The Honorable Michael R. Pompeo Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, D.C
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The Honorable Michael R. Pompeo Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, D.C. 20250 August 22, 2019 Dear Mr. Secretary, As we mark the second-year anniversary of the continued campaign of genocide against the Rohingya people of Burma on August 25, we call on you to prioritize the pursuit of justice and accountability for the Rohingya people and all ethnic minorities in Burma. As 575 rabbis and Jewish clergy from 38 states across the U.S. and from many Jewish denominational backgrounds, we collectively serve tens of thousands of American Jews and represent this call-to-action from many more communities and congregations. As clergy, we have not—and will not—stay silent in the face of genocide. We know all too well, from our own Jewish history, what happens when the international community does not stand up unequivocally in defense of oppressed minorities subject to state-sanctioned hate, oppression and violence. The Department of State released a report in September 2018 documenting atrocities in Northern Rakhine State, which attests that the violence against the Rohingya people was “extreme, large- scaled, widespread” and “well-planned.” We were deeply disappointed that the report failed to legally determine that there were international crimes committed against the Rohingya people by the Burmese military. The horrifying atrocities outlined in the report—with the full weight and expertise of the Department of State behind it—surely must trigger meaningful U.S. response and actions. We call on you, Mr. Secretary, as you lead the Department, to defend the rights and dignity of the Rohingya people and other ethnic minorities. We urge you to act decisively to forge a path for justice and accountability in Burma by urgently taking the following steps: Support the imposition of further targeted sanctions, including designations under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act in conjunction with the Treasury Department, against Burmese military leaders responsible for the horrific violence against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities. We welcomed the recent public designations that will deny visas to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Vice Senior General Soe Win, Brigadier General Aung Aung, Brigadier General Than Oo, and their immediate family members—but this alone is not sufficient to ensure full justice and accountability for the crimes committed by these individuals. By taking further actions against top Burmese military officials, the U.S. Government will effectively increase its pressure on the Burmese military. Burma’s military-owned enterprises, including the Myanmar Economic Corporation and Union of Myanmar Economic Holding, should also be sanctioned under relevant statutory authorities. Utilize the full range of your Department’s diplomatic channels to work with regional allies to collectively urge the Burmese government to reinstate full citizenship for the Rohingya minority and create the necessary conditions to ensure the option of a voluntary, safe and dignified return to Burma—with full consultation from the Rohingya community in the process. Utilize the State Department’s diplomatic channels with the Bangladeshi government to enable livelihood options and access to formal education for the Rohingya community living in those camps, based on consultation and guidance by the Rohingya community in the Cox’s Bazar camps, especially for women and children. We also call on you to urge the government of Bangladesh to halt any planned relocation of Rohingya refugees to the flood-prone, desolate island of Bhashan Char or any other uninhabitable location. Develop and publicly release a report by the State Department which assesses potential justice options that the United States could support to ensure accountability for the crimes suffered by the Rohingya people and other ethnic minorities in Burma at the hands of the Burmese military. This report should be completed in consultation with civil society and representatives from the Rohingya and other ethnic minority communities in Burma. The United States must display moral courage and leadership to secure justice and accountability for the Rohingya people. The world needs American leadership now, more than ever. As a cohort of 575 rabbis and clergy, representing tens of thousands of American Jews across the country, we call on you, as the nation’s lead diplomat, to provide that leadership and pursue justice at all opportunities. Sincerely, 575 American Rabbis and Cantors Organizations listed for informational purposes only. Rabbi Eric Abbott Rabbi Thomas Alpert Washington, District of Columbia Temple Etz Chaim Franklin, Massachusetts Cantor Jill Abramson Shir Ami Rabbi Steven Altarescu Greenwich, Connecticut Reform Temple of Putnam Valley Putnam Valley, New York Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder Be'chol Lashon Rabbi Renni Altman Atlanta, Georgia Vassar Temple Poughkeepsie, New York Rabbi Rachel Ackerman Temple Shalom Rabbi Julia Andelman Chevy Chase, Maryland Jewish Theological Seminary New York, New York Rabbi Sara Adler Ann Arbor, Michigan Rabbi Camille Shira Angel University of San Francisco Cantor Sarah Alexander San Francisco, California Kehillat Shalom Skokie, Illinois Cantor Perryne Anker Sherman Oaks, California Rabbi Adina Allen Jewish Studio Project Rabbi Teri Appleby Berkeley, California Congregation B’nai Jeshurun Lincoln, Nebraska Rabbi Katy Allen Ma'yan Tikvah Rabbi Melanie Aron Wayland, Massachusetts Congregation Shir Hadash Los Gatos, California Cantor Sheri Allen Fort Worth, Texas Rabbi Guy Austrian Fort Tryon Jewish Center Rabbi AG Alpert New York, New York Congregation Bet Shalom Tucson, Arizona Rabbi Ari Averbach Temple Etz Chaim Rabbi Alana Alpert Thousand Oaks, California Congregation T'chiyah Detroit, Michigan Rabbi Ilana Axel The New Synagogue Rabbi Doug Alpert New York, New York Congregation Kol Ami Kansas City, Missouri Rabbi Justus Baird Shalom Hartman Institute New York, New York Rabbi Adam Baldachin Rabbi Joshua Ben-Gideon Shaarei Tikvah Beth David Scarsdale, New York Greensboro, North Carolina Cantor Elise Barber Rabbi Alfred Benjamin Temple Beth El Congregation Beth Shalom Blue Hills Springfield, Massachusetts Milton, Massachusetts Rabbi Benjamin Barer Rabbi Nehama Benmosche Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School Reconstructing Judaism Washington, District of Columbia Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania Rabbi George Barnard Rabbi James Bennett Cincinnati, Ohio Congregation Shaare Emeth Saint Louis, Missouri Rabbi Benjamin Barnett Havurah Shalom Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum Portland, Oregon West Roxbury, Massachusetts Rabbi Barry Baron Rabbi Peter Berg Colgate University The Temple Hamilton, New York Atlanta, Georgia Rabbi Dr. Israel J. Barzak Cantor David Berger Temple Israel KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation Ormond Beach, Florida Chicago, Illinois Rabbi Eliot Baskin Rabbi Allan Berkowitz Temple Emanuel Faith in Action Bay Area Denver, Colorado San Jose, California Rabbi David Dunn Bauer Rabbi Marc Berkson Elkins Park, Pennsylvania Congregation Emanuel-El B’ne Jeshurun Milwaukee, Wisconsin Rabbi David Baum Boca Raton, Florida Cantor Laura Berman Temple Sinai Rabbi Dennis Beck-Berman Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Congregation Brith Achim Petersburg, Virginia Rabbi Marjorie Berman Reconstructionist Rabbinical School Rabbi Shelley Kovar Becker Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania New York, New York Rabbi Phyllis Berman Rabbi Daniel Bogard Mishkan Shalom, Pnai Or, Dorshei Derekh Central Reform Congregation at Germantown Jewish Centre Saint Louis, Missouri Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rabbi Karen Bogard Cantor Jennifer Bern-Vogel Central Reform Congregation Congregation Emanu El Saint Louis, Missouri Redlands, California Rabbi Karen Bookman Kaplan Rabbi Aryeh Bernstein Center for Hope Hospice Avodah Scotch Plains, New Jersey Chicago, Illinois Rabbi David Booth Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein Congregation Kol Emeth Congregation Beth Ohr Palo Alto, California Bellmore, New York Rabbi Stephen Booth-Nadav Rabbi Edward Bernstein Kavod Senior Life Congregation Beth Am Denver, Colorado Longwood, Florida Rabbi Jill Borodin Rabbi Linda Bertenthal Congregation Beth Shalom Temple Emanuel Seattle, Washington Bettendorf, Iowa Rabb Mark Borovitz Rabbi Cecelia Beyer Beit T'Shuvah Temple Sholom Los Angeles, California Bridgewater, New Jersey Rabbi Rachael Bregman Cantor Mark Biddelman Temple Beth Tefilloh Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley Brunswick, Georgia Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey Rabbi Julie Bressler Cantor Emily Blank Temple Beth Shalom Washington, District of Columbia Needham, Massachusetts Rabbi Barbara Block Rabbi Philip Bressler Springfield, Missouri Beit Am Corvallis, Oregon Rabbi David Bloom Cantor Vera Broekhuysen Rabbi Lisa Bock Temple Emanu-El Westlake Village, California Haverhill, Massachusetts Rabbi Deborah Bronstein Rabbi Jeffrey Clopper Congregation Har HaShem Temple Beth El Boulder, Colorado Huntington, New York Rabbi Lester Bronstein Rabbi Ayelet Cohen Bet Am Shalom Synagogue New Israel Fund White Plains, New York New York, New York Rabbi Jeffrey Brown Rabbi Barry Cohen Scarsdale Synagogue Jewish Federation of Greater Portland Scarsdale, New York Portland, Oregon Rabbi Rachel Brown Rabbi Howard Cohen Camp Timbrel Congregation Shirat Hayam Beachwood, Ohio Marshfield, Massachusetts Rabbi David Brusin Rabbi Michael Tevya Cohen University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Rabbi ACPE Certified Educator Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dallas, Texas Rabbi Yechiel Buchband Rabbi Sharon Cohen Valley Stream Jewish Center Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Valley Stream, New