Over the past 28+ years, the many
opportunities with which I have been blessed to work in partnership with liberal
Christian Clergy have enriched my rabbinate in numerous ways. The friendships I have forged, the bonds of
fellowship and communion we have shared together and the common search for God’s
presence through study, prayer and activism have been transforming in multiple
arenas.
This past week, I happily
rejoiced with men and women of many faith communities as we celebrated the
Supreme Court’s decision to make Marriage Equality the law of the land. The week before, I joined with a diverse group of clergy and
laity as we came together to grieve and pray in
solidarity with the victims of the horrific massacre at Mother Emanuel AME Church
in Charleston. I believe strongly in the
prophetic tradition of crying out in the face of injustice regardless of
whenever and wherever it is found. I
also value and celebrate the vitally important partnerships that liberal Jewish
movements have been able to forge over the years with many mainstream
Protestant denominations as we have worked hand in hand to expose and erase
institutionalized prejudice in our nation.
It is for this reason that I felt
a sense of betrayal, disappointment and anger when I learned of the recent
decision by the top legislative body of the United Church of Christ (UCC) to
divest from companies with business in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian
territories. If that wasn’t enough, a motion
to label Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians as Apartheid received a
majority of votes, but was defeated on the floor only because it did not garner
the requisite two thirds majority required for passage.
As upset as I was over the
outcome of these votes, unfortunately I was not surprised. Increasingly, many liberal Protestant
denominations have been moving closer and closer to adopting a one-sided, anti-Zionist
position which places blame for all of the problems in Israel and the Territories
squarely on the Jewish State. This is a
theology and a political philosophy that focuses exclusively on Palestinian
suffering and ignores Israel’s need to defend herself against an enemy bent on
her destruction. It turns a blind eye and, in many cases justifies Palestinian aggression and terror while simplifying and distorting key facts in order to demonize and delegitimize Israel’s actions by utilizing a
one-sided and skewed approach towards understanding the conflict.
Additionally, the fact that
Israel has been singled out for perceived injustices when so many other
countries and organizations – among them:
Syria, Iran, China, Russia, Pakistan ISIS and others too numerous to
mention with far worse records on human rights are ignored by the UCC in their
condemnation must cause any rational person to question why this august body is
focusing exclusively on Jews.
The truth is, the UCC and
other mainstream Christian denominations have been shrinking in both size and
influence on the world stage for many years.
As such, their direct impact in minimal.
And yet, other organizations can and will use their vote to reinforce
attacks against Israel and the Jewish people.
The fact that a small and vocal group of radical anti-Zionist Jews who do not represent the Jewish people was
used to placate and mollify the delegates who cast their votes does not in any
way mitigate the damage that this action has caused to relationships between
our communities. The sense of betrayal
and anger that I and the vast majority of the mainstream Jewish community feel
will not be so easily passed over.
Like most of us, I pray for a
day when the State of Israel will be able to live side by side with her
Palestinian neighbors in peace. Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) only serves
to pit the world against Israel. It does
not promote the cause of peace – it is yet another weapon that is being
increasingly effectively wielded by those whose ultimate goal is Israel’s
destruction. By lending their voices to
the mob calling for Israel’s demise, the UCC, instead of working for peace, is
adding to the conflict.
I pray that those of
conscience within the Mainstream Protestant community will rise up in protest
against this act of injustice and prejudice. While I will not go so far as to call the UCC anti-Semitic, their embrace of BDS strengthens those who are. I pray that the bonds of partnership that I have so cherished over the
years are not irreparably broken and that, in time, we will once again be able
to sit in dialogue together. I do not see this on the horizon, I'm sad to say. There is a
great deal of healing that needs to be done. May it come soon.
