Resolution on Freedom, Democracy and the Humane Treatment of Prisoners

WHEREAS President Bush and the United States of America have undertaken the furthering of freedom and democracy around the world; and

WHEREAS we support the troops and coalition forces who are in harm’s way to achieve this end; and

WHEREAS Jewish history and tradition teach that justice must triumph over violence; and

WHEREAS serious questions have been raised about the ethics of torture by any nation as a means of gaining information, even under emergency circumstances;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Rabbinical Assembly support the troops and coalition forces who are in harm’s way to further freedom and democracy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Rabbinical Assembly affirm that only by preserving the rule of law and the rights of the individual does any nation earn its place as a moral leader on the world scene.

Passed by the Rabbinical Assembly Plenum, March, 2005