In early December, at a private home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, I had the opportunity to interview Rabbi Arik Ascherman before he spoke to a group gathered to learn about his organization, Torat Tzedek (Torah of Justice). It is a non-profit he founded in 2017 and for which he serves as Executive Director.
Approximately thirty-five people had seated themselves in the living room. Those present skewed older, but several were in their twenties, including a young woman I talked with who was considering traveling to the West Bank to engage in "protective presence" action with Torat Tzedek.
The host, Paul, introduced Ascherman. There was a simultaneous Zoom of the event underway, and a map projected on a screen, where a nine-minute video, "A Protective Presence," was shown. The land illustration documented areas where the Palestinian communities were, overlapped by outposts, settlements, and complete zones controlled by settlers.
"Rabbi Arik is praying with his body," Paul said. "On a daily basis, he confronts messianic settlers. He is a deep believer in tradition. We are at a crossroads of history. Where will our people stand?"
Ascherman began to describe his engagement, which ranges from legal advocacy (helping a Palestinian landowner to file a complaint) to acting as a physical barrier between Palestinians and radical, often violent, settlers. "We have a finger in the dyke, but the dyke is disintegrating," he said.
Laying out the strategy of the settlers, Ascherman elucidated how they established shepherding outposts to take over and displace Palestinians from their lands. They bring in flocks with the mindset of, "If we can't expel them from the West Bank, we'll push them out of Area C to Areas A and B."
Although Ascherman has had successes, such as stopping the construction of a settler-built road, his tribulations have been extensive. He has been beaten, put in jail with no sustenance but water ("It was to get me out of the way!"), seen pogroms enacted upon Palestinian villages, and the cutting down of olive trees with chainsaws. "[Palestinian] communities are fleeing, sometimes at gunpoint," he stated. "Judges in the Israeli high court don't believe that the police can't do the job."
In a lengthy (11/20/25) Times of Israel blog, Ascherman wrote a piece specifically directed to Israel's President Herzog, refuting that the assaults upon Palestinians are only perpetrated by a small handful of "troubled youth. .Rather, as he told those gathered, "We have to accept the reality. It's not just a handful of youth. We have photos of soldiers working hand in hand with settlers."
When speaking about the complicity of Israeli security forces, Ascherman commented that some of the most violent days are Shabbat. He painted a picture of a "horde of settlers on the ridge," Palestinian homes in flames, sheep stolen, and a volunteer with a broken arm.
After setting the stage, Ascherman delivered his "ask". It went beyond money, though they need that too in order to defray the cost of legal battles, and in one instance, 25,000 shekels to rebuild after an attack in October 2025. Ascherman was upfront when he said, "But tonight, I need more than that. I need your feet on the ground. There aren't enough of us Israelis. We need you with us. If we had twenty people 24/7, it would be a game-changer. This is the reality we are facing right now."
Pointing to the map, Ascherman said, "All the red is under settler control. Palestinians are still in their homes due to incredible bravery, but settlers are going after villages now." He pinpointed his commitment to Palestinian villagers. "We have to try everything, because everything is on the line. If there is anything that can redeem what we've done--" His voice trailed off.
Ascherman continued. "One thing I can promise [to Palestinians], you will not be alone." His voice broke. "Like when our doors were broken down. You will not be alone. We will do whatever, whatever, whatever we can."
It was a highly emotional moment, and the room was completely silent.
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