Another use for the Jewish ethical framework: Analysis of "Jewish Voice for Peace's" supposedly Jewish principles ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Monday, May 05, 2025

Another use for the Jewish ethical framework: Analysis of "Jewish Voice for Peace's" supposedly Jewish principles

Jewish Voice for Peace claims that its anti-Zionism and pro-BDS positions reflect authentic Jewish values.

Most Jews know that this is not true, but JVP uses authentic Jewish values to make its case. Unfortunately, most Jews aren't conversant enough in Jewish values to understand how deceptive they are being.

The Jewish Ethical Chatbot I am building is perfect for this very type of analysis.

I uploaded the JVP's "Core Values" and their "Approach to Zionism" texts. No doubt they had their own cohort of progressive "rabbis" to help draft these documents to make them appear to be based on Jewish values, which can easily confuse Jewish college students who don't know enough about their own Jewish values to disagree.

The AI immediately honed in on the core problem: while many of JVP’s stated values are ethically valid, they are applied selectively - and other, more foundational Jewish values are omitted or subordinated. The richness of the Jewish ethical system lies in its ability to hold multiple core obligations in tension: justice and loyalty, dignity and survival, truth and compassion. When that balance is abandoned, what remains is not an ethical system but a political narrative - a parody of the Jewish values it claims to uphold.

Here is the basic analysis:

When Anti-Zionism Contradicts Jewish Ethics: A Structured Response to Jewish Voice for Peace

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) presents itself as a Jewish moral voice for justice and liberation, particularly in solidarity with Palestinians. Its values statements emphasize compassion, racial equity, and responsibility—many of which resonate with core Jewish ethical principles such as Kavod HaBriyot (human dignity), Din veRachamim (justice and mercy), and Lo Ta’amod (the duty to prevent harm). Their critique of Zionism as a political ideology reflects a sincere grappling with power, trauma, and historical injustice.

However, Jewish ethics does not permit the pursuit of compassion or solidarity at the expense of truth, life, or covenantal loyalty. JVP’s absolute rejection of Zionism—as inherently colonial, racist, and irredeemable—denies the legitimacy of Jewish peoplehood expressed through national self-determination. In doing so, it contradicts Brit (covenantal loyalty) and Pikuach Nefesh (preservation of life), both of which obligate support for structures that defend Jewish safety and continuity. Their narrative also erases the broad diversity within Zionism, failing the ethical test of Emet (truth).

Moreover, the organization's actions as a publicly Jewish entity risk constituting Chillul Hashem—desecration of God’s name—by aiding global efforts that single out Israel for condemnation and deny Jews the moral legitimacy of national existence. In aligning with movements that often reject Israel’s right to exist altogether, JVP undermines Jewish communal dignity even as it claims to speak in its name. The principle of Tzelem Elokim—that all people, including Jews, are endowed with dignity—requires ethical consistency, not ideological selectivity.

Jewish ethics embraces justice, but not at the cost of life or truth. A movement that omits Jewish historical vulnerability, distorts Zionism’s complex legacy, and collaborates with efforts that threaten Jewish survival cannot claim to reflect the fullness of Jewish moral tradition. While JVP raises important questions, its answers stray from the very framework it invokes.

It is important to note that I did not put anything about Zionism or Israel in the list of Jewish ethical values that the chatbot uses. It defends Zionism because that is the only ethical choice when you dispassionately apply age-old Jewish values.