A Progressive voice for Syria
The Union for Progressive Judaism (UPJ) seeks to remind our leaders of Edmund Burke’s words that “All that’s necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing”.
Accordingly, we believe it is our obligation and duty to speak out against the outrageous and appalling murders in Syria being perpetrated by the Government and President of Syria on its own citizens and encourage the world community to act quickly in stopping these crimes.
Not a day goes by without reports of citizens and opposition members in Syria being murdered. To date thousands have perished at the hands of Syrian troops under the orders of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad.
The UPJ joins its world movement, the World Union for Progressive Judaism, in condemning these deliberate murders and all of those who support the Assad regime. We recognise that continuous Syrian regimes have been supportive of Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups seeking to destroy Israel and that, should the Assad government fall, those who follow may well also be antagonistic to Israel. However, as Jews we cannot stand aside and witness the willful murder of people as acceptable under any circumstances.
We are moved to ask how it is that the many nations around the world that give harsh vocal judgment for every possibly perceived human rights violation by Israel remain inactive in the face of Syria’s atrocities.
Has the free world failed to learn anything from past events? Surely history has all too painfully taught us that the cost of remaining silent and inactive in the face of tyrants can and will lead even more anguish and horror.
To end these daily massacres we call for urgent direct intervention by the United Nations. There should be no double standards when human life is at risk.
David Robinson President
Steve Denenberg Executive Director
Shoshana Kaminsky Chairperson Rabbinic Council
Congratulations – almost – to the Progressive Jewish leadership on speaking out against the Syrian blood-Baath. But the present brutality of the murderous Assad regime is just routine. What I would really have expected of Jewish leaders who are truly progressive, is for them to speak out against the terror bombardment of southern Israel. I would have expected them to point out the hypocrisy of the international community’s joining the islamofascists overthrowing Qaddafi but merely grunting platitudes about Syria. I would have expected true progressives to have condemned the UN, the weeping academics and the various Christian organisations that condemn Israel but are prayerfully silent on Syrian savagery. And I would have expected progressives to have spoken out against the mohammedan depredations in Darfur, Southern Sudan and Nigeria as well as the endless butchery, rape and mutiltions in the Democratic Republic of the Central Congo. Speaking out against the Arabs acting like – well Arabs – is fine, but a bit late. But perhaps, I am a bit harsh; after all saying the right thing, even if much too late, is progress.