“As Jews, as citizens of a nation dedicated to liberty and justice, we believe that governments must protect the dignity and rights of every human being. The use of the death penalty, in America, fails to live up to this basic requirement,” wrote Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz (pictured), founder and President of Uri L’Tzedek, the Orthodox Jewish social justice movement. In a column for Jewish Journal, Rabbi Yanklowitz outlines the reasons for Jewish opposition to the death penalty, focusing particularly on the issue of innocence. “[O]ur American system today lacks the highest safeguards to protect the lives of the innocent and uses capital punishment all too readily,” he says. “It is time to see the death penalty for what it is: not as justice gone awry, but a symptom of injustice as status quo” with “consequences [that] … produce racially disparate outcomes.” Rabbi Yanklowitz cites numerous studies that have estimated 2-7% of U.S. prisoners are likely innocent, then ties the issue to Jewish teachings. “Jewish law strongly upholds the principle that the innocent should be spared undue punishment,” he explains, recounting the biblical story of God agreeing to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if there are even ten righteous people in those cities. He lauds the work of organizations like the Innocence Project, which work to free people who have been wrongfully convicted. “This is nothing short of the championing of justice over inequity, and as a community, we must support their work. Jewish community leaders should call for an end to this cruel practice, but also for the beginning of a new paradigm of fair, equitable, and restorative justice,” he concludes.
(S. Yanklowitz, “Jewish Leaders Take A Stand Against The Death Penalty,” Jewish Journal, February 17, 2016.) See Religion and New Voices.
New Voices
Mar 21, 2024
