DC Jews for Ceasefire and Hostage Release

We are Jewish residents of Washington, DC, filled with grief for the innocent victims in Israel and Palestine. We are shocked and outraged by the mass murder of Israelis by Hamas. We believe that the ongoing killing and collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza is wrong. It is not true to our own Jewish values and it will be destructive in the long term. We are also shocked and saddened by those living in the United States and elsewhere who continue to justify, encourage, and in some cases glorify, the killing and destruction from one side or the other. Similarly, there is no place for anti-semitism, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia in our community.

We call for an immediate ceasefire as a first step to a long-term political solution. We believe the best way to bring the hostages home alive is through negotiation. Continued bombing, siege, invasion and occupation of Gaza – inflicting incalculable harm on innocent Palestinians– is immoral, deeply against Jewish values, puts Israeli hostages at far greater risk, and dangerously perpetuates the cycle of violence.

This petition was organized by an ad hoc group of Jewish DC residents. To learn more and get involved in our work, email [email protected]