Rabbi Arik Ascherman is an American-born Israeli rabbi and a globally recognized Jewish human rights activist. He served for many years as the Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) and currently leads the organization Torat Tzedek (Torah of Justice).
Rabbi Ascherman is highly esteemed for protecting the rights of Palestinian civilians and defending marginalized groups within Israel. His career focuses on translating the concept of justice from Jewish texts into concrete field action, including physically standing between radical settlers and Palestinian farmland in the West Bank. He has been arrested and physically assaulted numerous times while protecting Palestinian olive trees and protesting illegal demolitions, yet he remains committed to upholding human rights through legal proceedings and non-violent presence. He has received several international humanitarian awards and is considered a symbolic figure in the Israeli civil rights movement.
Rabbi Ascherman is a staunch opponent of the occupation of Palestinian land, arguing that it violates the core Jewish teaching that every human is created “in the image of God” (B’tselem Elohim). He maintains that Israeli security should not be built upon the dispossession of another people. One of his most representative statements is: “If Judaism cannot protect the livelihood of a Palestinian farmer, then our religion has lost its soul.” He actively pressures the Israeli government to cease house demolitions and calls for a fair system that recognizes Palestinian sovereignty and dignity.