Saying Kaddish for Terrorists

Jewish Anti-Israel Protesters in Parliament Square in London, recited
the 'Mourners Kadddish' 

In the Jewish tradition, "saying Kaddish for..." means the uttering of the Mourners' Kaddish, a unique prayer that one says at a time of mourning, but by extension also means to mourn in general terms.  Who does one mourn by means of the Kaddish?  Statutorily, one's parent(s), spouse, sibling(s) and (G-d forbid), Child(ren).  And when does one mourn through the use of this prayer?  In the 30 days immediately after burying the dead (11 months for a parent), each year on the anniversary of their death (according to the Hebrew calendar), and four times a year on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), Pesach (the Passover), and Shavuot (the Pentacost).  We also say it on communal occasions when we mourn numerous victims, such as Yom Hashoah (Day of Remembrance for victims of the Nazi Holocaust), and Yom Hazikron (Israel's Memorial Day for fighters and victims of terror).  Although it is not traditional to do so, Jews have also come to say it on additional occasions when the lives of others, even non-Jews, whose deeds in life affected the world positively, are commemorated.  For example, on the holiday commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

...and in front of the Union for Reform Judaism, in New York City

The Mourners' Kaddish is a unique prayer.  It is said in the Aramaic language, not Hebrew, indicating a later origin than much Jewish liturgy.  The utterance of the prayer requires a minyan, or quorum of ten, to be recited as it is in the form of a dialogue.  As I wrote above, it is considered obligatory for the mourner(s).  For others, not on an occasion when they need to say it, it is meritorious for them to be present at services in order to help ensure a quorum.  It is considered to be not only obligatory to say it in season, it is also seen as providing an important catharsis in the internal mourning process.  I can attest to that, having seen it function in that way again and again.

This past Wednesday, in two demonstrations related but probably not coordinated in the Jewish 'capitals' of the UK and the USA, more than a dozen Jews in each case gathered to say the Mourners' Kaddish for those Palestinians killed in clashes with the Israel Defense Forces last Monday.  London's demonstration took place in Parliament Square, while New York's took place in front of the headquarters of the Union for Reform Judaism.  In the latter case, the demonstration seems to have been a protest against a statement by the URJ President, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, who had earlier issued a statement congratulating the Trump Administration on the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem; expressing that while the deaths in Gaza were regrettable, Israel and its army bear no culpability for them as their defense of their border is entirely reasonable; and expressing only regret that the outbreak of violence at the border only makes an ultimate peace deal harder to achieve.

The is much outrage, in Israel and elsewhere, among Jews for the convening of the two demonstrations, and in parrticular for their use of the Kaddish, to cast aspersions upon Israel's actions.

Although virtually every Jew knows the Kaddish as the 'death prayer,' its words don't mention death at all; it is but an affirmation of life, and of praise and gratitude to the Giver of Life.  My good friend Paul Corias in Australia, offered a novel insight into the custom of saying the Kaddish while remembering the dead; we say the words to give voice to the deceased, as the praise expressed is certainly what they would want us to hear them say, could we hear their voices.  That's a lovely thought, and from my standpoint as good a reason to say Kaddish as any!

It's not so much the saying of Kaddish for non-Jews that makes the prayer's use by the two demonstrations problematic.  As I mentioned above, we sometimes say it for non-Jews as for people like Martin Luther King, Jr.  Additionally, those who are Jews by Choice, or conversion, will say it over a deceased relative who was not a Jew.  Since we recognize the Divine Spark in humanity as a whole, most Jewish authorities do not prohibit the saying of Kaddish in such situations.  I certainly did not, during the years of my active rabbinate.

That being the case, why the outrage that those killed last Monday in Gaza be given this voice?  Well, given the facts that we know about the dead, I think it's fairly self-evident.  Of the 62 dead, 53 have been claimed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad as their own fighters - I emphasize, that is the claim of these groups, not of the Israeli Army trying to lessen the impact of what it did!  That means that only nine of those killed, could even possibly be classified - if no other evidence is considered - to have been innocent bystanders.  If the IDF killed 62 persons in one day, in a series of attempts to breach its border fence, and 53 of the dead are acknowledged to be members of terror groups, then that shows fairly conclusively that the IDF is not using deadly force indiscriminately, but rather is using some means to - largely successfully - discriminate between enemy combatants and civilians.

The 53 dead terrorists did not praise G-d in life but rather some distorted vision of a god which desired for them to kill innocent civilians.  How can I make such a statement?  Because Hamas has been instructing both its fighters as well as civilians caught up in the riots, to come armed, hiding their weapons under their clothing, so that when they manage to break through the border fence into Israel proper, they will be ready to kill Jews.  They have broadcast this information openly, and repeatedly, using social media accounts verified as authentic.  Given this, some think it ridiculous, and I agree, to recite these terrorists names in conjunction with the Kaddish prayer.  If the two demonstrations had only read the names of those not claimed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad as their operatives, the remaining nine individuals, perhaps they might have had my 'vote.'  It has been widely reported that Hamas has been pressuring, and even coercing Gazans to participate in the riots on the border.  Given the totalitarian nature of the regime of Hamas, it is reasonable to believe that some head for the border out of fear that their non-participation will lead to a bad result for them and their families.  It is therefore, in my eyes, entirely fitting to memorialize those who were killed, who cannot be demonstrably tied to either Hamas or some other terror organization.  That is, as long as the demonstration makes it clear that the culpability for their deaths lies with Hamas, not Israel.  In the two demonstrations last week, that wasn't the case; the participants clearly, and explicitly, pointed fingers at Israel and its efforts to defend its border.

If we could divorce the blatant Israel-hatred from these demonstrations, and limit the memorializing to those not overtly motivated specifically to spill the blood of Jewish civilians whose only crime is to live in agricultural settlements on the 'right' side of the Green Line, then it might be valid to appropriate the Kaddish Prayer in the expressions of regret for the loss of life.  But since these demonstrations in London and New York did not fit that description, while displaying clear anti-Israel overtones, they should have left the Jewish practice of reciting Kaddish out of it.  Save saying Kaddish for appropriate occasions.  Don't say it for terrorists.