USA - Alabama. Jewish clergy demand halt to gas chamber execution

USA - Death Penalty Action

24 January 2024 :

January 19, 2024 - Alabama. Jewish clergy demand halt to gas chamber execution
Letter to Be Presented Tuesday to Alabama Governor Ivey
Hundreds of Jewish clergy and community leaders from Alabama and across the United States will deliver a letter to Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday, demanding a halt to Thursday's planned execution by nitrogen gas asphyxiation of Kenneth Smith. The letter, organized by L'chaim! ("To Life"): Jews Against the Death Penalty and Death Penalty Action reads: "Just the idea of using gas for executions is an affront to our community. The Nazi legacy of experimentation to find the most expeditious way to rid our community of undesirable prisoners is an undercurrent for anyone who is aware of that history. It is a history that should not be repeated in Alabama, or anywhere."
The letter will be presented as part of a rally set for Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at 11am CT.
Several Alabama legislators will participate in the delivery, including Rep. Phillip Ensler, the only Jewish member of the Alabama legislature, who also serves as executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama. The rally will feature remarks from Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood, spiritual advisor to Kenneth Smith, and a broad coalition of Alabama organizations and their allies (listed below). In addition to the letter from Jewish leaders, participants will deliver tens of thousands of petition signatures gathered on three separate but related petitions opposing the execution of Kenneth Smith, opposing the gas chamber/nitrogen hypoxia, and calling for greater transparency in Alabama executions. This event will be livestreamed on Death Penalty Action's Facebook, X (Twitter), and Youtube platforms.

Groups participating in Tuesday's rally & petition delivery:

Advocates4Justice;
Alabama Arise;
Alabama CURE;
Alabama Forward;
Alabama New South Coalition;
Alabama Poor People’s Campaign;
Alabama State Conference of the NAACP;
Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship;
BEC2BAMA;
Birmingham DSA;
Birmingham Friends Meeting;
Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty;
Death Penalty Action;
Episcopal Peace Fellowship;
Equal Justice USA's Evangelical Network;
Faith in Action Alabama;
Faith Leaders of Color Coalition/flocc;
Gainesville (Florida) Citizens for Alternatives to the Death Penalty;
Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty;
Grace Presbyterian Church of Tuscaloosa;
Robert S. and Jean E. Graetz Foundation;
Greater Birmingham Ministries;
Green County Democrat;
Joe James, et al --PRESENTE!;
Journey of Hope -- from violence to healing;
Justice and Mercy for All, Birmingham;
Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty;
L'chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty;
M.A.A.V.I.S.;
Mary's House Catholic Worker, Birmingham;
Mass Incarceration Must End Inc.;
Nevada Coalition Against the Death Penalty;
North Alabama Democratic Socialists of America;
North Alabama Peace Network;
North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty;
Outreach Team St. Paul UMC Birmingham;
Patch Adams, MD - The Gesundheit! Institute;
Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty;
Red Letter Christians;
Restorative Solutions;
Restorative Strategies, LLC;
St Paul UMC, Birmingham;
Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate;
South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty;
South Dakotans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty;
Southern Methodist University Human Rights Program;
Southern Poverty Law Center- Alabama State Office;
Turner McCalh & Associates, BC;
Tuscaloosa Action;
United Church of Christ;
Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa;
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Montgomery;
Vine and Fig Tree Community;
Voiceless Behind Bars;
Witness to innocence;
The Woods Foundation;
Worth Rises.