Biden Appointee Cites Jewish Faith in Resignation Over War in Gaza

Another Biden administration appointee has resigned over the president’s failure to take a hard line on the war in Gaza.

Lily Greenberg Call, an Interior Department staffer who is, incidentally, the first Jewish appointee to resign over the issue, accused President Joe Biden of leveraging the Jewish people to justify his “disastrous, continued support for Israel’s genocide on Gaza.”

In her resignation letter, Call recalled her family history: people forced out of Europe under antisemitic persecution forging a harsh, new life in the United States.

“Two generations later, I have the honor of working as an appointee for the President of the United States. The weight of this position is not lost on me,” Call wrote to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, outlining the gravity of the American dream of upward mobility for her community. “And yet, I have asked myself many times over the last eight months: what is the point of having power if you will not use it to stop crimes against humanity?

“What I have learned from my Jewish tradition is that every life is precious. That we are obligated to stand up for those facing violence and oppression, and to question authority in the face of injustice.”

Israel has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, since October 7, by way of mass bombings, forced displacement, famine, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid—“none of which would be possible without American weapons, and none of which have been condemned by President Biden,” Call wrote.

“The United States has long enabled Israeli war crimes and the status quo of apartheid and occupation. That status quo does not keep Israelis safe, nor Jews around the world. It certainly does not protect Palestinians, who have the right to freedom, safety, self-determination, and dignity, just as much as Jewish people do, and every person does,” Call continued. “Making Jews the face of the American war machine makes us less safe.”

Call is at least the fifth mid-to-senior-level staffer to make a public declaration against the “politically disastrous” war by resigning. A longtime political activist and campaign worker, Call had helped Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden in their respective presidential campaigns and was a longtime advocate for Israel in Washington prior to joining the Interior Department.