Fringe rabbis recruit Jewish clergy to lobby against US military aid to Israel, halt weapons sales

A coalition of progressive rabbis, called Rabbis for Block the Bombs, launched on August 23 to recruit Jewish clergy to endorse H.R. 3565, the Block the Bombs Act, which would halt sales of specific offensive weapons to Israel. The group has 92 signatories and is backed by organizations including Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, which the article notes are widely disavowed by mainstream Judaism.

A coalition of progressive rabbis, called Rabbis for Block the Bombs, launched publicly on August 23, 2026, to recruit fellow Jewish clergy to endorse H.R. 3565, the Block the Bombs Act. The proposed US bill aims to block the sale and transfer of seven specific offensive weapons to Israel, including BLU-109 bunker-busting bombs, MK80 series bombs, and 155-mm artillery ammunition. The coalition has 92 signatories and is supported by groups including Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, and the Center for Jewish Nonviolence. The article notes these groups are widely disavowed by mainstream Judaism and have attracted controversy for anti-Israel campaigning and BDS support. The coalition's website cites Exodus 20:13 and Jewish values of pikuah nefesh and b'tzelem E-lohim. Signatories include Rabbi Alissa Wise, who was previously photographed hugging Rasmea Odeh, convicted for a 1969 bombing in Jerusalem.