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Will the WCC finally break the interfaith ecumenical deal?

This is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page.

Since the first Palestinian intifada in 1988, I have argued that the interfaith ecumenical dialogue has become a deal. By deal, I mean that the desire for better Jewish-Christian relations has morphed into Jews holding up Israel as a post-Holocaust trophy and Christians’ endless repentance for their sin of historic anti-Semitism demanding silence on Israel’s abuse of Palestinians.

In 1988, I called for the end of the interfaith ecumenical deal. Since Jews hold Christians hostage on Israel and Palestine, Christians should cease participating in this obvious hypocrisy. Christians should end the interfaith ecumenical deal.

Should the dialogue with Jews therefore end? Not at all. A new and different dialogue with Jews should begin. Christian dialogue partners should be Jews of Conscience. The old-guard Jewish establishment should be jettisoned.

More than 25 years later, the interfaith dialogue languishes. For all practical purposes the dialogue is over. Too many Christians know the Israel-Palestine score. Nonetheless, the Christian establishment lacks the courage to break openly with the enabling Jewish establishment. They remain fearful of being tainted with the broad brush of anti-Semitism.

Increasing numbers of Christian activists interact with Jews of Conscience on justice issues, working together in solidarity on the Israel-Palestine front lines. There remains no dialogue with Jews of Conscience at the official level of church denominations, including at the World Council of Churches.

The result? The historic Christian schizophrenia about and with Jews – anti-Semitism – continues in an altered form. Now it can be found in solidarity with Jews of Conscience that the official church doesn’t recognize and empower.

A prime example of this schizophrenic approach to the interfaith ecumenical dialogue/deal is the World Council of Churches. On the grass roots level, nominally supported by the WCC establishment, much is happening on the Israel-Palestine front. In the WCC offices in Geneva, however, Jews of Conscience are absent. Or greeted behind closed doors for fear of offending the Jewish establishment.

Is this about to change? A few days ago, the WCC released a statement on the occasion of the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel (WWPPI). The statement by Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary, is strong and reflects, at least theoretically, a post-Gaza understanding of the situation of Israel-Palestine. The statement is worth reading in its entirety:

On the occasion of the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel (WWPPI), I write to acknowledge the many ways member churches of the WCC have sought the things that make for peace with justice in Israel and Palestine and to encourage your awareness of and participation in this significant week of witness and peacebuilding. The WWPPI is an important time for focusing our efforts together in order to amplify our global solidarity.

This has been a terrible year for both Palestinians and Israelis. Fighting between the Israeli military and various Palestinian groups in Gaza filled global headlines for the month of August. Earlier this year, the WCC had raised its voice, expressing grave concern that lack of success in negotiations would lead to both new settlement expansions in the West Bank and to escalations of violence. Although the violence in and around Gaza was terrible, we must not forget that it was preceded by kidnappings, murders and revenge killings and then followed by a series of Israeli announcements that more land would be confiscated and more settlements built. Throughout it all, Israeli security forces detained and imprisoned countless Palestinians, most of them young men, many of them minors.

This year’s WWPPI focus on prisoners thus points us to one of the enduring aspects of Israel’s ongoing military occupation of Palestine: the detention, arrest, and imprisonment of so many Palestinians. The Palestinian experience of mass incarceration is mirrored in many other minority populations, including African American citizens in the United States. The Palestinian reality, however, is that this is taking place in the context of a 47-year military occupation. The vast majority of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails are political prisoners. They include many human rights workers, civil society leaders, and elected politicians. Some are held for significant periods of time without any trial or the minimum standards of due process under abuses of Israel’s laws allowing for “administrative detention.” Along with several documented cases of medical neglect and inhumane treatment, these concerns make the mass incarceration of Palestinians by the government of Israel a matter of international law and international concern. The WCC raises its voice on behalf of this vulnerable population, calling for each one to receive proper care and due process leading to a just outcome. We additionally call for all political prisoners—in Israeli prisons and throughout the world—to be released immediately.

Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are a central concern for political leaders on both sides. We note that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s refusal to release a group of prisoners marked the end of the most recent round of negotiations. We have witnessed the hunger strikes by prisoners and the public protests by family members. We have also heard the deep pain of those Israelis who have experienced harm at the hands of some of these prisoners.

It is often easier to look the other way when prisoners are mentioned. As Christians we must remember that Jesus identified himself with prisoners (Matt 25.36), that he proclaimed release to the prisoners (Lk 4.18), and that the earliest followers of Jesus often found themselves in prison (Acts 12.7). The plight of prisoners is a central concern for the global Body of Christ.

Again, my sisters and brothers, I appeal to you to promote participation in this year’s WWPPI. I pray that you will be strengthened in your solidarity and that practical steps will soon be taken for the establishment of a just peace in Palestine and Israel.

Though released under the name of the WCC’s General Secretary, his prevarications on this issue should be noted. Nonetheless, it carries his and the WCC’s imprimatur. There are caveats, first among them being the emphasis on Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel. This emphasis is curious since in reality the entireties of the Palestinian population in what’s left of Palestinian East Jerusalem and the West Bank and in Gaza are prisoners. Nonetheless, the tone is clear. From the Jewish establishment’s perspective, the document is unbalanced.

It could have been worse for the Jewish establishment inside and outside of Israel. The horror of Gaza is mentioned – without details. Land confiscation and occupation are noted – without details. Solidarity is emphasized – without details.

But taken at face value, the WCC statement nonetheless calls for a post-Gaza reckoning or at least implies it. What the statement doesn’t do is provide a reckoning for the WCC’s decades-long hand-holding with the Jewish establishment. It doesn’t announce a break with that establishment. It doesn’t call for a new dialogue/solidarity with Jews of Conscience.

It is the time to renew the call to Christian denominations and the WCC for a new and officially recognized dialogue/solidarity with Jews of Conscience around the world. This is the appropriate “practical steps” response to the WCC statement’s closing sentence: “Again, my sisters and brothers, I appeal to you to promote participation in this year’s WWPPI. I pray that you will be strengthened in your solidarity and that practical steps will soon be taken for the establishment of a just peace in Palestine and Israel.”

After Gaza, will the WCC, now officially leaning on the Palestinian side of the interfaith ecumenical fence, leap – officially – into solidarity with Jews of Conscience?

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The days of taking evangelical support for Israel for granted are over. As they are increasingly confronted with an evangelical-friendly, anti-Israel narrative, more and more of these Christians are turning against the Jewish state.[1]

There is troubling precedent for such an about-face. At one time—prior to the 1967 war— the mainline Protestant denominations were among Israel’s most reliable American supporters. Israel’s opponents, therefore, targeted these denominations with mainline-friendly, anti-Israel messages. There are still many mainline Protestants who support Israel today. But to the extent the mainline denominations act corporately in connection with the Jewish state, it is to divest from it. And it is from Israel—not Iran—that they seek to divest.

In a similar fashion, Palestinian Christians and their American sympathizers are successfully promoting a narrative aimed at reaching the rising generation of evangelicals and turning them against Israel. As a result, more leaders of this generation are moving toward neutrality in the conflict while others are becoming outspoken critics of Israel. Questioning Christian support for the Jewish state is fast becoming a key way for the millennials to demonstrate their Christian compassion and political independence. In short, this population is in play.
http://www.meforum.org/3769/israel-evangelical-support

“It is the time to renew the call to Christian denominations and the WCC for a new and officially recognized dialogue/solidarity with Jews of Conscience around the world …

“After Gaza, will the WCC, now officially leaning on the Palestinian side of the interfaith ecumenical fence, leap – officially – into solidarity with Jews of Conscience?”

I know Marc’s intentions are good, but I very much hope the next steps on Palestine taken by the WCC and other church bodies aren’t primarily about Jews.

There remains no dialogue with Jews of Conscience at the official level of church denominations, including at the World Council of Churches
This is not always true. There was an ecumenical conference in Bethlehem a few years ago with Neturei Kartei and also with major Eastern Christian and Muslim groups.

There were people from JVP at the Presbyterian Gen. Assembly.

I am confused about this:

Nonetheless, the Christian establishment lacks the courage to break openly with the enabling Jewish establishment. They remain fearful of being tainted with the broad brush of anti-Semitism.

The historic Christian schizophrenia about and with Jews – anti-Semitism – continues in an altered form. Now it can be found in solidarity with Jews of Conscience that the official church doesn’t recognize and empower.

So alleged Christian “anti-Semitism… can be found in solidarity with Jews of Conscience”? If you are a Christian in Solidarity with Jewish peace activists, then it means you might be anti-Semitic?

Of course, the other problem unfortunately, with jettisoning dialogue with the Jewish establishment is how many people it represents. Can anyone give me an estimate of how many Jewish Americans disagree with the Israeli political system, and how many disagree with its wars? 15-45%?

When you add in the Israelis themselves, it becomes hard to drop interfaith dialogue with the supporters of that system, without dropping dialogue with a big majority of the religious community itself.

Bad idea for Christian Churches to partner with Jews, even Jews of conscience on I/P. The CCs should make their stand and decisions alone–not with influence or input from Jews—- or Muslims or anyone else.

With Jews in particularly because ‘ the deal’, guilt tripping the Christians over the holocaust has been the hook the “relationship” has been based on as far as I can see.

Sorry but the Christians need to dump the Jews/Judaism connections.
Judaism and Christianity divorced long, long ago.
They need to go their separate ways now more than ever because of Israel and just wish each other Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.
Judaism should work on its issues its own way and Christians work on their issues their own way.
Mutually respectful but separate.

Yeah, Tveit doesn’t specify what “practical steps” should be taken for the establishment of a just peace. He does dwell on the plight of the myriad of Palestinian political prisoners. Maybe that’s a hint?