Statement on July Violence in Israel

RRC/Jewish Reconstructionist Communities and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association condemn the horrifying terror attack that took place this past Shabbat, in which a Palestinian man gained entry into the home of a family in a West Bank settlement and stabbed three people to death. We mourn the deaths of Yosef Salomon, 70, and two of his children, Chaya, 46, and Elad, 36. May their memories be a blessing. There is no justification for terrorist attacks. Our hearts and prayers are with the survivors, who include several children, in this time of shock and grief. 

We also are deeply concerned by the spiraling escalation of violence that has been taking place in the Temple Mount area following last week’s murder of Israeli Border Police and the subsequent decision by the Israeli government to install metal detectors at this holy site. We are deeply concerned that more people will be hurt or killed if tensions do not recede. We urge the leaders of all governments and religious communities to do all they can to try to avoid a further escalation of impassioned violence on the part of members of any of the religious communities who hold the site sacred. We hope that President Trump’s decision to dispatch U.S. envoy Jason Greenblatt to the region to try to help restore calm will be successful.