Over 1,500 Rabbis Support Texas Abortion Law, Slam Those Who Force ‘Woke’ Values into Judaism

In a Sunday press release, the Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), the largest rabbinic public policy organization in America, declared that the Texas Heartbeat Act “better aligns with Jewish values cherishing every human life” while accusing “modern pseudo-scholars” who claim to speak in the name of Judaism of “distorting” religious texts and principles in order to “force their ‘woke’ personal values into timeless Jewish teachings.”

The group, which is dedicated to “restoring America’s moral foundation” and represents over 1,500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in matters of public policy, called the new law that went into effect this month, “a step in the right direction” and “better aligned with mainstream Jewish values, Rabbinic texts, and legal codes.” 

CJV also issued a condemnation of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), which fights to “safeguard and expand access to abortion and contraception,” accusing the left-wing group of “distorting” Jewish teachings, “devaluing” the sanctity of life, and “desecrating” God’s name.

“The Texas statute demands that human life be cherished, while recognizing that the mother’s well-being takes precedence in a medical emergency,” said CJV Southern Regional Vice President Rabbi Moshe Parnes. 

Claiming that Jewish rabbinic literature is clear that “fetuses with beating hearts are alive, just as the new Texas law mandates,” CJV called it “the accepted ruling for millennia,” which is not subject to the “whim of the modern pseudo-scholars” who attempt to “force their ‘woke’ personal values into timeless Jewish teachings.”

“They make Judaism look repugnant in the eyes of anyone who recognizes that an unborn child is a human being worthy of protection, which is the very definition of desecration of G-d’s name,” the group wrote.

CJV also referenced its earlier statement on abortion, which claims the Bible views human life as “a soul placed (breathed) within a body by G-d himself, with inestimable sanctity and value.” 

The group also stated that Jewish legal codes, as well, “value a fetus as a clear and identifiable human life,” clarifying that abortion is permitted to save the mother’s life.

“The simple truth is that Jewish Law prohibits abortion,” said CJV Rabbinic Circle Chairman Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer. “An on-demand approach to abortion, no matter what Jewish advocates may say, violates Judaism’s clear and emphatic declaration of the sanctity of life.”

Last month, CJV declared that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is “no longer competent to identify, let alone combat, antisemitism” after the ADL announced that not all Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) actions on college campuses will be documented as antisemitism.

In April, after Fox News host Tucker Carlson was falsely accused of antisemitism, CJV condemned the “grossly misplaced charges of antisemitism.”

In February, CJV declared that the promotion of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to a senior committee position despite her long track record of antisemitic statements and virulent hostility toward Israel, shows that Congress accepts antisemitism.

Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.