“Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.” Proverbs 3:17
Over 100 rabbis and Jewish leaders from across the denominational spectrum sign letter calling the act a “desecration of God’s name” and apologizing to Christians worldwide
Within hours of a photo going viral showing an IDF soldier smashing a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon, Israel365 Action mobilized a sweeping interfaith response — assembling signatures from more than 100 Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform rabbis and Jewish leaders from around the world on an emergency condemnation letter.
The IDF confirmed the authenticity of the photo, which was taken in the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces had been operating against Hezbollah. The military said it had located the soldier and that the Northern Command was investigating the incident, with “appropriate measures” to be taken against those involved. The IDF also pledged to help the Christian community restore the statue.
The response from Israel’s leadership was swift. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “stunned and saddened” by the incident and condemned it “in the strongest terms,” emphasizing that Israel “cherishes and upholds the Jewish values of tolerance and mutual respect between Jews and worshippers of all faiths.” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the act a “shameful action” that is “completely contrary to our values” and offered a direct apology to Christians whose feelings were hurt.
Israel365 founder Rabbi Tuly Weisz, whose organization works daily with pro-Israel Christians around the world, said he felt compelled to act immediately. “As someone who works closely with pro-Israel Christians every day, I was appalled by such an act of disrespect to Israel’s closest friends and knew that we needed to respond immediately.”
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, executive director of Israel365 Action immediately made a video that was posted on the Israel365 News YouTube channel that garnered thousands of views in the first hour.
The letter which was sent out to various rabbinic What’sApp groups, did not mince words. Calling the soldier’s act a chillul Hashem — a desecration of God’s name — the signatories described it as “an affront to the ancient Christian communities of the Middle East and to Christians all over the world” and “a vile betrayal of the Jewish values upon which the State of Israel was founded.”
The letter grounded its condemnation in Torah, citing the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), the teaching that the Torah’s “ways are ways of pleasantness” (Proverbs 3:17), and the prophet Jeremiah’s call to “do what is just and right” (Jeremiah 22:3). “These are not only peacetime ideals,” the letter states, “they are the standards by which we must conduct ourselves, especially in times of war.”
The statement also addressed the broader stakes for Jewish-Christian relations. “Millions of Christians are standing with Israel with remarkable faithfulness because they believe in Israel’s biblical significance and moral promise,” the signatories wrote, adding that too many Israelis remain unaware of the depth of Christian love for Israel and the Jewish people — and calling for that to change.
The letter closed with a direct apology: “As Jewish leaders, we apologize to the Christian community for this repulsive act and renew our commitment to stand for the sanctity of all holy places and sacred symbols.”
Signatories included prominent rabbinic figures from across the Jewish world, among them Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander of Ohr Torah Stone, Rabbi Mark Dratch of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC), Rabbi David Rosen of Religions for Peace, Prof. Joshua Berman of Bar-Ilan University, and Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz of Uri L’Tzedek, alongside dozens of pulpit rabbis, educators, and Jewish organizational leaders spanning North America, Israel, and beyond.
“At a time when so many people are turning to hate and antisemitism,” said Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Dov Rosen, director of Yakar in Jerusalem, “we must open our hearts and arms to new friends, and learn to see in a new light images that were traditionally associated with Jewish suffering.”
The petition continued to grow as word spread via Jewish Whatsapp groups, drawing signatures from prominent leaders across denominations and continents. Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg, President of the J.J. Greenberg Institute for the Advancement of Jewish Life in Jerusalem, added his voice alongside Rabbi Professor David Golinkin of the Schechter Institute, also in Jerusalem. Rabbi Daniel Polish of Temple Israel of Northern Westchester in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, and Rabbi David Lerner of Temple Emunah in Lexington, Massachusetts, were among the American pulpit rabbis who signed. Rabbi Daniel Cohen of TSTI in South Orange, New Jersey, and Rabbi Arthur Weiner of the Jewish Community Center of Paramus joined as well, reflecting the breadth of support from congregational leaders across the northeastern United States.
According to Rabbi Pini Dunner of the Beverly Hills Synagogue, “Israel’s truest friends outside the Jewish community come from the Christian world. To desecrate their religious icons is to harm a deep and important friendship. I condemn it in unequivocal terms.”
From Florida, Rabbi Edward Bernstein of Boca Raton Regional Hospital and Rabbi Dr. J.B. Sacks of Congregation Beth Shalom in Palm Desert, California, added their names, as did Rabbi Joshua Hammerman of Temple Beth El in Madison, Connecticut. Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs in Los Angeles, was among the organizational leaders to sign, joined by Shabbos Kestenbaum of PragerU, also based in Los Angeles, and Rabbi Frederick Klein of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
The Israeli contingent of signatories was equally substantial. Rabbi Doron Rubin of the Masorti Movement in Israel signed from Rehovot, alongside Rabbi Chananel Rosen of Yakar – Tel Aviv, Rabbi Barry Schlesinger from Eliav, and Rabbi Shmuel Feuchtwanger of Moshav Sde Ilan. Rabanit Yafit Clymer of MaTaN in Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut, Rabbanit Yardaena Osband of the Orthodox Leadership Project in Modi’in, and Rebbetzin Bacol Serlui of Midreshet Matat in Karmiel each lent their names from within Israel. Rabbi Hagit Sabag Israel of Shever VeTikun in Be’er Sheva, Oshra Koren of Matan HaSharon in Ra’anana, and Dr. Zvi Grumet of Jerusalem also signed, as did Rabbi Professor Jeffrey Woolf of Bar-Ilan University and Professor Uriel Simonsohn of the University of Haifa.
International voices rounded out the growing list. Rabbi Taylor Herberger of Oslo, Norway signed along with Elizabeth Harris, Vice President of the Council of Christians and Jews in London. Harris brought particular resonance to the letter given her organization’s decades-long work in Jewish-Christian dialogue. Joanne Greenaway, CEO of the London School of Jewish Studies, also signed, as did Laurence Rosenberg of the Holocaust Educational Trust in London. Rabbi Meesh Hammer-Kossoy of the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem added her signature, along with Rabbi Mauricio Balter of Masorti Olami in Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut.
Rabbi Tuly Weisz of Israel365 Action expressed hope that the response would mark a turning point. “I hope that this effort is just the beginning of a process of introspection not only by the IDF, but all of Israeli society. I pray that this broken statue leads to the repair of Jewish-Christian relations.”
Jewish leaders interested in adding their name to the growing letter, can sign their name here:
