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Editor's
note: the following is the text of a press release
sent to Jewish newspapers earlier this week. Materials
to help your congregation initiate dialogue with a
Presbyterian congregation in your community are
available through the
New
York, July 27, 2004 - Responding to the recent actions
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly
regarding Israel and the Jews, the Union for Reform
Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis
are asking every Reform rabbi to initiate dialogue
with the Presbyterian clergy in their local community.
"These
are dark days for Jewish-Presbyterian relations, but
this sad chapter only reinforces the need for
enhanced, deeper, and more sustained dialogue,"
said URJ President Rabbi Eric Yoffie. "I have no
illusions that this work will be easy, but that makes
it all the more important that we get started right
away."
The
216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) voted 431-62 to "initiate a process of
phased selective divestment in multinational
corporations operating in Israel" and also failed
to pass a motion that would end the funding of
messianic congregations that target Jews for
proselytization and conversion.
The
Union, which launched a major effort to promote
interfaith dialogue called "Open Doors, Open
Minds" less than a year ago, and the CCAR are
calling on the 1,800 Reform rabbis across North
America to reach out and meet with local Presbyterian
clergy.
"We
are hopeful that the local clergy, who in so many
cases already have strong personal relationships, will
be able to help each other understand this difficult
situation," said Rabbi Paul Menitoff, Executive
Vice-President of the CCAR. "Understanding,
however, will only be helpful if it results in
movement away from the blatantly anti-Israel position
taken by the Presbyterian Church General
Assembly."
In
a letter sent last week to the Reverend Dr. Clifton
Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of PC-USA's General
Assembly, Rabbis Yoffie and Menitoff criticized
PC-USA's new policy statements and invited Reverend
Kirkpatrick to meet with the leadership of the Reform
Movement. The letter concluded, "We are committed
to trying to find ways - such as the Union for Reform
Judaism's "Open Doors, Open Minds" program -
to work together, but, in candor and in friendship, we
must tell you that the actions of your General
Assembly make it harder and harder to find common
ground."
Reverend
Kirkpatrick has already responded to the Yoffie/Menitoff
letter, accepted their invitation, and asked his staff
to find a mutually convenient date.
The
full text of the letter to Reverend Kirkpatrick
follows:
Dear
Rev. Kirkpatrick,
As
longtime allies in the progressive faith community, it
is with deep disappointment and alarm that we write
concerning the "Overtures" adopted at the
recent Presbyterian Church USA's General Assembly.
We
would like to request a meeting of the leadership of
the Reform Jewish Movement, the largest segment of
North American Jewry, with you and the PC-USA
leadership to discuss these issues.
We
are especially concerned about PC-USA's formal
endorsement of divestment from Israel. Now eleven
years past Oslo, we agree with Rev. Mitri Raheb's
assertion, included in your press release
"Assembly Endorses Israel Divestment," that
issuing statements is simply not enough to ensure real
progress towards peace. But singling out Israel, while
it faces an unending wave of Palestinian terrorism,
not only threatens the wellbeing of the Jewish state
but of Presbyterian-Jewish relations here in North
America.
Surely
you know that over 1,000 Israelis have died and
thousands more have been injured in acts of
Palestinian terrorism since the fall of 2000.
Terrorism pervades every element of Israel's culture
and society, making it dangerous to ride on a bus, sit
in a café, or even walk down the street. We are
pleased that your Overture includes support for an end
to Palestinian suicide bombings and recognizes that
such acts are "abhorrent and inexcusable by all
measures." Nonetheless, though you purport to
present a balanced picture of the situation, in fact
you single out one party for economic and political
sanction. Where is the PC-USA Overture on holding the
Palestinian Authority officials who facilitate
terrorism accountable for the misuse of Palestinian
funds, including international humanitarian relief
funds? Where is the PC-USA Overture demanding true
political reform in the Palestinian Authority?
Your
support of divestment from Israel creates a worrisome
double standard. Are human rights violations by Israel
greater than those committed by the Palestinians? By
the Syrians? By the Iranians? We have to ask ourselves
- and we encourage you to ask yourselves - why this
attack focused on the only democracy in the region?
Not withstanding her faults and missteps as she
wrestles to deal with legitimate security concerns,
Israel has been and remains a far more open, tolerant,
and democratic nation than any other in the Middle
East. Surely one can be critical of specific policies
of the Israeli government, as we ourselves have been
from time to time, but this blatantly anti-Israel
affront stymies legitimate criticism born of a true
love for Israel and peace.
It
is sadly ironic that this effort comes in the context
of an Overture on supporting the Geneva Accords. The
success of the Accords, and of any effective peace
process, is intrinsically linked to the cessation of
terrorism, the economic health of Israel, and popular
support for progress towards peace within its borders,
all of which are undermined by divestment.
Additionally,
it is difficult to reconcile your Overture supporting
Presbyterian-Jewish dialogue with this one-sided
attack on Israel which is such a central facet of
Jewish identity. It was just this past June that you
met with Colin Powell along with Rabbi David
Saperstein, Director of our Religious Action Center,
and Rabbi Paul Menitoff, the Executive Vice President
of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, to
discuss real actions that the U.S. should be taking to
support peace. That spirit of cooperation is now put
into question with this Overture.
Our
concerns are only exacerbated when the Overture on
Israel is read together with the continued funding for
messianic congregations which falsely advertise and
target Jews for proselytization and conversion. As you
know from the meeting you had with Jewish leaders in
Washington this spring, this - like Israel - is a
survival issue for our community.
We
are further dismayed by a separate Overture, also
passed at your recent General Assembly, "On
Calling for an End to the Construction of a Wall by
the State of Israel." Yet again, this one-sided
approach, which fails to recognize the barrier as a
defensive mechanism against terrorism, calls into
question your genuine concern for Israel's security.
We too have been critical of the route of the barrier
(though you misleadingly imply that it is a wall for
the majority of its path, when in fact, it is a wall
for only approximately five miles). But, by opposing
the wall in its entirety without consideration for
Israeli life and security, just as by endorsing
divestment from Israel, you have singled out Israel
unfairly and unjustly.
As
we were preparing this letter, we found your statement
of July 20th on the PC-USA website. We certainly
welcome your attempt to explain the General Assembly's
action and your insistence that "these actions
are rooted in a longstanding commitment to the secure
existence of Israel and the Israeli people." We
believe, however, that the statement makes all the
more apparent, and more urgent, the need for a face-to
face meeting. For example, your statement (at #4)
notes that "the assembly authorized exploration
of a selective divestment" (emphasis added). That
claim is simply not supported by the language of the
Overture, in which the Mission Responsibility Through
Investment Committee is instructed "to initiate a
process of phased selective divestment" (emphasis
added). We note, as well, that the Presbyterian News
Agency's story on the Overture is headlined simply
"Assembly Endorses Israel Divestment." As
you are surely aware, one of the criticisms we have
often made of some Arab leaders is that they say one
thing (in English) to the West, and another (in
Arabic) to their own communities. It appears that here
PC-USA is availing itself of this same tactic.
We
urge you to reconsider these positions and hope we can
meet soon to discuss the delicate balancing between
peace and security that these matters require. We are
committed to trying to find ways - such as the Union
for Reform Judaism's "Open Doors, Open
Minds" program - to work together, but, in candor
and in friendship, we must tell you that the actions
of your General Assembly make it harder and harder to
find common ground.
Respectfully,
Rabbi
Eric Yoffie
President
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)
Rabbi
Paul Menitoff
Executive Vice President
Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR)
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