{"id":93450,"date":"2026-08-02T10:02:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T15:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/?p=93450"},"modified":"2026-08-02T10:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T15:02:17","slug":"maine-rabbis-call-for-peace-urge-politicians-to-stop-calling-gaza-war-a-genocide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/maine-rabbis-call-for-peace-urge-politicians-to-stop-calling-gaza-war-a-genocide\/","title":{"rendered":"Maine rabbis call for peace, urge politicians to stop calling Gaza war a \u2018genocide\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

By GRACE GILSON<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 Every congregational rabbi in Maine has signed onto a statement calling for peace and urging the state\u2019s political leaders to stop using the term \u201cgenocide\u201d to describe Israel\u2019s war in Gaza, following a Democratic primary in which several candidates used the label for the first time.<\/p>\n

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Troy Jackson, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, speaks during a demonstration outside of a federal immigration office on July 14, 2026 in Scarborough, Maine. (Ryan Murphy\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But the rabbis also indicated that they, too, were unsatisfied with conditions in the Middle East and called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work towards a peaceful future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call upon Maine\u2019s leaders, and particularly its political leaders, to reject the irresponsible usage of the term in describing the Israel-Hamas War,\u201d said the statement released on Friday. \u201cWe also call upon Israeli and Palestinian leaders to end the cycle of violence and to create a better world for both Palestinian and Israeli children.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement, titled \u201cA Call for Peace and Responsible Rhetoric,\u201d argues that using the term as a \u201cpolitical slogan does not advance peace in the Middle East.\u201d The term \u201cerases essential moral and legal distinctions, diminishes the meaning of genocide, and inflames hatred for the local Jewish community,\u201d the rabbis say.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompassion for Palestinians does not require the adoption of hateful and misleading language,\u201d they continue. \u201cAdvocating for peace does not require participation in a \u2018Holocaust inversion\u2019 against the Jewish community. And political leadership does not require demonizing one community in the service of another.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement comes days after Troy Jackson, a former logger and state Senate president, secured the Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nomination Saturday at the party\u2019s nominating convention to replace Graham Platner, a staunch Israel critic who dropped out of the race earlier this month. Platner faced a sexual assault allegation, which he denies. Jackson now faces Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in November\u2019s general election.<\/p>\n

Platner\u2019s romp to the primary victory featured routine use of \u201cgenocide\u201d to describe Israel\u2019s actions. And ahead of the convention to replace him, Jackson and several other Democratic hopefuls who later exited the race began using the term \u201cgenocide\u201d to describe Israel\u2019s war in Gaza for the first time, a shift that drew scrutiny from some Jewish leaders and voters in the state.<\/p>\n

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Rabbi Rachel Isaacs, the leader of Beth Israel Congregation in Waterville, Maine. (Courtesy Rachel Isaacs)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The use of the term has become a \u201ccurrency for acquiring power and position in Maine\u2019s Democratic party,\u201d Rabbi Rachel Isaacs, the leader of Beth Israel Congregation in Waterville, who also signed the statement, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many Maine Democrats are cynically willing to trade in that currency at the expense of our safety and dignity,\u201d she said in an emailed statement. \u201cWe decided we needed to say something collectively, both about the specious and dangerous nature of the claim, and about how much damage has been done to our families and congregants.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement Friday was spearheaded by the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine and signed by every congregational rabbi in the state, including Rabbi Bill Siemers of the Conservative Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor and Rabbi Erica Asch of the Reform Temple Beth El in Augusta. (Rabbis affiliated with the Chabad movement in Maine did not appear on the signatory list.)<\/p>\n

Zach Schwartz, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council at the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, said the federation hoped the \u201cunity displayed here in Maine can inspire Jewish communities across the US to also unite in a similar way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabbi Josh Stanton, the associate vice president of interfaith and intergroup initiatives for Jewish Federations of North America, also hailed the joint statement.<\/p>\n

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Congregation Beth Israel is the oldest synagogue in Bangor, Maine. (Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMaine\u2019s Jewish clergy are setting an important example with their call to put aside inflammatory rhetoric and look to the common good,\u201d Stanton said in an emailed statement. \u201cAt a time of rising polarization and declining civil discourse, the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine\u2019s efforts to unify the community around this important message are a mark of true leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isaacs told JTA that she hoped Jackson would \u201csupport, understand, and advocate for all of Maine\u2019s citizens, including the totality of Maine\u2019s diverse Jewish community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWork with us to figure out how to express outrage and legitimate critique of Israel\u2019s government without succumbing to language that you might not know is an ancient antisemitic trope, or dismissing the security needs of Israel\u2019s citizens,\u201d Isaacs said of her message to Jackson. \u201cPlease have the courage to forge your own path, and not follow in the footsteps of Graham Platner, a man who should have never been normalized, endorsed, or empowered.\u201d<\/p>\n

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