We, the thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” from Israel and across the world, must respond to how one member of the Knesset chose to dress for the festive holiday Purim this year. MK Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) had herself photographed in the costume of what one Haaretz commentator has appropriately dubbed a “Death Eater” (of Harry Potter infamy) in the service of the state. The Israeli lawmaker was dressed in an Israel Prison Service jumpsuit, with a noose in one hand and a syringe of poison in the other. Next to her, in a white dress shirt, was her husband, Yehuda, packing an automatic rifle in what very well may have been an homage to the mass murderer Baruch Goldstein and wearing signs reading “expulsion,” “conquest,” and “settlement.”

Leaving aside the dangerous implications of Yehuda’s chosen garb, it behooves L’chaim to unpack the costume choice of the Member of Knesset. Her wardrobe selection was far worse than a fashion faux pas. Her shameless action celebrated lethal symbols, one of which perpetuates a direct Nazi legacy. Like Minister of Justice Ben Gvir’s wearing of a noose-shaped lapel to Knesset hearings, it glorifies killing and sanctifies revenge in a manner that is not befitting of any civilized society.

Such a debauched spectacle normally would not merit a response. Tragically, the level of bloodlust that permeates the present zeitgeist and the very real possibility that this bill may come to fruition necessitate our doing just that. Not to counter such a display would risk further normalizing it.

Celebrating the Nazi legacy of lethal injection

MK Son Har-Melekh intended the poisonous syringe that she employed as a prop this Purim to evoke lethal injection, which is the most common form of execution that the US federal government and multiple states employ. This execution method, like gassing and the firing squad, is an unquestionable and unconscionable direct Nazi legacy. Most people do not realize the fact that lethal injection was first implemented in human history by the Third Reich as part of their infamous Aktion T4 protocol used to kill people deemed “unworthy of life.” Dr. Karl Brandt, Adolf Hitler’s personal physician, devised that program.

This reality makes capital punishment particularly anathema for L’chaim members who descend directly from Holocaust victims and survivors. More than most people, we know that one cannot conflate executions with the singularly horrific genocide of the Shoah. And yet, the shadow of the Holocaust is inextricably linked to our firm rejection of the death penalty in all cases, including for convicted Hamas terrorists, as well as the Washington, DC, Israeli Embassy and the Pittsburgh Tree of Life shooters.

Minister of Justice Itamar Ben Gvir has often suggested this so-called “Nazi needle” as a means for state killing. This abject abomination represents the kind of legacy that any such death penalty bill would perpetuate.

The death penalty constitutes the “worst of the worst”

Many supporters claim that society reserves capital punishment for  “the worst of the worst,” a patently false notion. The only “worst of the worst” that applies concerning lex talionis is the reality that the prospect of executions brings out the darkest aspects of human nature in all those who crave it. Vengeance, bloodlust, the desire to inflict pain, suffering, and death. The manmade Angel of Death that is capital punishment inevitably inherently carries with it each of these, in spades. MK’s Purim deplorable behavior and post underscores this tragic truth. Her costume unveils the true, vengeful intention that lies at the heart of the bill now before the Knesset.

Before brandishing such gruesome instruments as a noose and a syringe this Purim, MK Son Har-Melech might have taken a moment to realize the full implications of readers treating the biblical Book of Esther as a literal guide for living in the twenty-first century. The example of Baruch Goldstein and brutal execution regimes like Iran reinforce this reality. L’chaim highlighted this juxtaposition in a recent post entitled Haman and his 10 Sons: 11 Reasons to Oppose Israel’s Death Penalty this Purim. We outlined the truths about Israel’s death penalty bill in that essay, and we reiterate them here.

The death penalty will increase – not decrease – terrorist attacks in Israel, creating more murders and martyrs (shahids), and endangering Jews worldwide. It risks executing the innocent. Jewish tradition makes the death penalty virtually impossible to carry out. Like tasteless Purim masks, terms like “deterrence,” which is a fallacious delusion when applied to the death penalty,  and “retributive” or “proportional” justice are veils for vengeance, which does not bring closure for murder victims’ loved ones. The death penalty is racist. It often results in physical torture, and always is psychological torture for individuals counting down to their execution day. There is no humane way to execute human beings against their will. The death penalty will traumatize Israel Prison Service executioners. From Adolph Hitler to Donald Trump and now Ithamar Ben Gvir, the death penalty is used as a political tool, particularly for election campaigns. And, last but far from least, it violates the human right to life.

Instead of celebrating death this Purim season, we ask that readers recall the words of Elie Wiesel, whose views encapsulated the stance of L’chaim’s members. When questioned about his feelings on capital punishment, Wiesel resolutely stated, “Death shoudl never be the answer in a civilized society.” By the end of his life, Wiesel publicly said that he made no exception to this rule, stating: “With every cell of my being and with every fiber of my memory, I oppose the death penalty in all forms. I do not believe any civilized society should be at the service of death. I don’t think it’s human to become an agent of the angel of death.”

Twenty-first-century Judaism must hold by the red line that Wiesel set forth. It cannot mirror Hamas, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and others by violating its moral obligations and ethical standards and engaging in state-sponsored killings of defenseless prisoners. With Wiesel’s neshama in mind and heart, and on behalf of all L’chaim members, we respectfully implore Israel to join civilized humanity and abolish the death penalty once and for all. The first step toward doing so is voting against the abject abomination that is the death penalty bill.

Cantor Michael J. Zoosman, MSM, BCC

Co-Founder: L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty

Advisory Committee Member: Death Penalty Action

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)