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Michael Zoosman

Michael Zoosman

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

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Florida Invites the ‘Angel of Death’ for Sukkot Execution

On October 3rd, Florida plans to put to death Michael Duane Zack during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Michael is guilty of the horrific murders of...

yesterday 4

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

September 21: A Date for the Execution of the Innocent

In a horrific synchronicity, September 21st has become a date that forever will be darkened in the United States by the state killing of innocents. On...

22.09.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Testimony from Robert Roberson: An Innocent man Condemned to Death in Texas

Mr. Robert L. Roberson, my yearslong  pen pal, is an innocent man on Texas death row who lives with a diagnosis of autism and who now is in danger of...

14.09.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Forgiveness from the sister of a murdered teacher at my daughter’s school

Mme Mariame Toure Sylla, z’l (of blessed memory), was a beloved 59 year old 2nd and 3rd grade teacher at the elementary school where my daughter...

12.09.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

A Jew Shares Reflections on Teshuvah/Repentance During Elul before his Execution

Jedidiah Isaac Murphy – a Jewish man slated for state killing in Texas on World Day Against the Death Penalty (October 10th) – has shared with...

01.09.2023 8

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

The Execution of a Jewish Canadian ‘Juvenile Delinquent’

While offering a D’var Torah/sermon about capital punishment at my former synagogue in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, I shared the...

23.08.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

A Parshat Shof’tim D’var Torah Against the Death Penalty

This past Shabbat, as we read Parshat Shof’tim – which includes the phrases “Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof – “Justice, justice you shall pursue,”...

21.08.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Tree of Life Verdict: Statement from “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty”

The eleven martyrs of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue shooting – October 27, 2018: Joyce Fienberg (Idit Balt’chah bat Abba Menachem),...

02.08.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Texas to kill our Jewish pen pal on Oct. 10- World Day Against the Death Penalty

On October 10th, which is World Day Against the Death Penalty , Texas plans to use the Nazi legacy that is lethal injection to put to death a ...

01.08.2023 30

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

‘Teiku’ (תיקו): Agreeing to Disagree about the Death Penalty

Jews have agreed to disagree with one another on the issue of the death penalty – along with many other topics –  for millennia. Judaism’s...

18.07.2023 6

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Honoring the Victims, Z’L, of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Shooting

The thousands of members of L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty begin every execution vigil with a traditional memorial prayer for the victims,...

30.06.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

The Pittsburgh Tree of Life Guilty Verdict: May the Killings End!

This past week’s guilty verdict for the perpetrator of the horrific Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue massacre and the prospect of the US government...

22.06.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

The Death Penalty Kills Restorative Justice

The death penalty kills off – quite literally – any opportunity for restorative justice. To be sure, there are many reasons to oppose the blatant...

13.06.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” Law Shows Danger of Death Penalty

In the latest egregious example of the danger of the very existence of the death penalty, Tom Ascol — the pastor who delivered the invocation at...

05.06.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

The Insanity of the Death Penalty

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed a death warrant for Duane Owen , a former child sex abuse victim who himself was convicted of...

28.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

21st-century Judaism Should Reject the Death Penalty

The thousands of members of the group “ L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty”   firmly believe that Judaism in the 21 st century must...

26.05.2023 8

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

‘L’chaim!’ Demands Increased Press Coverage of Global Executions

It is essential that international news outlets offer more press coverage of the executions that continue to plague our world. Though state killings...

19.05.2023 30

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

A Tale of Two Michael’s: Michael Zoosman Calls for Clemency for Mike Tisius

Note: A version of this article first appeared in the Kansas City Star on May 16, 2023 under the title “Mike Tisius is a lot like me. Missouri,...

16.05.2023 8

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

‘L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty’ beg for the life of Rich Glossip

We, the thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” shall continue to beg for the life of our long-time death row pen...

11.05.2023 30

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

The Shadow of the Holocaust and my Change of Heart on the Death Penalty

I used to be an ardent supporter of the death penalty; today, I am the co-founder of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty,” a group whose...

29.04.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

The Death Penalty on Yom HaShoah/ Holocaust Memorial Day in Florida

On April 18, 2023 – which was Yom HaShoah /Holocaust Memorial Day in the Jewish calendar – Florida’s Senate passed a bill that will make that...

21.04.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

A Plea for Life for the Tree of Life…

We, the thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” are against capital punishment in every single instance. This includes...

16.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Passover Appeals to the Hardened Hearts of Pro-Death Governors

Every single business day, we, the thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” , make phone calls to American political...

31.03.2023 30

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

No Death Penalty for my Former Maryland Mayor – or Anyone else

Recently, the mayor of my current hometown of College Park, MD, Patrick Wojhan, submitted his resignation ahead of his arrest on dozens of counts...

21.03.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Texas Halts Killing Jewish-Born Antisemitism Victim Before Holocaust Mem’l Day

Until just recently, Texas had plans to execute our pen pal Anibal Canales, a Jewish-born victim of anti-Semitism with an innocence claim, via the...

19.03.2023 3

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Another Holocaust Memorial Day Observed with a Florida Exeuction

Politically motivated executions are the foremost mark of a repressive regime, and Florida now clearly fits this bill. In a wanton pursuit of...

16.03.2023 30

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Death Penalty Abolition IS a Jewish Issue

Dear Friends in the Bay Area Jewish Community, Shalom Aleichem from the thousands of international members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death...

12.03.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

“‘L’chaim!’ Jews Against the Death Penalty for Abortion – or Anything Else”

Dear South Carolinians, My name is Cantor Michael Zoosman. I am an ordained Jewish clergyperson, a former Jewish prison chaplain, a multifaith...

09.03.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

When the Death Penalty Hits Home – from West Hartford, CT to Israel

On Monday, February 27th, 26-year-old American citizen Elan Ganeles, z’l, (zichrono livracha – may his memory be for a blessing) was brutally...

02.03.2023 40

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

A Toast to Gov. Shapiro from “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty”

Shalom Aleichem Governor Josh Shapiro! We, the thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” offer this toast to you...

27.02.2023 8

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Clemency for Haman and the Purim Execution of 2023/5783

“Hang ‘em high like Haman!” Such is the retort that death penalty supporters often sling at us, the thousands of members of “L’chaim!...

16.02.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Renowned Death Penalty Abolitionists You Should Know

Supporters of the death penalty would do well to learn some of the names of American and global humanitarians across the centuries who disagree on...

06.02.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Gov. DeSantis’ Death Penalty Pledges for Holocaust Remembrance Day

In a wanton pursuit of political aspirations, Governor Ron DeSantis is seeking to unleash the shadow of the Angel of Death upon Florida, threatening...

27.01.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Holocaust Remembrance Day, Robert Roberson and the Texas ‘Machinery of Death’

As the world now once again prepares to honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th, Texas is marking the occasion by edging ever...

20.01.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

Common Misconceptions About Death Penalty Abolitionists

We, the thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty” – like countless other death penalty abolitionist groups –...

17.01.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

‘Death is not the answer.’

“Death is not the answer.”  Such was Holocaust survivor Eli Wiesel’s response when asked about the death penalty. This simple phrase should...

08.01.2023 40

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Michael Zoosman

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