When Rabbis Say Nothing in the Face of Abuse

In a world where rabbinic proclamations appear regularly, rabbinical silence becomes a statement. While there is disagreement about the appropriateness of rabbis making political endorsements, there is a consensus that it is a rabbinical responsibility to promote moral behavior. In this context, the lack of rabbinic response to the campaign to protest the Israeli army’s investigating accusations of sexual and other kinds of abuse of Hamas prisoners is significant.