By: Fern Sidman

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), the largest Orthodox rabbinic public policy organization in the United States, published an open letter on Monday challenging a recent statement entitled “A Call for Moral Clarity, Responsibility, and a Jewish Orthodox Response in the Face of the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis.” According to the CJV, the original letter misrepresented both the nature of the ongoing war in Gaza and the essence of Orthodox Judaism, while unintentionally lending support to narratives that echo antisemitic distortions.

Within days, the CJV response garnered double the number of signatories as the initial statement, ultimately endorsed by more than 160 rabbis spanning the United States, Canada, Europe, and Israel. The CJV’s intervention underscores a profound fissure in American Jewish discourse over both the conduct of Israel’s war against Hamas and the authority to speak on behalf of Orthodox tradition.

In its open letter, the CJV flatly rejected the earlier statement’s implication that Israel bears some responsibility for Palestinian suffering in Gaza. The CJV argued that such assertions “provide unintended support to antisemitic inversions of obvious truth,” by framing Israel as complicit in civilian hardship while ignoring the role of Hamas.

“The war and its devastating impact on civilians are entirely due to Hamas and its genocidal agenda,” the letter declared, emphasizing that the terrorist organization bears sole responsibility for igniting and perpetuating the current conflict.

The CJV also criticized the first statement for what it described as a skewed portrayal of Jewish reactions to terrorism. Whereas the earlier document highlighted isolated instances of inappropriate behavior by Jews in the aftermath of terror attacks, it omitted mention of the attacks themselves. Such omissions, the CJV said, distort reality and misrepresent the true balance of suffering and aggression in the conflict.

Beyond the political critique, the CJV’s letter challenged the religious credibility of the signatories to the initial statement. According to the CJV, the earlier missive was dominated by Open Orthodox circles, whose ideological orientation, the organization contends, is not accepted by mainstream Orthodox institutions worldwide.

The CJV pointedly noted that nearly twenty women, multiple openly gay individuals, and numerous graduates of Open Orthodox institutions had affixed their names to the document. These groups, the CJV insisted, “do not act in accordance with Torah” and therefore cannot be regarded as representative voices of traditional Judaism.

In framing its response, the CJV made clear that the dispute is not merely about Israel’s policies but about the integrity of Orthodox Jewish representation in public discourse.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, Executive Vice President of the CJV, underscored the moral imperative that drove the organization to respond forcefully.

“It was important that we stand up for the truth,” Rabbi Menken said, “when the reality was painfully distorted, and both Israel and traditional Judaism misrepresented. Some of the rabbis still coming forward are those who avoid any hint of argument and avidly pursue peace, but who feel that the record needs to be set straight in this case.”

His comments reflect the discomfort of many within the Orthodox rabbinate, who typically prefer consensus but felt compelled to push back against what they saw as a misrepresentation of Torah values and a miscasting of Israel’s moral posture in wartime.

The CJV, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, represents over 2,500 traditional Orthodox rabbis and has become an influential voice on matters of religious liberty, human rights, and public policy in the United States. In issuing its letter, the group sought to clarify the Orthodox position at a time when Jewish unity is strained by divergent responses to the Gaza conflict.

As CJV leaders emphasized, the intent of the letter was not to foment discord but to ensure clarity and accuracy regarding both Israel’s just war against Hamas and the authentic voice of Orthodox Judaism.

The CJV’s open letter marks a decisive rebuttal to the Open Orthodox-inspired appeal that sought to assign Israel partial responsibility for civilian suffering in Gaza. By rallying over 160 rabbinic voices, the CJV sought to reclaim the narrative in defense of both Israel’s moral legitimacy and the standards of Torah-true Orthodoxy.

In a war defined not only by rockets and hostages but also by information campaigns and moral framing, the CJV’s message was unambiguous: Hamas alone is culpable for the current crisis, and traditional Judaism must not be distorted to suggest otherwise.