News in Christian-Jewish Relations: April 2002
From SIDIC:
Rome Study Session on New Biblical Commission Document
On April 18, 2002 at the SIDIC-Roma
Center (Service International de Documentation Judéo-Chrétienne - Roma), a
study session was held on the recently published document from the Pontifical
Biblical Commission: "The Jewish People and their Sacred Scriptures in the
Christian Bible". The over 70 participants included students, teachers,
seminarians, religious, priests and interested lay people. Many followed with
text in hand as Prof. Johannes Beutler S.J., member of the Commission and
professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, presented not only the content
of the document but some of its implications for Jewish-Christian dialogue.
News of its publication
immediately aroused interest in the document (originally written in French)
among those most directly involved in Scripture studies and Jewish-Christian
relations, who found certain of its affirmations particularly significant. The
study session focussed on some of these: a) The contribution of Jewish exegesis
to the study of the Bible ("... Christians can and ought to admit that
the Jewish reading of the Bible is a possible one.... On the practical level of
exegesis, Christians can, nonetheless, learn much from Jewish exegesis practised
for more than two thousand years...," n. 22); b) The relationship
between the two Testaments ("Without the Old Testament, the New
Testament would be an incomprehensible book, a plant deprived of its roots and
destined to dry up and wither" - n. 84); c) The question of
anti-Judaism in the Christian Scriptures ("Real anti-Jewish feeling,
that is, an attitude of contempt, hostility and persecution of the Jews as Jews,
is not found in any New Testament text and is incompatible with its
teaching" - n. 87). It should also be noted that the Document
emphasizes the role of the Shoah in the re-examination of relations between Jews
and Christians ("The horror in the wake of the extermination of
the Jews (the Shoah) during the Second World War has led all the Churches to
rethink their relationship with Judaism and, as a result, to reconsider their
interpretation of the Jewish Bible, the Old Testament" - n. 22).
The reflection, which included
participation from the audience, brought out the importance of such a document
for Christians themselves as a further step toward a better appreciation of the
Jews and their Sacred Scriptures. A critique from the Jewish point of view was
offered with the calm frankness which characterizes true dialogue. It
highlighted some of the gaps and the steps which must still be taken so that
Christian reflections on these themes may be more easily understood by those
outside the Church, especially in what concerns the language used.
The high attendance at the
study session indicated the ever greater interest evoked by the Jewish-Christian
dialogue when it touches the very foundations of the Christian faith, in an
attitude of sincere openness. It is to be hoped that, through the various
persons who participated, the "attitude of respect, esteem and love for
the Jewish people... the only truly Christian attitude in a situation which is
mysteriously part of the beneficent and positive plan of God" (n. 87)
will become the spiritual and ethical patrimony of more and more believers in
Christ.
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Press Release of
the ICCJ: "The Present Situation in Israel and Palestine"
April 25, 2002
Heppenheim. The
International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ), umbrella of 36
organisations worldwide engaged in dialogue between Christians and Jews and
increasingly also including Muslims is pained and deeply distressed by the
continuing suffering of the people in Palestine and Israel.
The ICCJ renews its appeal to
the responsible political and religious leadership in the region and elsewhere
to exert its influence to bring to an end the destructive violence in the Middle
East and help to create conditions that will enable negotiations aimed at
finding a just solution to restore civil life to the people in Israel and
Palestine. The ICCJ welcomes the various statements of Jewish, Christian and
Muslim religious leaders who have clearly pointed at the inseparable correlation
of peace and justice.
Concerned with the
ramifications of the unresolved conflict in the Middle East and the growing
re-emergence of antisemitism in particular in Europe the ICCJ states:
We support the continuing
endeavours of our member organisations in the Middle East engaged in dialogue
between members of the protagonists to the present conflict in order to achieve
peace and justice.
We reject the abuse of religion
as a means to legitimise terror. We welcome the statements of leading Islamic
clerics that suicidal assassinations contradict the teaching and values of
Islam.
We call again upon the
government of Israel to bring to a halt all military activity in the occupied
territories to prevent any further bloodshed among the Palestinians.
We call upon the Palestinian
leadership and all responsible people among the Palestinians to combat and end
terrorism and its infrastructure.
We urge the Palestinian
leadership as well as the Israel government to bring about an immediate solution
to the occupation of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem and to ensure that no
harm is done to the nuns and monks held in the Church.
Legitimate actions taken
against the terror endangering Israel must not ignore the need to secure a
political perspective for the future of the Palestinian people. To that end
cooperation between those in responsible positions in Israel, in the Palestinian
Authority, in the neighbouring countries, in Europe and the USA is of foremost
importance.
We categorically reject all
unilateral attempts to apportion blame and responsibility for the present
tragedy solely to one party to the conflict and to expect it to be solely
responsible for finding a solution to the present crisis.
We call upon both the Israeli
and the Palestinian leadership to cooperate with a UN Jenin commission to
clarify background and events in the refugee camp.
We hope and pray that the
efforts of the USA to secure an effective cease-fire will be successful. We are
aware that such success depends on its support by Israel and the Palestinians.
The European states are also urged to bring all possible political influence to
bear upon the parties to the conflict to end the grim spiral of violence and
find new ways of seeking a secure future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
It is with grave concern that
in the wake of the unresolved conflict in the Middle East we witness in Europe
but also elsewhere attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions. All people of good
will are challenged to counteract this frightening wave of antisemitism, the
worst in Europe since 1945.
At this time the ICCJ and its
member organisations affirm our solidarity with the Jewish communities
throughout the world.
We condemn every effort to use
criticism of policies of the present Israel government as legitimisation of
antisemitic attitudes and actions.
We urgently appeal to
responsible politicians, to the Churches and Muslim congregations and to all
social groups to denounce and stop every manifestation of this newly fomented
antisemitism.
We call upon all Jewish,
Christian and Muslim communities to support at all levels and with all possible
means the increasingly necessary endeavours for encounter and mutual
understanding among the three religions.
We are convinced that our joint
Abrahamic heritage obliges us to do all in our power to overcome prejudice,
ignorance, enmity and violence.
An end must be made to the
damaging abuse of religion to legitimise hatred and violence. The religions must
not allow extremists to destroy their manifold possibilities to further civil
and peaceful coexistence. It is incumbent upon the religions to lead the way
towards peace and justice.
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Plague
of Antisemitism in Europe
Webmaster's Note: Wherever
one places blame for the months of violence and death in the complex Israeli-
Palestinian conflict (click
here for a historical timeline), the recent wave of attacks against innocent
Jewish citizens and synagogues in several European nations are condemnable.
The following compiled report is a chilling reminder of "the danger of
anti-Semitism which is always ready to reappear under different guises"
[1985 Vatican "Notes,"
I,8]. The legacy of the perennial Christian "teaching of contempt,"
that over the centuries marginalized Jews in European society and facilitated
the Nazi genocide, clearly lingers. It has culturally embedded latent reflexes
of hostility toward Jews that are triggered in times of crisis. Christians committed
"to genuine brotherhood with the People of the Covenant" [papal
prayer at the Western Wall, Mar. 26, 2000] have an obligation to denounce
such behavior and to assist civil authorities in prosecuting these crimes.
Compiled from recent BBC, AP, CNN, ADL, and Jewish News
Worldwide reports - April 25, 2000
The World Jewish Congress convened this week in Brussels
for a two-day emergency meeting in light of the increasing European
anti-Semitism. In attendance were 100 Jewish leaders from 25 countries.
"There is nervousness and even fear among the Jews in many countries,"
WJC Sec.-Gen. Avi Becker said, "and some Holocaust survivors say they feel
that they're being taken back to the 1930's." He noted that European Jewry,
"which has not been known for its public activism, has now begun to wake up
and rally publicly against this phenomenon. In the 24 hours that we have been
here in Brussels, some of our members were victims of anti-Semitism, and a
synagogue was even shot at."
The meeting was held in atmosphere of mounting
fear among European Jews. There is today an anxiety on the part of Jews when they go to the religious
centers, [when] they go to their social centers, when they send their children to school," Mr Beker
said. He added that there have been over 300 cases of assaults on Jewish
citizens or synagogues in France in the last two weeks alone.
Similar attacks have been reported in many
European countries, including Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the Ukraine. Over the
past weekend, the following incidents occurred:
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The Marseille synagogue was apparently doused in petrol before being burnt to the ground.
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About 15 masked assailants smashed two cars into a synagogue in Lyon and set it on fire.
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Petrol bombs were thrown at the windows of a synagogue in
Anderlecht, in Brussels.
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A man fired a shotgun twice at a kosher butcher's shop in a village near the southern city of Toulouse.
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Arsonists tried to burn down a synagogue in
Strasbourg, but failed to do serious damage.
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A Jewish school was broken into in
Sarcelles, north of Paris.
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A Jewish couple was assaulted in the town of Villeurbanne, in the Rhone region, causing the woman to spend the night in hospital.
A German newspaper reported that a Berlin
police official advised Jews not to appear in public with clothes that identify them as Jewish, in
order to avoid being attacked, saying that there was a "maximum security" alert for possible attacks against
Jewish targets throughout the country. The police later denied that this advice
had been given, though the paper stands by the story.
Whether accurate or not, the account testifies
to the feelings of vulnerability being experienced by European Jews that recall
terrible memories of the years before the Second World War, especially of Kristallnacht.
Many commentators attribute the rise in
antisemitic attacks to the intensified conflict in the Middle-east and point to
invocations to violence delivered by Muslim religious leaders in the region.
According to published reports Sheik Abdul Rahman al-Sudais proclaimed last
Friday at the Grand Mosque in Mecca that Jews are, “the scum of the human
race, the rats of the world, the killers of prophets and the grandsons of
monkeys and pigs.” Some European authorities suspect that young immigrants
from North Africa are responsible for several of the attacks against Jews in
Europe.
Speaking about
the European media's coverage of
Israel, the WJC's Becker dismissed it with one word: "Terrible. They are totally
one-sided and do not give the full story. There even seems to be a cynical
attitude towards the anti-Semitism here, as if it were just another part of the
Israeli-Arab conflict in the Middle East. This is a terrible comparison, of
course, as Jews don't place bombs in mosques and don't attack Moslems in the
streets... We also want it to be known that this is a problem of the governments
and the media, which have created an atmosphere so hostile to Israel that leads
to what we are now seeing."
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Two statements
on the Middle-east Conflict from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America
 Mark
S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
|
|
Bishop
Hanson's April 4, 2002 Middle East Statement
The statement which follows has
been e-mailed to all synod offices, asking them to distribute it
electronically to their congregations so that it might be read at or
distributed during every ELCA congregation's worship service this
coming Sunday, April 7, 2002:
When a Passover meal becomes a bloody
massacre, when the site of Jesus' birth is turned into a place of
violence, when religious sanctuaries become battlegrounds for war,
people of faith cannot remain silent.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) is deeply concerned about current events in the
occupied territories of the West Bank. The violence that we all have
witnessed through the media is unacceptable, no matter who may be at
fault. It is time for Israelis and Palestinians to end this violent
conflict, to stop killing each other, to stop the destruction of
property -- including church buildings -- to lay down their arms and
to engage in a process that leads to peace. I have called on President
Bush and Secretary Powell to use their great influence to halt this
dreadful and violent situation
(see April 2 letter to President Bush at www.elca.org/ob/lettertopresident.html).
While we are concerned for the welfare
of all people, I am especially concerned for our brothers and sisters
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine) (ELCJ).
Their safety has been jeopardized. Basic needs such as food, water and
medicine have been cut off. Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem has
been damaged, was occupied by Israeli soldiers and its pastor held
hostage for a few hours before the soldiers left. Actions such as
these are totally unacceptable.
The ELCA has responded to this crisis
by providing a $20,000 gift to the ELCJ through International Disaster
Response to be used for food, water and medicine. Another $100,000 has
been provided for relief services to the Lutheran World Federation's
Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem, the Middle East Council of
Churches and the Near East Council of Churches Committee for Refugee
Work in Gaza.
In this difficult time in the Holy
Land, I call upon the members of the ELCA to:
- pray fervently for peace for all
people in the region.
- pray for US leaders, that they may
be filled with the wisdom to find a peaceful solution to the
violence.
- write to senators and
representatives (see www.congress.gov
for addresses) and President Bush (www.whitehouse.gov/contact),
urging them to use their offices to seek an immediate cease-fire
and provide for an international presence to provide for and
maintain a lasting peace.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
April 4, 2002
|
A Companion Statement from the Director of
the Institute
for Jewish- Christian Understanding of Muhlenberg College
6 April 2002
TO: The E-News List of the Northeastern
Pennsylvania Synod
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
You have received, via this synod list-serve, Bishop Hanson’s message of
April 4, 2002, with the request to read or distribute it in our congregations
on Sunday, April 7, 2002.
I am grateful to Bishop Hanson for his courage and forthrightness in
addressing such a timely, difficult and conflicted issue as he does, and to
offer his leadership to our church.
As you share his message in your congregation, please recall the following
points that are relevant to the situation and may not be obvious from his
message:
-
the
ELCA has committed itself in actions of the churchwide assembly and the
church council to “live out our faith in Jesus Christ with love and
respect for the Jewish people”
-
the
State of Israel is not synonymous with Jews or Judaism, and there are
differing views in the Jewish community, both within and outside Israel,
regarding the policies that Israel should pursue in response to the
Palestinian uprising (intifada)
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there
are some in the Arab and Muslim world who are using the present conflict
as an opportunity to dredge up and republish horrendous, vicious
anti-Jewish lies and libels that have their origins in Christian
anti-Judaism, which we therefore have a special responsibility to
repudiate and refute
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both
the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian soldiers have violated
Christian sanctuaries and jeopardized or detained innocent civilians.
Bp. Hanson mentions the Israeli incursion in Christmas Lutheran church and
The Lutheran had coverage of a similar incursion in the Lutheran compound
in Beit Jala several months ago; Palestinian fighters entered the Church
of the Nativity several days ago and still have nearly 40 priests inside
with them, having refused an offer from the Vatican to mediate a
resolution. Neither military force can be excused for such
violations of holy grounds.
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Lutheran
ethics makes no particular case for the suffering of Lutherans as more
worthy of our concern or as weighing differently in the moral balance than
any other suffering. We all, of course, have particular concern when
individuals we know personally or with whom we have something in common
face a crisis, but our assessment of justice and our work for peace must
surely take account of every human life as equally worthy in God’s eyes.
-
an
international observer force is specifically one of the points in the
Palestinian negotiating position, which the Israelis have rejected both as
being inappropriate within a sovereign nation and based on past experience
with UN missions in the region (see the recent editorial on this point in
the Allentown Morning Call at: http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/anotherview
[4/4/2002--“Why Israel mistrusts United Nations, other agencies”]
These are difficult and
challenging times, emotionally fraught and ethically complex. In our
deep desire for peace and justice and perhaps deeper frustration at the
difficulty of achieving them, let our prayers and our discussions strive to
avoid the pitfalls of polarization that plague the Middle East conflict
itself. Let us lift up a vision of life together within difference that
affirms our Lord’s embrace of the outcast and the marginalized, from
whatever perspective they may find themselves thus portrayed. God bless
you and guide you in your ministry.
The Rev. Peter A. Pettit, Director
Institute for
Jewish-Christian Understanding of Muhlenberg College
Allentown, PA 18104-5586
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Two U.S.
Catholic Statements on the Middle-east Conflict
Bishops' President Condemns Middle East
Violence
WASHINGTON (April
4, 2002) -- Pledging to continue working for a just peace in the Middle East,
the President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops today condemned
"the escalating violence, terrorism, and warfare" in the region, and
called for "stronger efforts" by the United States and the
international community.
Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville (IL), late today issued a statement
deploring the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and
renewing "with even greater urgency" the need for an immediate
cease-fire.
The full text of Bishop Gregory's statement follows:
"As President of the USCCB, I deplore and condemn the escalating
violence, terrorism and warfare in the Middle East. We join with the Heads of
Churches in Jerusalem in their urgent appeals for action ‘to end the
suffering of so many peoples' in the Holy Land.
"These terrible events have included people killed as they participated
in a Passover meal and other attacks on innocent civilians. They have also
included tanks and gunfire at the Church of the Nativity, Israeli military
invasion of Bethlehem University, and Palestinian militia occupation of a
Franciscan convent. This growing tragedy requires greater solidarity and more
effective action to stop this horrific cycle of violence.
"We renew with greater urgency the recent call of the USCCB
Administrative Committee ‘that the parties embrace an immediate cease-fire
and return to the arduous task of negotiating a just peace, without delay or
pre-conditions. Only negotiation can lead to an end to violence and
occupation, a secure state for Israel and a viable state for Palestinians.'
"It is clearer than ever, as the Committee said, ‘that the status-quo
is unacceptable. Israeli occupation cannot be sustained – militarily or
morally – nor can the indiscriminate use of force in civilian areas.
Palestinian attacks on innocent civilians cannot be tolerated – both because
they are morally indefensible and because they undermine the legitimate claims
of the Palestinian people. This deadly cycle of action and reaction, suicide
bombing, and aggressive attacks must be ended.'
"We renew with even greater urgency our call for the U.S. ‘government
to use every means to persuade leaders on both sides to turn away from actions
which permit, incite or employ violence and to return to the search for peace
based on mutual respect and equal justice for Palestinians and Israelis.'
"These events require a clear and unequivocal condemnation of suicide
bombings and effective action to stop attacks on civilians. They require a
rapid withdrawal of Israeli troops from the West Bank. They require stronger
efforts by the United States and the international community to bring to an
end the violence and terror, occupation and attacks which are destroying so
many lives and hopes.
"We pledge to continue to work for a just peace, heeding Pope John Paul
II's Easter call: ‘Christian communities on every continent, with
trepidation and hope, I ask you to proclaim that Jesus is truly risen and to
work so that his peace may bring an end to the tragic sequence of atrocities
and killings that bloody the Holy Land, plunged again in these very days into
horror and despair.' Therefore, I call on my brother bishops and others of
good will to do all they can in prayer and public advocacy to bring about an
end to this terrible violence and a new beginning of negotiations for a just
peace.
"We extend our solidarity and prayers to all those whose lives have been
damaged or destroyed in this terrible conflict. Having come through the
holiest of weeks for many believers, we pray that the promise of the
Resurrection will sustain all those who seek peace in the midst of war and
mutual respect in the face of bitter hatred."
STATEMENT BY BERNARD
CARDINAL LAW
THE MIDDLE EAST
The situation in the Middle East
is spiraling out of control. The ruthless killing of Israeli civilians by
terrorist suicide bombers and the crushing Israeli military presence in
Palestinian territory constitute a crisis which demands action by the U.S.
government and the International Community.
It is imperative that Chairman Arafat
denounces terrorist acts against Israeli civilians, that he do so in Arabic as
well as English, and that he take all possible action to end this violence. It
is also essential that the Israeli military withdraw from Palestinian
territory. Both sides must be pressured by the U.S. and the International
Community to resume face-to-face contacts in an effort to restart the peace
process.
Without a just peace, there is no future for
either Israel or the Palestinians.
Both Israeli military and Palestinian militia
have violated shrines and Christian institutions in Bethlehem. This is a new
and menacing development.
I commend to the attention of the Archdiocese
the excellent statement of Bishop Wilton Gregory, President of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and request the faithful of this
Archdiocese to let their voices be heard on this matter by President Bush and
our Congressional delegation. Our government must take decisive action in the
interest of both Israel and the Palestinians.
We must pray urgently and ceaselessly for the
peace of Jerusalem and for peace throughout the land made holy by Our Savior.
April 3, 2002
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