Dear Christian Leader,

 

Antisemitism and anti-Zionism continue to be alive and well in much of  the organized church world and are actively promoted by self-identifying  Christians. In particular, opposition to Jews and the Jewish State is  demonstrated regularly by the World Council of Churches (WCC) as a whole  and by individual representatives of the organization.

 

It is critical that Christians who stand with the Jewish people and  support the State of Israel be aware of the WCC's theologically-based  antisemitism and anti-Zionism because it manifests as dangerous  incitement that must be consistantly exposed and opposed. This is  especially important in light of the fact that the WCC unites 350  denominations and church fellowships in over 110 countries throughout  the world, representing over 500 million Christians, including some who  identify as Evangelical and Pentecostal.

 

In order to be better equipped to counter inflammatory libels against  Jews and the Jewish State, and expose the dishonesty of the WCC, please  read this week's article by Dexter Van Zile.

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The World Council of Churches Must Come Clean About Support for BDS

 

The  World Council of Churches (WCC) had a chance to draw a line in the  sand. It had a chance to show the world that it took the plague of  antisemitism seriously, and understood that ugly dishonest polemics  about Israel undermine the ability of Christians to promote peace in the  Holy Land.

 

The  organization also had a chance to come clean and admit that, yes, the  WCC has been an ardent and persistent supporter of the BDS campaign that  falsely portrays Israel as a singular human rights abuser on the world  stage — and in so doing, has fomented a plague of hostility towards  Israel and Jews.

 

Instead of pretending that the WCC never supported BDS, the group could  have declared that it is now doing what it can to distance itself from  the bigoted and discredited movement that it previously embraced.

 

WCC  officials also had a chance to admit that by singling out the Jewish  state for condemnation — while ignoring actual crimes against humanity  in places like China and Syria — their organization had given Jews  throughout the world every reason to regard Christians and the  ecumenical movement with suspicion.

 

But instead of engaging in an act of metanoia, the WCC’s leaders in  Geneva (and one of its activists in South Africa) hardened their hearts  against the truth, and doubled down on the lies they’ve told about  events in the Holy Land (and themselves as peacemakers).

 

With  their refusal to confront their mistakes, leaders and staffers at the  WCC have demonstrated once again that they see Jewish survival and  self-determination as stumbling blocks to Christians who, after all,  purport to follow Jesus — a Jew himself.

 

The  controversy began on February 6, 2021, when Rev. Frank Chikane, a  prominent member of the African National Congress (ANC) in South  Africa, made false and incendiary comments during a webinar to  promote a 27-minute film about the pro-Palestinian activism of Michel  Sabbah. He falsely reported that people die every day as a result of the  Israeli-Palestinian conflict and declared, among other things, that  “the blood of the people of Palestine will be sought from” Israel’s  supporters.

Read More Here

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Purim is Coming!

 

The biblical holiday of Purim, instituted in the book of Esther, begins just one week from now on Friday evening, February 26th.

 

Every  year, for almost 2,500 years since the time of Queen Esther, Jews all  over the world have read the entire story of Esther and rejoiced over  the deliverance of the Jews of Persia from intended annihilation. But,  you might ask, what does this have to do with the Christian faith? Why  is the celebration of Purim, authorized by Queen Esther and her uncle,  Mordecai, significant for Christians today?

 

For answers to these questions and more, please join the Partnership of Christians and Jews on Friday, February 26th at 1:00 PM EST for an in depth conversation concerning what this holiday teaches us  about the importance of our actions in the face of great evil. In  particular, we will look at the role we have to play in a world where  antisemitism continues to intensify and the State of Israel faces  increased opposition, even from those who have supported it in the past.