In the hours following the attacks in Israel by Hamas terrorists, much of the world expressed great sympathy for Israel. And yet, almost as soon as Israel began to strike back, a lot of the attention and rhetoric shifted to the suffering in Gaza resulting from the bombs; and the affection for Israel began to subside.

The images coming out of Gaza are disturbing and it’s easy to understand how they reinforce the rhetoric that Israel is acting ruthlessly and without due regard to civilian life. As Israel prepares for a probable ground offensive, we know the situation in Gaza will become even more grave and concerning. Therefore, it’s helpful to be reminded that Israel’s armed forces adheres to one of the strictest codes of ethics of any military in the world. The IDF consistently places its own soldiers at greater risk in order to be loyal to that code, known as Ruach Tzahal – The Spirit of the Israel Defense Forces.

In this session we will read and analyze the code with insights Rabbi Berk gained from studying it with one of its authors, Moshe Halbertal, an Israeli academic and philosopher.

This is a virtual event. Please register below. Following your registration, you will receive an email confirmation with the Zoom link to join the meeting.