Sunday Cafe: Settlers and Jewish Law: A Toxic Brew

We see the videos: extremist settlers in the West Bank, wearing kipahs and side curls, marauding Palestinian villages, stealing sheep, burning down people's houses. How can this be an expression of Judaism? We will look at the roots of dehumanization in ancient texts, and how they have been exploited by Religious Zionist (Chardal) rabbis with political agendas to foster a terrible reality. Understanding how this reality evolved gives us more power to recognize it and fight it. We will also learn about the roots of progressive halakhah, and its relation to what peace and justice activists in the West Bank are doing to create protective presence and solidarity.

Rabbi David Seidenberg spent last summer researching Jewish legal opinions used to support settler violence and Gaza war conduct on behalf of "The Halachic Left". He is recognized around the world for his research on Judaism and ecology, tikkun olam, and animal rights. He is currently teaching at the Harvard Divinity School.