Hundreds of Jewish organization staffers press Biden on Gaza cease-fire

Staffers at Jewish organizations across the country pressed President Biden on a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in an open letter.

“We are individuals who work for a wide array of Jewish organizations across the United States, coming together across the broad range of beliefs, practices, backgrounds and identities that make up the rich fabric of the American Jewish community,” they write in the letter, which was first obtained by NBC News.

“We are uniting together in this moment to call for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and a commitment towards a long-term political solution that ensures the freedom and collective safety of Israelis and Palestinians,” the letter continues.

The letter has more than 500 signatures, featuring the names of rabbis, members of advocacy groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow and J Street, and members of synagogues.

"As a group of professionals from a wide spectrum of Jewish organizations, many of us have devoted our life’s work to building thriving Jewish communities," the letter continues. "Our organizations may or may not join the call for a ceasefire themselves, but we feel moved to speak as individuals to demonstrate broad support within the Jewish community for a ceasefire."

It also has similar language to a Tuesday letter from more than 40 White House interns to the president, asking for his administration to support a permanent cease-fire.

“We, the undersigned Fall 2023 White House and Executive Office of the President interns, will no longer remain silent on the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people,” the interns wrote.

“We heed the voices of the American people and call on the Administration to demand a permanent ceasefire,” the interns wrote. “We are not the decision makers of today, but we aspire to be the leaders of tomorrow, and we will never forget how the pleas of the American people have been heard and thus far, ignored.”

The war between Israel and Hamas, beginning on Oct. 7 with a surprise attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people, has now gone on for two months. Israel’s retaliatory actions in the war have killed more than 16,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.