, the undersigned, are Jewish organizations and Jewish community leaders from across the state of Maine. We do not claim to represent Maine’s entire Jewish community, nor every member of the organizations we lead; instead, we write today as Jewish people who have dedicated our lives to cultivating a home for the Jewish community in our state and who are proud of our community’s long history of supporting Mainers of all faiths and backgrounds.

We do not issue this statement because we believe that criticism of Israel, or its war policies, is inherently antisemitic. We issue it because we believe the accusation of “genocide” against Israel—which is becoming a staple of rhetoric in Maine politics—is wrong. And when belief in this accusation is enforced as a test of moral purity or social belonging, it becomes corrosive to the fabric of our community.

The suffering of Palestinians in Gaza is immense. The deaths of civilians, displacement, hunger, and grief absolutely demand compassion, humanitarian action, serious scrutiny, and accountability. As Jewish people, we believe all life is precious, and we mourn for every innocent life lost. While we recognize the existential threats Israel has faced since its founding, we also believe the Israeli government should do everything it can to protect the lives of Palestinian civilians.

But genocide is not a synonym for a terrible war, civilian casualties, or even alleged violations of the laws of war. It is the single gravest accusation that can be leveled against any nation or people. Using genocide as a political slogan does not advance peace in the Middle East. It erases essential moral and legal distinctions, diminishes the meaning of genocide, and inflames hatred for the local Jewish community. One can criticize the actions of the Israeli government without using the word “genocide.”

Words have consequences. Whether intended or not, the false charge of genocide against Israel is being used to justify—and even celebrate—the disturbing rise in violent terrorist attacks against Jewish communities worldwide. It has increasingly isolated many Jewish Mainers from civic spaces that once welcomed them. It has driven hatred and harassment towards Jewish schoolchildren here in Maine. Over the last year, fliers have been placed around the state that say Jewish people are “no longer welcome” in Maine; posters in Portland have called for a “D-Day” against local Jewish organizations; and many synagogues in Maine no longer feel safe gathering without an armed security guard present. While the Jewish community makes up just 2% of the US population, Jews are targeted in nearly 70% of all religiously motivated hate crimes.

The term “genocide” is a legal term created in part to describe the horror of the 1933-1945 Holocaust, when 6 million Jews, representing 67% of the entire European Jewish population, were systematically exterminated by the Nazis. Millions of Soviets, Poles, Romani, people with disabilities, and others were also tragically killed. The worldwide Jewish population still has not recovered to its pre-Holocaust levels; over the last 25 years, the population of Gaza has more than doubled. Every civilian death is a tragedy, and the word genocide should not be used carelessly or as a political bludgeon against the very group that experienced it. The most recent Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, has stated that current evidence does not support filing genocide charges in Gaza, emphasizing that the charge of “genocide” requires strict proof of specific intent rather than public pressure.

When polio appeared in Gaza in 2024, Israel coordinated with the WHO to provide over 1 million vaccination doses to Palestinian children. During the war, Israel set up humanitarian corridors for Gazans to leave combat zones before beginning operations against Hamas—a group whose recognized strategy is to embed within the civilian population to deliberately increase civilian casualties. Israel currently maintains a ceasefire while facilitating food and medicine into Gaza. While many of us feel Israel can and should do even more to protect civilians, these actions are not consistent with a country carrying out genocide.

There is clear evidence that some began framing Israel’s military response to 10/7—the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, which also indiscriminately killed Israeli Arabs, Bedouins, Holocaust survivors, Thai workers, and babies—as a “genocide” within days of the attack. We believe this early weaponization of the word “genocide” was an attempt not to bring peace to the region, but to inflict the deepest wound upon the Jewish community by trivializing and appropriating our historical genocide, the Holocaust, in order to draw an equal sign between Jews and Nazis. History teaches us to take our language seriously: when words lose their meaning and are instead repurposed to serve the current political trend, democracy suffers.

We call upon Maine’s leaders, and particularly its political leaders, to reject the irresponsible usage of the term in describing the Israel-Hamas War. We also call upon Israeli and Palestinian leaders to end the cycle of violence and to create a better world for both Palestinian and Israeli children.

Compassion for Palestinians does not require the adoption of hateful and misleading language. Advocating for peace does not require participation in a “Holocaust inversion” against the Jewish community. And political leadership does not require demonizing one community in the service of another.

This statement has been signed by every congregational rabbi in the state of Maine.

בְּשָׁלוֹם וּבְרָכָה (B’shalom u’vracha) With peace and blessings,

Rabbi Daniel K. Alter

Rabbi Erica Asch

Rabbi Andy Bachman

Rabbi Gary Berenson

Rabbi Sruli Dresdner

Rabbi Rachel Isaacs

Rabbi Jared H. Saks

Rabbi Bill Siemers

Rabbi Rachel Simmons

Rabbi Lorin Troderman

Rabbi Lisa Vinikoor

Rachael Alfond, Interim Co-Executive Director, Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine (JCA)

Stefanie Levenson, Interim Co-Executive Director, Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine (JCA)

Dawn LaRochelle, Executive Director, Maine Jewish Museum

Zach Schwartz, Director, Jewish Community Relations Council (JCA)