Prominent Washington DC synagogue cancels event featuring former Israeli DM Gallant

Adas Israel, the most prominent U.S. Conservative synagogue in Washington, D.C., has canceled an event hosting former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant due to objections from congregants over Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza.

Congregants who had registered to attend the moderated event, which was announced on Thursday as an “exclusive conversation on Israel’s multi-front security challenges,” received an email on Sunday evening informing them it would no longer take place.

“We regret to inform you that the Monday night event with Yoav Gallant must be canceled,” the synagogue leaders wrote in an email.

Adas Israel is part of the Conservative movement and regularly hosts political leaders, including presidents and Supreme Court justices.

Synagogue member Benjamin Temchine met with one of its rabbis on Friday to voice his opposition to hosting Gallant.

“I don’t see Adas opening the door to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. I don’t see them opening the door to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. How is Gallant different?” he said in the meeting. 

According to Temchine, at least 10 other members feel the same way he does.

On Monday, the president of Adas Israel, Beth Heifetz, said the event was canceled “due to specific security concerns” and not due to “the event’s subject matter.”

“Open dialogue is key to our commitment to Jewish values,” Heifetz said. “While we regret this cancellation, safety remains our highest priority.”

The event was originally organized by Robert Satloff, director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, but when it was canceled by Adas Israel, it was moved to the institute’s downtown offices. 

Gallant is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes related to Israel’s handling of the war against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November for “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

Gallant was in charge of Israel’s military response to the Oct. 7 terror attacks in southern Israel last year and was often at odds with Netanyahu over war strategy. The two leaders had previously been divided regarding the judicial overhaul issues earlier in 2023, before the war began.

Netanyahu fired Gallant in November and several others within the government said that he was not leading aggressively in wartime policy, however, Gallant continues to support and defend Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Reactions to the event’s cancellation were mixed. In a show of support, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, stated on social media that he was appalled by the decision. 

“Yoav has spent his entire life fighting tirelessly for Israel and the Jewish people... The Adas leadership should be deeply ashamed of this ungrateful decision and reverse it immediately,” Oren said.

Others lauded the synagogue's decision and pointed to what they viewed as problematic statements by Gallant.

Shortly after the initial attacks by Hamas, Gallant called for a siege of Gaza with a ban on electricity, fuel and even food. “We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly,” he said.

Those comments ended up being used by the ICC and Amnesty International as evidence that the government of Israel was committing genocide. 

IfNotNow, another group opposed to Israel’s “occupation” of Gaza, planned to project Gallant’s quote on the front of Adas Israel’s building on Sunday evening but canceled the move after hearing the event was canceled.

Josh Burg, one of IfNotNow’s local organizers, stated ,“The way this played out says a lot about where the center of gravity within the mainstream Jewish community is... A conservative faction in the shul thought they could host this event with Yoav Gallant, but the internal pushback was so intense that just wasn’t possible.”