Introduction to Resolution from the Subcommittee on the War in Iraq

From March – December, 2006 a Beth Emet Issue Analysis Subcommittee made up of members of the social action committee, board members, the Synagogue president, members at large, and a clergy representative, discussed a proposal that Beth Emet take a public policy stand urging the government to withdraw US troops from Iraq.

Members of the Subcommittee were: Liane Casten, Steve Galler, Eric Gershuny, Dona Gerson, Rabbi Andrea London, Debra Manheim, Tom Pazol, Harry Rhodes, and Lisa Sachs.
After many hours of discussion and hard work, the Subcommittee reached agreement on a stand that the synagogue should take regarding the war. This resolution was presented to the Board of Trustees on December 18, and passed almost unanimously. The social action committee is planning a number of action steps to follow-up the acceptance of this resolution.
The following is the resolution adopted by the Board of Trustees.

Resolution regarding the War in Iraq:

One of the primary goals of Judaism is the end of war. The Prophet Isaiah speaks of a day when “you shall beat your sword into ploughshares and your spears into pruning hooks” and when “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4)

Yet Judaism is not a pacifist tradition. It divides wars into the categories of milchemet mitzvah—mandatory wars of self defense, and milchemet reshut—wars of choice. The original premise of the invasion of Iraq—namely, Iraq’s purported possession of weapons that could threaten the United States and its allies—has been invalidated by facts determined following the invasion. And while the instability that the war has created in that country poses a threat to the region and is highly undesirable for all countries, it has become increasingly clear that under current U.S. policy American troops are not significantly quelling the sectarian violence that has overwhelmed that country as a result of the instability that the war has wrought.

At the same time, it is our responsibility to minimize the risk of a further escalation of violence in Iraq. It is likewise our responsibility to help repair the physical damage that we have caused in that shattered land.

The war in Iraq has resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans and countless thousands of Iraqi civilians and has resulted in the expenditure of hundreds of billions of dollars. Conservative estimates put the cost of a continued American occupation of Iraq at more than $1 trillion. This is money that could be better spent in an effort to cure the ills in our own society and to seek, by humanitarian means, to improve the lives of people in Iraq and around the world.

The time has come for us to develop an exit strategy that will restore stability to Iraq, repair the damage to its infrastructure, and heal the damage to human lives wrought by the war.

We therefore call on the United States government:
• To move expeditiously to cease direct military involvement in combat in Iraq
• To promote an immediate international effort to help bring peace and stability to Iraq
• To promote an international effort to rebuild Iraq and to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq

We pray for wisdom, creativity, courage, and strength for the leadership of our country that they may discard a failed policy and work diligently toward the aforementioned goals.