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As McVeigh's execution nears,
some liberal Jews want it called off
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Washington
he Reform and
Conservative movements
are seeking clemency for
Timothy McVeigh a week
before the convicted Oklahoma City
bomber is scheduled to die by lethal
injection.
In a letter to President Bush on
Tuesday, the two movements joined
numerous prominent religious leaders
in opposing the death penalty for
McVeigh, saying they are concerned
about the imperfect justice system in
the United States, and the fact that
innocent people could be executed if
the death penalty is condoned.
"When the government responds to
violence with violence," the letter said,
"its action breeds more violence."
McVeigh is scheduled to die May 16
in Terre Haute, Ind. He was convicted
of masterminding and carrying out the
bombing of the Alfred E Murrah
Federal Building in Oklahoma City in
1995, killing 168 people, 19 of them
children, and wounding at least 400
others. An accomplice, Terry Nichols,
was sentenced to life in prison by a
federal judge and may also face state
charges in Oklahoma.
The letter also calls for a moratori-
um on federal executions and for
clemency for Juan Raul Garva, sched-
uled to be executed June 19 for killing
three men in the early 1990s.
Garva's execution, originally sched-
uled for last August, was postponed
by President Bill Clinton. Clinton
ordered a review of clemency guide-
lines.
Many Jewish organizations are
opposed to the death penalty. They
cite the possible innocence of those on
death row, possible racial or economic
bias — and whether the accused had
competent legal representation.
None of those factors are at play in
the McVeigh case. Even so, the leader
of the Reform movement said it must
oppose McVeigh's execution — and all
others — because of concerns about
the death penalty
"You have to make note of the ter-
rible suffering he caused," said Rabbi
Eric Yoffie, president of the Reform
movement's Union of American
Hebrew Congregations. "But the fact
of the matter is that with the death
penalty, you can't be for it part of the
time and against it part of the time."
Rabbi Yoffie said the justice system
is "too prone to error.
We are concerned about those
who sir on death row now and in the
future where there will be questions
about their guilt or innocence," he
said. "The only way to deal with this
is to stop the death penalty."
•
Mixed Emotions
While the issue is important to
Jewish leaders, it does not appear to
be a priority for the Jewish communi-
ty as a whole.
In a survey released last month by
Amos, a new Jewish social action
coalition, fewer than half of the
1,002 Jews polled said they were in
favor of a moratorium on capital
punishment. It was the only social
cause in the survey that had a majori-
ty of opposition.
And even some people who have
reservations about the death penalty
in general are in favor of the punish-
ment for McVeigh because of the
severity of his crime, the deadliest ter-
rorism incident on U.S. soil.
The Orthodox movement has been
quieter on the death penalty issue.
Orthodox Union President Harvey
Blitz said the movement does not
want to abolish the death penalty, but
supports a moratorium because of
concerns about the execution of inno-
cent people.
But the O.U. does not oppose
McVeigh's execution, in part because
he has already confessed to the bomb-
ing.
Jewish law sees the death penalty as
an appropriate response to certain
types of sins, while noting it must be
done with caution and under strict
rules of evidence.
Rabbi Yoffie admits that it is
unlikely the letter will sway anyone at
the White House. Already, Bush has
rejected a call from Pope John Paul II
for clemency for McVeigh.
"It would be very hard to believe
that the president would stop the exe-
cution," Rabbi Yoffie said.
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