NGO Monitor Analysis (Vol. 1 No. 8) 19 May 2003
Shomrei Mishpat Organization - Rabbis for Human Rights - broadens its focus beyond the Palestinian issue
Established in 1988, Shomrei Mishpat, or Rabbis for Human Rights, claims to unite rabbis from all streams of Judaism for the purpose of dealing with human rights violations in a "religious-rabbinical light." In the past, the organization was devoted to the defense of the Palestinians, with complete disregard for violations against Israeli citizens. The attitude started changing five months ago, however, when Rabbi Micha Odenheimer resigned from the organization because he was frustrated with its neglect of Palestinian terrorism. "For a long time I'd been protesting that we weren't acting against the terror attacks to the same extent we were working for the Palestinians' rights. This changed us from a human rights organization -because after all, the Jews' right to live is also a part of human rights -into a Palestinian rights organization. The last straw was a paid announcement by the organization against the confiscation of lands in Hebron after the big terror attack [in which 12 civilians and soldiers were killed - Y.S.], which didn't say a word against the terror attack itself," said Odenheimer.
It seems there are many others in the organization who shared this view, and as a result Rabbis for Human Rights has broadened its focus to include additional, intra- Israeli humanitarian questions, such as: condemnation of Palestinian terrorism, the attitude toward foreign workers, the struggle against the economic plan and support for the distressed classes. What's more, the organization is very cautious when it comes to connections with politically left organizations - especially the more extreme ones - and it seeks to make an active distinction between the humanitarian realm and the political one.
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