Maine rabbis issue joint call for peace, urge politicians to stop calling Gaza war ‘genocide’

In a unified stance, all congregational rabbis in Maine have issued a joint statement calling for peace and urging state political leaders to cease using the term "genocide" to describe Israel's war in Gaza. This collective appeal follows a Democratic primary where several candidates employed the accusation.

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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.

The statement, titled "A Call for Peace and Responsible Rhetoric," argues that the "genocide" label, when used as a political slogan, actively hinders progress toward peace in the Middle East. The rabbis emphasized that such language "erases essential moral and legal distinctions, diminishes the meaning of genocide, and inflames hatred for the local Jewish community."

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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.

They further articulated that compassion for Palestinians does not necessitate the adoption of hateful or misleading language, nor does advocating for peace require participation in what they termed "Holocaust inversion" against the Jewish community. The statement also called upon both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to break the cycle of violence and actively work towards establishing a better future for children of both nationalities.

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using the genocide term as a “political slogan does not advance peace in the Middle East.”

The rabbis' appeal comes amid a shifting political landscape, particularly within Maine's Democratic Party. The use of the term "genocide" has reportedly become a tool for political advancement, a trend that has drawn concern from some Jewish leaders and voters. One rabbi noted that "too many Maine Democrats are cynically willing to trade in that currency at the expense of our safety and dignity."

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The term “erases essential moral and legal distinctions, diminishes the meaning of genocide, and inflames hatred for the local Jewish community,”