Four ultra-Orthodox Jews at prayer and one Druze policeman, murdered by two Palestinian young men armed with knives, axes and a gun. The heart grieves for the families of the victims and the suffering of the injured.

This past week’s slaughter was the latest development in an escalation of violence in Jerusalem that dates back to the summer, with the kidnapping and murder of three Israel youth in the West Bank, followed by the kidnapping and murder of a Palestinian teen in East Jerusalem. Most of the world ignored the fires burning in East Jerusalem until the flames spread across the Green Line. Two terrorist attacks on the city’s light rail, one attempted assassination of a right-wing activist, several attacks outside Jerusalem, and a horrific synagogue massacre later, the world has woken up to what is turning into a conflagration that threatens to engulf the entire city and beyond.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) is horrified and outraged by today's savage terrorist attack on Jewish worshippers at a Jerusalem synagogue, which left four innocent civilians dead and others injured. APN strongly condemns this attack. We stand with the people of Israel. Our hearts are with the families that have been broken by today's attack. We wish full and rapid recovery to those who were injured.

Jerusalem is bleeding. At this time, Israeli and Palestinian leaders bear a heavy responsibility. They must put an end to inflammatory actions and rhetoric that would further intensify the bloodshed. They must fight terrorism and incitement. At the same time, they must also seek ways to engage diplomatically to reach a political settlement for the conflict – the only way to avoid perpetual bloodletting between Israelis and Palestinians.

The following post by Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann of Rabbis for Human Rights was originally posted on RHR's web site on November 14, 2014, and is reprinted here by permission from the author.

 A mosque was badly arsoned, presumably by Jewish extremists, in the early hours of November 12 2014 in the village of Al Mughayir. About a month prior, another mosque, in a different Palestinian village in the Occupied Territories, was also burned. Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann of RHR visited the mosque in Al Mughayir and writes of his shock at the severity of the arson.

"The children struggled in her womb, and she said, 'If this is so, then why am I?'" -- Genesis 25:22

We read in this week's Torah portion that even in the womb, Rebecca's children Jacob and Esau quarreled. And their perennial struggle brought her to an existential outcry: if this is so, then why am I? If this is the only possibility for my sons, she seems to be saying, then my motherhood -- even my whole existence -- feels called into question. If fighting is all there is, then what's the point?

This week, Alpher discusses the meeting last week between Secretary of State John Kerry, King Abdullah II and PM Netanyahu, and whether that meeting signals a new departure in Israeli-Palestinian and Israel-Arab relations regarding Jerusalem; the talk of new elections in Israel brought on by the government's lack of cohesiveness; how the current borders of the "united" Jerusalem come about and what the rationale was, and whether it is still valid; and why the Shin Bet, an internal security service, is still responsible for intelligence regarding Gaza, from which Israel withdrew in 2005.

On November 14 2014, APN hosted Barbara Slavin of the Atlantic Council and al-Monitor.com, an expert on Iran, for a briefing call on the deal brewing between Teheran and the international community, as they approach the November 24 deadline for a comprehensive solution to Iran's nuclear program.

Please join us for a briefing call with Barbara Slavin of the Atlantic Council, an expert on Iran. Ms. Slavin will share her analysis of the current negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program, and help us beter understand the state of affairs as the negotiating parties approach the November 25 deadline.

The What Would Leibel Do (WWLD)? Awards Dinner

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Named for long-time APN Board Member Leonard "Leibel" Fein, who passed away in August, the event will be Sunday, January 11, in Boston.

Sidney Topol will receive the inaugural "Leonard Fein Justice Award," and Rabbi Toba Spitzer the "Elizabeth Wyner Mark Peace Award."  

Invitation to Come

The underlying cause of the current crisis is to be found in the inherent dysfunctionality of Israeli rule in East Jerusalem

WHAT POSSESSES hundreds, sometimes thousands of Palestinian youths to clash nightly with Israeli police? That is a question that official Israel, and most particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has neither asked nor answered. Why? Because doing so would challenge his axiomatic faith in “united Jerusalem” – a Jerusalem that doesn’t exist.

By Rabbi Dr. Marc Gopin 

THE PORTION OF HAYYEI SARAH: GENESIS 23-25:18

This portion of Genesis is an end of life saga, but at the same time it is a secret testimony, a message delivered across the ages, as to what it means to perpetuate life on a promised land, how one can make it an eternal life on the land. It is momentous and dramatic, focusing both on the burial of the old generation and the continuity of the next generation, with Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah. None of these changes, however, guarantee any perpetual relationship to the land. The secret to that lies in the nature of their dealings with their neighbors.