A Speech Given at the Pro-Democracy Rally, Trafalgar Square, London, 10th Sept 2023

 

I’m Rabbi Jeremy Gordon from New London Synagogue. It’s an honour to be here.

Anachnu Nitzavim Kulanu Hayom

We are all stood here today; the religious, the secular, the old and the young, the men and the women to say that this is wrong.

And I know, within the government of the State of Israel, there are those who think that, that we protest because, somehow, we lack love for the State of Israel, or the people, or the traditions of our faith. But that is so untrue.

In Synagogues across the Jewish world, just yesterday, we read this about who needed to hear about the first State of Israel. To hear about the first State of Israel Moses says this

אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם, רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם, זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם, כֹּל, אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

   טַפְּכֶם נְשֵׁיכֶם--וְגֵרְךָ, אֲשֶׁר בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶיךָ: 

מֵחֹטֵב עֵצֶיךָ, עַד שֹׁאֵב מֵימֶיךָ.

You are all stood here today; the heads of the tribes, the elders, every man, woman and child, even the refugee in the midst of the camp, even the wood-choppers and water-carriers

That’s the list Moses thinks it’s important to bring together to hear about the project to create the first State of Israel. And it has to be right that the State of Israel is there for everyone; the Jew, the Ger, the refugee, the Arab citizen, the Palestinian non-citizen, the straight and the gay and those wonderful human beings for whom such distinctions are too binary.

Because I don’t care if you have 59 mandates or 64 mandates, or 119 mandates; a democracy is NOT a place where the powerful get to do whatever they want.

Democracies are places where the powerful are checked.

Democracies are places that care more about doing what is good, than allowing the powerful to do whatever they want.

Democracies are places where there are counterbalances on the exercise of power so everyone, even the woodchopper and the water-drawer, knows they are protected and their inviolate rights as a human being, a creation in the image of God, are acknowledged.

And for a government to take the opportunity of an elected majority to govern on behalf of only some of its people is worse than wrong, it is, as Moses said in verses we read in Synagogues yesterday, the thing that brings curse and destruction.

I had the opportunity to share Torah, this teaching, with Chaver Kenesset, Minister Amichai Chikli on his visit to London this week. He had the decency to look uncomfortable.

By the way, I think it’s fine for Jews to protest against powerful people who are doing wrong. We’ve been protesting against powerful people doing wrong since the time of Pharoah.

Great miracles have been wrought by Jews protesting against powerful people doing wrong.

So, how do you know, if you are a powerful person, let’s say a minister or a Prime Minister,  how do you know if thing you want to do as a person of power is not just what you want to do, but is indeed good?

The answer, the religious answer, the Jewish answer, is abundantly clear. If you are a powerful person and you care about doing good, you make space for judicial review.

When God, the creator of heaven and earth, when God who had the ultimate mandate, when God wanted to destroy Sodom and Gemorah, God made space for judicial review.

הַמְכַסֶּה אֲנִי מֵאַבְרָהָם, אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה

How can I hide from Abraham what I want to do?

And Abraham responds, the Rabbinic term is, as a Sangoria – as a defence attorney. And this is what Abraham says in the Supreme Court of all Supreme Courts

חָלִלָה לְּךָ מֵעֲשֹׂת כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה, חָלִלָה לָּךְ-

-הֲשֹׁפֵט כָּל-הָאָרֶץ, לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט

“How dare you do such a thing?”, says Abraham before God,

 חָלִלָה לָּךְ how dare you, judge of all the world not act with justice?!

And God takes it. The book of Genesis records God submitting to Abraham’s judicial review not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, not five times, but six times.

Because God knows the judicial review is at the heart of how you ensure power is used for good,

It's one of the greatest stories in our faith tradition.

And the idea that there are rabbis who give a Hechsher – who support this attempt to dismantle the power of the courts, the idea there are rabbis who are complicit in this act of self-destruction staggers me.

To my fellow Rabbonim, and religious leaders whatever your denomination, speak up, teach this Torah of Moshe and Avraham. Learn from Yitro the courage to say clearly and in public;

לֹא-טוֹב, הַדָּבָר, אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה, עֹשֶׂה.

This thing you are doing is not good.

 

A Brachah, a Kavanah, a prayer, for this vitally important week, as all stand here on the cusp of a New Year.

God, source of justice, of compassion and power, send your blessings to all your people

To your people who are protesting injustice, fill our hearts with strength and resolution. Hazak v’Amatz LeKulanu.

And to your people who are invested with electorally mandated power. Open their hearts to the need to serve all their people, even the woodchooper and the watercarrier. Bless them with the understanding that great democracies need powerful courts to ensure that power is always wielded for good and for blessing.

And grant us all a year of sweetness,

Shannah Tovah and thank you.