Honenu - Rabbis demand Investigation of Kfar Duma Case Torture

Rabbis demand investigation of Kfar Duma case torture

Posted on June 5, 2018 by admin

Tuesday, June 5, 2018, 11:34 On the morning of Tuesday, June 5, dozens of prominent rabbis, including yeshiva heads, turned to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, demanding that the legal proceedings in the Kfar Duma case be stopped and that an investigative committee be founded. The grounds for the demand are the torture which the defendants in the case underwent in order to extract from them forced confessions.

Excerpt of the letter, translation by Honenu:

"Prime Minister, Justice Minister… In light of the shocking information concerning the torture of youths in order to extract from them confessions of their involvement with the Kfar Duma incident, and the severe indictments filed against them based on those confessions, we demand that the legal proceedings against them cease immediately, and that an independent investigative committee be founded in order to examine these grave accusations."

Please see below a complete list of the signatory rabbis.

On April 16, the families of the defendants in the Kfar Duma case revealed that during the closing statements stage of the first segment of the trial, which took place on March 15, the Central District Attorney's office announced in an unprecedented step that they would withdraw from use several of the defendants' confessions. The confessions were given during interrogations in which "special means", a euphemism referring to torture, were used on the defendants.

A source in the legal system well acquainted with the case explained that "The meaning of the announcement by the Central District Attorney's office to the court, is the understanding that in light of the circumstances under which the confessions were given by the defendants, it is impossible to render them judicially valid. This is an upheaval. The Attorney General's office is essentially standing opposite the court and admitting that in this case interrogations were conducted that brought the defendants to make statements and confessions that were not out of free will, as is mandatory by law."

The Attorney General's office also submitted a request to the court to recognize the torture used during interrogation as legal.

Attorney Tzion Amir, who is representing the minor in the case, stated that, "I hope very much that one day the matters which arose during the trial within a trial, the facts and the details [which arose] during the testimonies and the interrogations of everyone, especially the GSS agents, will be revealed. The public should be very deeply shocked by how the interrogation of a minor who was not charged with murder, but rather with a charge connected to the murder, was conducted, and also by the manner in which the interrogation was conducted, completely by torture, violent means in various forms and by various methods. This matter shakes one to the core. It is impossible to come to terms with an interrogation conducted in this matter in a democratic society. I hope very much that in the end the court will state its piece concerning these fundamental issues."

Complete list of the signatory rabbis:
Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi of Kiryat Arba-Hevron
Rabbi Zalmen Baruch Melamed, Head of the Beit El Yeshiva and Rabbi of Beit El Bet
Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi of Kiryat Arba-Hevron
Rabbi Zalmen Baruch Melamed, Head of the Beit El Yeshiva and Rabbi of Beit El Bet
Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg, Head of the Derech Chaim movement and Gal Einai
Rabbi Meir Mazuz, Head of the Kisei Rachamim Yeshiva, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, Rabbi of Elon Moreh and Head of Yeshivat Elon Moreh
Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, Head of the Temple Institute
Rabbi David Druckman, Rabbi of Kiryat Motzkin
Rabbi Micah HaLevi, Rabbi of Petah Tikva
Rabbi Gideon Perl, Rabbi of Elon Shevut
Rabbi Yerachmiel Weiss, Jerusalem
Rabbi Shmuel Shapira, Rabbi of Kochav Yair
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Rabbi of Har Bracha and the author of Peninei Halakhah
Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira, Head of Yeshivat Ramat Gan
Rabbi Simcha Shtatner, Yeshivat Nahalat Yisrael
Rabbi Shmuel Tal, Head of the Torah Chaim institutions,Yad Binyamin
Rabbi Shmuel David, Rabbi of Afula
Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi, Rabbi of Karnei Shomron
Rabbi Azariel Ariel, Rabbi of Ateret
Rabbi Elchanan Ben Nun, Rabbi of Shilo
Rabbi Menasheh Yissachar, Rabbi of Peduel
Rabbi Menachem Perl, Head of the Tzomet Institute
Rabbi Yigal Kaminetzky,Head of the Torah U'Medinah Center, Nitzan
Rabbi Ze'ev Vitman, Elon Shevut
Rabbi Elisha Aviner, Head of Kollel Ma'aleh Adumim
Rabbi Yair Shahor, Rabbi of Ma'eleh Levona
Rabbi David Dudkevitch, Rabbi of Yitzhar and the Head of Yeshivat Ro'eh Yisrael
Rabbi Gideon Binyamin, Rabbi of Nof Ayalon
Rabbi Yoel Katan, Head of the Shlomo Aumann Institute, Yeshivat Sha'alvim
Rabbi Shaul David Buchko, Head of Yeshivat Heichal Eliyahu, Kochav Ya'akov
Rabbi Yaniv Chanina, Tzfat, Head of the Shoresh Project
Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira, Head of Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai
Rabbi Yitzhak Sabato, Head of Yeshivat Mitzpeh Yericho
Rabbi Ariel Bareli, Head of the Mishpat L'Am Institute, Sederot
Rabbi Avraham Nachshon, Elad>Rabbi Mordechai Rabinowitz, Givat Assaf
Rabbi Amichai Kinnarti, Yeshivat Itamar
Rabbi Menachem Makover, Head of the V'Harenu B'Vinyano organization
Rabbi Dr. David Mescheloff, Moshav Chemed
Rabbi Uri Sadan, Rabbi of Moshav Nov
Rabbi Ohad Krakover, Rabbi of Kokhav HaShahar
Rabbi Yoel Manowitz, Head of Yeshibat HaGolan
Rabbi Menachem Nueberger, Ofakim
Rabbi Gur Galon, Head of Yeshivat Har Bracha
Rabbi Shlomo Hecht, Beit Hillel
Rabbi Giora Brenner, Givat Assaf, Head of Beit Midrash Hilchata, Rechovot
Rabbi Ariel Shalom Alkobi, Head of Kollel Yad Shaul, Kokhav Ya'akov
Rabbi Chiya Ben Hamo, Rabbi of Beit HaRambam, Modi'in
Rabbi Nir Rosenberg, Rabbi of Einav
Rabbi Natan Shalev, Rabbi of Mevo'ot Yericho and Head of the Chaim shel Tovah organization
Rabbi Menachem Nubik, Rabbi of Maskiot
Rabbi Uriel Eliyahu, Head of Kollel Dayanut 'Karmei Mishpat'
Rabbi Chagai Bar Giora, Beit Shemesh
Rabbi Yosifun, Netanya
Rabbi Reuven Hiller, Hod HaSharon
Rabbi Reuven Fierman, Machon Meir
Rabbi Yair Frank, Rabbi of Amichai
Rabbi Eliyahu HaEitan, Beit Shemesh, Machon Pu'ah
Rabbi Aharon Cohen, Rabbi of Yakir
Rabbi Shai Daum, Or HaTzafon, Tel Aviv
Rabbi Ben-Tzion Ben Pazi, Yeshivat Yerushaliyim L'Tzeirim
Rabbi No'am Shapira, Beit Sefer Torat HaNefesh
Rabbi Shai Siminovsky, Yeshivat Homesh
Rabbi Matanyia Yedid, Beit Orot, Orot College
Rabbi Hillel Ben Shlomo, Yitzhar
Rabbi Elchanan Lewis, Efrat
Rabbi Ido Elba, Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai
Rabbi Ya'akov Peleg, Ulpanat Talya
Rabbi Shmuel Polachek, Beit Midrash Rosh Pina
Rabbi Gadi Ben Zimra, Rosh Ulpanat Levona
Rabbi Dr. Ya'ir Hiller, Hemdat HaDarom College, Talpiot College, Ariel University

In the event that these things are correct, we protest and demand that the legal proceedings against them cease, and that an independent investigative committee be founded.
Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg
Rabbi Ya'akov Warhaftig

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Sincerely,

Robin Ticker

Activist emails sent to my list  are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) and Howard Chaim Grief great activists and lovers of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichronum Baruch.  May their memories serve as a blessing. 

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