"Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:6)
Last Tuesday, Rabbi Brant Rosen of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston Illinois and Rabbi Brian Walt of Rabbis For Human Rights-North America coordinated an organized Jewish communal response to the continued blockade of Gaza and the cruel punishment of its people. This initiative, "Ta'anit Tzedek - The Jewish Fast For Gaza", follows the Jewish tradition of holding a communal fast in times of crisis, both as an expression of mourning and a call to repentence.
At the beginning of last week there was an initial group of 13 Rabbinic participants. By tonight, there are over 360 people, including over 50 Rabbis, Christian and Muslim clergy, people of various faiths, and people of conscience. The members come mostly from America, as well as Israel, Palestine, Germany, Iran, China, Mexico, England, France, Ecuador, Canada, Australia, Lebanon, Scotland, and Portugal.
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