The Ethics of War with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody [Israel at War, Part 2]

Western media often criticizes the IDF for "collective punishment" and a lack of proportionality in its military response to Hamas’s horrific attacks on October 7th.  How are we supposed to respond to these accusations? What are Israel's ethical obligations regarding avoiding civilian casualties? Should the IDF endanger its soldiers' lives in order to protect civilians in Gaza? In this episode, Rabbi David Silverstein is joined by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody to discuss these questions through the prism of his important new book, Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality.

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody is the executive director of Ematai and the Jewish Law Live columnist for the Jerusalem Post. He previously served as the founding director of the Tikvah Overseas Student Institute and co-dean of Tikvah Online Academy, a senior instructor at Yeshivat Hakotel, and as a junior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, he received rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, an MA in Jewish philosophy at the Hebrew University, and his PhD from Bar Ilan University Law School, where he continues to serve as a post-doctoral fellow. His first book, A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates (Maggid), received a National Jewish Book Award. His new book, Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality, is available for pre-order in the US and will be available in Israel in the coming weeks.

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Music from "Ashreinu" by Omek HaDavar
Recorded in the Old City of Jerusalem at Yeshivat Orayta (orayta.org) | Facebook | Instagram