A growing number of prominent Jewish American organizations, including some traditional defenders of Israel, are speaking out and imploring the country to ensure that humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza. The move comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, with a UN-backed food security group warning of a “worst-case scenario of famine” unfolding in the region.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC), a prominent Jewish advocacy organization, released a statement affirming its support for Israel’s right to defend itself while also calling for Israel to take steps to alleviate civilian suffering. “We feel immense sorrow for the grave toll this war has taken on Palestinian civilians, and we are deeply concerned about worsening food insecurity in Gaza,” the statement read. “We urge Israel, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the UN, and all responsible parties involved in aid distribution to increase cooperation and coordination in order to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
The AJC’s statement reflects a cautious critique of Israel’s aid blockade echoed by other groups noteworthy for their typically staunch support of the country. The Reform movement in North America, which represents the largest Jewish denomination in the US, also issued a lengthy statement, saying, “Neither escalating military pressure nor restricting humanitarian aid has brought Israel closer to securing a hostage deal or ending the war. Hamas has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to sacrifice the Palestinian people in its pursuit of Israel’s destruction, but Israel must not sacrifice its own moral standing in return.”
The Rabbinical Assembly, a New York-based association of conservative rabbis, said they were “increasingly concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza” and called for “urgent action to alleviate civilian suffering and ensure aid delivery.” “Even as we believe Hamas could end this suffering immediately through the release of the hostages and care for its civilian population, the Israeli government must do everything in its power to ensure humanitarian aid reaches those in need,” it added.
The developments reflect shifting public support for Israel and the Israeli government within the US, which has accelerated as the war has gone on. A recent Gallup poll reported that support for Israel’s military action in Gaza has precipitously declined among US adults, and is now at 32% – the lowest reading since Gallup first asked the question in November 2023. Support for Israel drops further among younger Americans – including US Jews.
“It’s a tense time in the Jewish family group chats,” Ezra Klein wrote in a recent New York Times column. “The consensus that held American Jewry together for generations is breaking down.” The shift is also playing out within institutions whose members want their leaders to take a tougher stance on a country many had long reflexively supported.
More than 200 alumni from Young Judaea, a Zionist youth group, this week called on the organization in an open letter to depart from its pro-Israel line to speak out against starvation in Gaza and call for a permanent ceasefire, including a release of the hostages. “We see our families and friends, colleagues and teachers, rabbis and Jewish institutions – in Israel and abroad – join a growing movement to stand courageously in opposition to these policies,” the letter reads. “Young Judaea cannot remain silent in this moment and maintain any moral credibility.”
The growing discomfort among Jewish Americans with Israel’s actions in Gaza has led to an increase in protests and demonstrations. On Tuesday, 27 rabbis and Jewish clergy affiliated with the group Jews for Food Aid for People in Gaza were arrested at a protest in the Washington office of the Senate majority leader, John Thune. More than 1,200 rabbis have signed a public letter calling on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. “The Jewish people face a grave moral crisis, threatening the very basis of Judaism as the ethical voice that it has been since the age of Israel’s prophets,” reads the letter. “We cannot remain silent in confronting it.”