Halachic Left (@HalachicLeft) header
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Halachic Left is changing the conversation about Israel/Palestine in halachically observant Jewish communities

USA/Canada
Joined June 2024
Photo by Halachic Left (@HalachicLeft)Photo by Halachic Left (@HalachicLeft)Photo by Halachic Left (@HalachicLeft)Photo by Halachic Left (@HalachicLeft)Photo by Halachic Left (@HalachicLeft)Photo by Halachic Left (@HalachicLeft)Photo by Halachic Left (@HalachicLeft)Photo by Halachic Left (@HalachicLeft)Photo by Halachic Left (@HalachicLeft)
Halachic Left retweeted
While much of the world watches the Israeli election results, counts seats, follows political alliances, and wonders what comes next, life in Gaza tells a very different story. This little girl arrived at Al-Rahma Clinic with painful burns on parts of her tiny body. She knows nothing of elections, political alliances, or politicians’ speeches. All she knows is that she is in pain. The world has moved from war to ceasefire, from ceasefire to elections, and from one headline to the next. But Gaza’s suffering has not followed the news cycle. The bombs may be falling less frequently, and politicians may now be busy counting votes. But children are still living among the ruins, bearing wounds, mourning loved ones, and enduring the consequences of a war that has taken almost everything from them. And as the world slowly grows accustomed to their suffering, there is something I fear almost as much as the suffering itself: that one day, we will look at a photograph like this and feel nothing. Look at this little girl. This is what a “ceasefire” looks like for her. The world may have moved on from Gaza. But Gaza’s children have not been given the chance to move on from what the world allowed to happen to them. #AlrahmaClinic
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This morning a court in Jerusalem dismissed a case against our staff and volunteers, over 70 of whom were detained last week. The police did not bring a single piece of evidence against us.
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Halachic Left retweeted
Israel has now revoked the ETAs at least 35 of the 43 people detained while helping a Palestinian family in Nahalin bring in their olive harvest, including rabbis and a congressional candidate. “It’s an effort to discourage people from coming and participating in the olive harvest,” [Congressional candidate Brad] Lander [@bradlander] told @JewishCurrents late Monday. “That is one small step in this much larger infrastructure of occupation and ethnic cleansing.”
Exclusive: Israel revoked entry permits for Brad Lander and other US Jewish figures after they were detained at a West Bank olive harvest last week. jewishcurrents.org/israel-re…
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Israel has now revoked the ETAs at least 35 of the 43 people detained while helping a Palestinian family in Nahalin bring in their olive harvest, including rabbis and a congressional candidate. “It’s an effort to discourage people from coming and participating in the olive harvest,” [Congressional candidate Brad] Lander [@bradlander] told @JewishCurrents late Monday. “That is one small step in this much larger infrastructure of occupation and ethnic cleansing.”
Exclusive: Israel revoked entry permits for Brad Lander and other US Jewish figures after they were detained at a West Bank olive harvest last week. jewishcurrents.org/israel-re…
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This morning in Huwara our volunteers came to pick olives with a Palestinian family. Within 20 minutes the army arrived with a closed military zone order dated today, written to keep us out of the groves. An olive harvest is not a security threat.
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Halachic Left retweeted
Ben Gvir promised to do in the West Bank what Israel has done in Gaza and Lo and behold. 21,000 people expelled from their homes with nowhere to go. This time Israelis cannot say they do not see it — the West Bank is open to Israelis, open (for now) to journalists.
צה"ל החל לפנות תושבים משכונת דיר בחה בחברון, קורא להם לעזוב את הבתים שלהם באופן מיידי 21,000 אנשים פונו מבתיהם. מה נתניהו מנסה להשיג כאן? ביטחון? עוד מלחמת נקמה מיותרת שעוד תתפוצץ לנו בפרצוף אוכלי מוות. ב-27.10 חייבים להעיף אותם
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All eyes on Hebron.
Tonight in Hebron and throughout the West Bank, residents—including women and children—were evacuated from their homes. This is not what a war to eradicate terror looks like. This is what terror looks like.
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Nine of the 10 suspects arrested over violent incidents in the West Bank last weekend, including attacks on a European diplomatic delegation and Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, have been released from custody @MatanGolanPhoto @haaretzcom haaretz.com/israel-news/isra…
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Halachic Left retweeted
It is revolting that we are all talking about Americans who got detained and not the Palestinians left behind We all have to respond to the mind bogglingly stupid right wing lies bc they are so loud but this is what gets left out of the narrative when the right shapes it
YESTERDAY: Settlers attacked residents of Hribat Al Nabi, while they were grazing their sheep on their land. Two Palestinians were injured and rushed to Al-Ahli Hospital, one with severe head, face and back injuries from a sharp object Photos by Mosab Shawer
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Halachic Left retweeted
I hate getting too much in politics here but the arrest in Israel today is striking to me in that the idf blatantly lied that the area was restricted and then claimed that even though it wasn’t, the individual should have known to ask (???). timesofisrael.com/liveblog_e…
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Halachic Left retweeted
Last week, American Jews helping Palestinians harvest olives in the West Bank told me they knew they risked detention by Israeli authorities. Today, those fears became reality. My latest for @haaretzcom: haaretz.com/us-news/2026-10-…
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The Israeli Foreign Ministry is lying. No coordination was required, and we were never told that it was. We were not in a restricted security area. We did not pass any checkpoints. Palestinian farmers do not — and should not — need permits to harvest their own olive fields. But they fear doing so, because the IDF doesn’t protect them from settler violence. We’re trying to model solidarity & co-existence between Jews and Palestinians, and to call attention to the horrors of the occupation. The Israeli government is trying to foment violence between Jews and Palestinians, and to make it impossible for Palestinians to harvest their olive groves, drive on their roads, or live in their homes.
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Halachic Left retweeted
It’s almost word for word what was said about southern civil rights protesters. Outside agitators poking their noses where they don’t belong, just looking for attention.
Wild to see pro-settler posts claim that media joining olive harvesters is some kind of provocation. The opposite seems true. W/o cameras or internationals on the scene, the attacks & impunity would be much worse.
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Halachic Left retweeted
I’ve just learned @bradlander is the second person I know on that bus. My own congregation’s rabbi, wonderful Rabbi Hannah of DC’s Hill Havurah—who told us about this trip during Yom Kippur services—has also been detained as part of this peace-seeking mission. Godspeed to them.
I’ve been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers. We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank. The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know.
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Halachic Left retweeted
This is why American Jews, traveling to Israel, and trying to protect Palestinians is not performative at all. It will help move the Jewish community to understand what is happening there.
Seven Jewish organizations representing Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist Judaism have issued a joint statement condemning the detention of Israeli and American rabbis, alongside dozens of others, while helping a Palestinian family harvest olives. They call for the need to protect Palestinian farmers from violent settlers.
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Respect: Brad Lander, detained, is now released. He supports Palestinians not in words but action-stands with Jews and Israeli activists harvesting olives. He calls for the other Rabbis and activists to be released, and reminds all that Palestinian face far worse consequences.
I’ve been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers. We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank. The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know.
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Relieved @bradlander is safe, hoping the others will be released soon. But even then: Palestinians are still being detained, still attacked daily, still blocked from accessing their trees. Every leading candidate in the Israeli elections supports this intolerable status quo.
I’ve been released from IDF custody with a “warning,” apparently because of my public profile (I told them I wasn’t even a congressmember yet, just a nominee). But several dozen rabbis & participants harvesting olives with me are still in detention. For harvesting olives. They should all be released immediately. To be clear: Palestinians face far worse consequences every day. These detentions by the IDF are one more attempt to undermine Palestinians’ right to harvest their olive groves, travel on their roads, and live in their homes. Yet one more element of escalating, and very clearly state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. We’ll update on their status as soon as we hear.
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Replying to @bradlander
@bradlander has been released but other activists are still detained and interrogated. We’ll keep posting as we get updates from the ground.
I’ve been released from IDF custody with a “warning,” apparently because of my public profile (I told them I wasn’t even a congressmember yet, just a nominee). But several dozen rabbis & participants harvesting olives with me are still in detention. For harvesting olives. They should all be released immediately. To be clear: Palestinians face far worse consequences every day. These detentions by the IDF are one more attempt to undermine Palestinians’ right to harvest their olive groves, travel on their roads, and live in their homes. Yet one more element of escalating, and very clearly state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. We’ll update on their status as soon as we hear.
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Halachic Left retweeted
I’ve been released from IDF custody with a “warning,” apparently because of my public profile (I told them I wasn’t even a congressmember yet, just a nominee). But several dozen rabbis & participants harvesting olives with me are still in detention. For harvesting olives. They should all be released immediately. To be clear: Palestinians face far worse consequences every day. These detentions by the IDF are one more attempt to undermine Palestinians’ right to harvest their olive groves, travel on their roads, and live in their homes. Yet one more element of escalating, and very clearly state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. We’ll update on their status as soon as we hear.
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Solidarity! ✊✊✊
Replying to @bradlander
@bradlander has been detained along with @truahrabbis and many other volunteers at the olive harvest today. We are also detained and tweeting from the police van. Hoping to update more soon.
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