Our Neighbor’s Blood Calls to Us From the Ground

This statement was written by Rabbi Jocee Hudson from Temple Israel of Hollywood. More than sixty Reform Jewish clergy have signed on to the statement.

The Eternal said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
Then God said, "What have you done? Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground! (Genesis 4:9-11)

As George Floyd lay on the ground, a police officer’s knee crushing his neck, cutting off his oxygen, choking him, as Mr. Floyd called out “Mama,” as he pleaded the same words as Eric Garner moaned almost six years ago, “I can’t breathe,” we confronted once again a true evil of our society.

Not all lives are valued equally.

We are a country that is rooted in institutional racism. We are a country that from our inception counted slaves as 3/5 a human being, that has oppressed and committed acts of violence against Black people and People of Color, and that continues to fail in our ability to extend the same sense of security and safety to all our citizens.

Black people are being killed in our streets.

Today, we, a coalition of sixty-one Reform Rabbis and Cantors of Los Angeles, proclaim in a unified voice: We are responsible. We are responsible for the lives of our brothers and sisters, of our neighbors, and of each other. We hear the voice of God and our tradition thundering: “Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground!”

The voice of the Eternal, which is lodged deep within each of us, which recognizes the common humanity in us all, compels us to hear the call to action.

The murder of George Floyd, the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, and the murder of Breonna Taylor – these are not isolated events. Rather, they represent generations of victims of systemic racism, lynchings, and state-sanctioned violence against Black people and People of Color.

And, we say, as one voice: Enough.

In Los Angeles, the next steps are clear.

First, we stand in solidarity and stand side by side with all those in our city who exercise their First Amendment Rights and demand change. We are one with all those who march in non-violent protests and who bear witness to the pain and violence committed against Black people and all People of Color. We also denounce all acts of violence on our streets – whether from police, protestors, or third parties – and echo the calls of so many faith and civic leaders for peace. 

Second, we applaud Mayor Garcetti and City Councilor Herb Wesson for proposals to shift $120 to $150 million from the operating budget of the Los Angeles Police Department to benefit communities of color in Los Angeles. But the Police Department’s budget makes up 54% of the City’s general budget, and so this transfer of 6-8% of the Police Department’s budget is only a first step. We call on Mayor Garcetti and Members of the Los Angeles City Council to shift more city funds from policing to invest in communities, families, and youth, especially in communities of color.

Finally, we call upon our national leaders to govern with courage and compassion, to fulfill their most basic role in our country: To represent all of us, to act in the best interest of all of us, and to see it as their fundamental duty to care for all of us.

Our neighbor’s blood cries out to us from the ground.

And, we weep over all the terror that has been inflicted. And we rage at the injustices in our midst. And we pray for shalom. And we act for change.

Join us.