June 13 letter From Rabbi Yoffie, Rabbi Epstein, and Dr Sheingold  to Reverend Kirkpatrick

Jewish Voice for Peace comments

"The initial statement contained many important elements that  are now absent, including: an  acknowledgement of complicity in existing anti-Jewish attitudes…"

The  Presbyterians state:

"Our deeply held commitments to justice and peace for  Palestinians and Israelis can only stand if we are equally adamant that these  commitments are based on strong support for justice for all people. This  means that we must reject and not make use of the two- thousand-year history  of Christian anti-Judaism and all the baggage related to it."

Where is the anti-Semitism?

"[absent]… a deep and thorough analysis of Palestinian  liberation theology, ..."

The  Presbyterians state:

"Christian liberation theology, when used to speak about  the Palestinian situation, is unique in that it uses theological language and  metaphors to describe a situation of oppression in which the oppressing power  is a state that is Jewish, with a population and

leadership  predominantly made up of Jews. In this situation, Christians suffering  oppression at the hands of the Jewish state, its army or its citizens,  identify with Jesus in his suffering. Sometimes Palestinian Christians liken  their experience to the passion of Jesus, or describe themselves as being  crucified as Jesus was crucified. The implication of such descriptions is  that the state of Israel and its policies are the crucifying power.

Such  a characterization of the situation is inevitably construed by most Jews as  an echo of the classic anti-Jewish accusation that all Jews everywhere are  guilty of killing Christ.

For  Jews this is terrifying, because the narrative of the passion and crucifixion  has been used as a theological basis for the ghettoization, denigration, and  killing of Jews for nearly twenty centuries.

As Presbyterians,  we have a very difficult but very important differentiation to make. On the  one hand, we are called to support the efforts of Palestinian Christians to  speak theologically about what is happening to them at the hands of Israel  and as a result of its policies. At the same time, we are also called to  discern echoes of, and to confess our own complicity in, the historic  condemnation of Jews as “Christ-killers,” and to eschew any such anti-Jewish  teaching.

Where is the anti-Semitism?

"Now we have a statement that is completely unbalanced in its  appraisal of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, which contains veiled threats  of 'divestment…'"

The only  reference in the Presbyterian statement reads:

"…continue  engagement with corporations as mandated by the General Assembly as a viable  approach to achieve justice in this situation"

Where is  the veiled threat of divestment in this statement? The Presbyterian Church  USA has been engaged in a process of examining its investments in corporations that may  be profiting from involvement in any of the obstacles to a just peace in  Israel and Palestine. This has been the policy of the church for a number of  years. Overtures to move the process forward will be discussed at the General  Assembly later this week. None of them consider divesting from Israel.

Where is the anti-Semitism?

The letter from organizations including the American Jewish  Committee, American Jewish Congress, Anti-Defamation  League, B'nai B'rith International, Central Conference of American Rabbis,  Hadassah, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Jewish Reconstructionist  Federation, the Rabbinical Assembly, United Synagogue of Conservative  Judaism, Union for Reform Judaism, Women's League for Conservative Judaism,  and Women of Reform Judaism

Jewish Voice for Peace response

"The revised statement inserts a litany of church policies  against Israel, including targeting corporations for 'engagement' as a viable  approach to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. No  recent church policy has caused greater harm to Presbyterian-Jewish  relations. In contrast, the church has yet to take any action to 'engage'  corporations that foster anti-Israel terrorism through investment in state  sponsors of terror, including Iran and Syria. This demonstrates a continued  one-sided and distressing approach to peacemaking."

Looking  at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Church has also engaged  with Citigroup, following allegations that the corporation had provided  insufficient controls to prevent the transfer of funds to Palestinian  organizations supporting violence.

We encourage efforts by the  Church to look at investments related to human rights violations in other  countries as well, but this cannot serve as an excuse to delay action on  Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

"The revised statement also adds a most troubling  interpretation of the biblical promise of land. The original statement  recognized both a universal gift of land and one made specifically to the  Jewish people. This is replaced with a re-interpretation that the Jewish  covenant instead includes a promise of land to 'the Jewish people and to all  the descendants of Abraham.'" 

We do  not believe that God is a real estate agent.

"There is legitimate criticism of Israeli policies that comes  from both Christians and Jews. However, some criticism crosses the line.  Sadly, many PC(USA) statements have and continue to cross this line."

These  Jewish organizations criticize  Presbyterian statements in which, in their opinion, the Church "crosses  the line."

Yet, none  of those statements appear in the current Presbyterian document. They  predated it, yet warranted no comment when the Presbyterians were being  commended for their first statement published last week.

Isn't  this strange?

"The newly revised statement on anti-Jewish bias describes  Israel as 'the oppressive force in the Israeli-Palestinian situation.'"

The  Presbyterian document reads:

"Denunciations of  Judaism or the Jewish people, rather than the state of Israel and its  policies, as the oppressive force in the Israeli-Palestinian situation,  repeat the classic theme of collective Jewish guilt for Christian  suffering."

The  church seems to understand that criticizing the policies of the State of  Israel is not anti-Semitic. Denouncing Jews or Judaism is.

Where is the anti-Semitism?

"...dismissing the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish terror that has  killed and maimed Israeli civilians in buses, restaurants, and markets."

The  Presbyterian document reads:

"To  condemn acts of terror and work for an end to the violence that tears apart  the lives of Israelis and Palestinians alike."

Does  this not cover Israelis explicitly?
 

Where is the anti-Semitism?