The Jewish Community's Response to the Uyghur Genocide

Jewish teaching on justice and compassion as well as our own history of persecution, exile, and genocide, lead us, as Jews, to stand up for and support the Uyghur and other Turkic peoples who have come under genocidal attack by the Chinese Communist Party, facing systematic policies intended to destroy all aspects of their national identity.

Since 2017, over 1 million Uyghurs have been imprisoned in state concentration camps and forced labor camps where they are subject to inhumane conditions including linguistic assimilation, political indoctrination, torture, and rape. Uyghur children have been taken from their homes and placed in boarding schools, intentionally cutting their ties to their families, the Uyghur language, and their traditions. Women face forced contraception, sterilization, and marriage to Han men. Uyghurs outside of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have been harassed by PRC operatives.

The United States, many of our allies, and numerous other international bodies have concluded that these acts constitute crimes against humanity and a genocide.  Given our own history and awareness of the importance of allies, let us commit to do what we can to support this people under threat of genocide.