Condemn Desecration of Burial Sites, Threat to Clean Drinking Water and Police Use of Tear Gas and Dogs on Peaceful Protesters
T’ruah stands in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Tribe in their ongoing protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline. We call on the police to end their forceful and sometimes violent response to the protesters, including writing numbers on the forearms of those arrested—a mode of dehumanization too familiar to the Jewish community. The right to non-violent protest is fundamental to our American democracy, and has roots in the biblical stories of Abraham and the daughters of Tzelophechad, who stood up for justice.
We are proud of our board member Rabbi Mordechai Liebling and his wife Lynne Iser, as well as former T’ruah intern and rabbinical student Miriam Grossman who have been onsite at Standing Rock in solidarity with the tribe, as well as Rabbi Francine Rosten, one of 1,800 rabbinic chaverim of T’ruah. Yesterday, members of the T’ruah rabbinic network gathered for a webinar to learn about these experiences, and to commit to action. We congratulate the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and the Shalom Center for their strong statements in support of Standing Rock.
“They are defining themselves as water protectors, not as protesters, willing to risk their lives on the frontline against global warming. They are fighting for all of us,” said Rabbi Liebling of Philadelphia.
Jewish law mandates equal treatment for all members of society, and demands that police officers and other legal authorities treat all people equally. “You shall appoint judges and officers . . .and they shall govern the people with due justice.” (Deuteronomy 16:18)
We are also deeply dismayed at the grave threat to Sioux burial grounds and holy sites caused by the proposed path of the pipeline. Throughout Jewish history our cemeteries have been desecrated and destroyed. Jews cannot stand idly by while the Sioux community’s burial grounds are threatened by the planned route of the pipeline. Dehumanizing the dead while violating the human rights of the living—subjecting peaceful protesters to pepper spray, sonic cannons, and attack dogs—violates the principle of k’vod habriyot—respect for the dignity of every human being.
Clean drinking water is a basic human need and right. The Book of Genesis tells the story of the Philistines who filled up Isaac’s water wells with dirt in an act of political aggression. Similarly, the pipeline’s threat to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s clean water supply endangers future generations of that community. We are especially moved by the Native view of water as a source of the sacred. We, too, view God as mekor mayim chayim—the source of living water—and compare the Torah to water, as both are sources of life.
We pray for and work toward a resolution that will protect the water sources and sacred sites of the Sioux community, and that will respect the dignity of the protesters. In the words of the Prophet Isaiah, we look forward to a time when “With joy [we] shall draw water out of the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3)
Rabbis who have spent time onsite in Standing Rock are available for interviews.
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