A thoughtful and informed Jew praises Presbyterian commitment to dialogue, and laments present policies

[We received this note some days ago, apparently written in response to the latest Presbyterian steps toward divestment.  We apologize for the delay in getting it posted - on 8-19-05]

Dear Doug,

I am a Jewish resident of Boston, who is actively engaged in interfaith dialogue with Christian faith communities, including many, many "mainline" Protestant denominations. For the past 50 years, the Christian and Jewish communities in America have been engaged in open and frank dialogue unheard of in the past.

Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was only after the end of World War II that Christians and Jews, forced to confront what happened during those terrible years, came together to forge new and wonderful relationships under the blessings of freedom represented by the United States of America. It is difficult for many Christians and Jews, particularly if they are young, to confront the reality that the period of reconciliation between Christians and Jews has a history of but one or two generations.

Many progressive Protestant denominations, and the Catholic Church, have struggled to make theological sense of the meaning of World War II and the horrors endured by many groups of that period, including the Jews of the Holocaust.

The Presbyterian Church finally addressed the theological concerns in 1987, merely 17 years ago! In a document called, "A Theological Understanding of the Relationship Between Christians and Jews," the 199th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church adopted a remarkable theological document of repentance. In paragraph 5, the document stated, "We acknowledge in repentance the church's long and deep complicity in the proliferation of anti-Jewish attitudes and actions through its 'teaching of contempt' for the Jews. Such teaching we now repudiate..."

NOTE:  This document is available on the PCUSA web site, in PDF format.  Download it here >>

You can also find it in plain text on the Boston College wesbite >>

The document goes on, "For many centuries, it was the church's teaching to label Jews as 'Christ-killers' and a 'deicide race.' This is known as the 'teaching of contempt.' Persecution of Jews was at times officially sanctioned and at other times indirectly encouraged or at least tolerated. Holy Week became a time of terror for the Jews."

I will refrain from further quotes from this most wonderful and enlightened document. To all those who are sincerely interested in exploring more about the painful history of Christian-Jewish relations thought the centuries, I hope the moderator of this website will post it so you can reflect a bit on our shared history and your church's wonderful attempts to correct the acknowledged wrongs of the past.

Where does this leave us today? Few Jews question the sincerity of those Presbyterians who wish to see social justice for the Palestinians, and we take you at your word that anti-Jewish feelings are not underlying the resolutions about economic divestment from Israel. Yet, we have nagging concerns, since the Presbyterian attempt at theological reflection about its relationship with the Jews is less than two decades old. So, permit us to scratch our heads and wonder.

The fissures and ruptures inside the Protestant world are there for all to see. The bruising battles between "mainline" Protestantism and evangelical Protestantism are well understood. Traditionally, most Jews have sided with the progressive Protestant churches in their quest to seek social justice wherever injustice is to be found, and Jews have stood shoulder to shoulder with you in the great social debates in America over the past generations.

Nevertheless, correctly or not, many Jews today feel they are caught in a cross-fire between mainline Protestant denominations and evangelical Protestantism, with the Middle East conflict functioning as a proxy war in that struggle between these two strands of Protestant thought. Maybe we're wrong about that, but that is how if feels to many of us.

One thing is for certain: these resolutions are not going to save one Palestinian life or one Israeli life. They will not affect the policies of the corporations involved or of the policies of the Middle Eastern governments and authorities. They will have only one effect, one horrible, tragic effect: separating Americans from Americans, Presbyterians from their Jewish brothers and sisters who, after all, are Americans first. The ink is barely dry on the 1987 Presbyterian statement referenced above. We need more time to heal the wounds. Regrettably, these resolutions are beginning to make the uplifting statements of the 1987 document and all the marvelous interfaith work undertaken in recent decades just a footnote, a moot point in a long and sad relationship between our two faith communities.

The Jewish groups hard at work in interfaith dialogue are very aware that vast numbers of Presbyterians are not in favor of the ruptures in our relationships here in the United States. I and others like me will continue to work with those members of your church who are committed to maintaining excellent relationships here at home and to articulating an even-handed approach in the Middle East. Jews in America are not numb to the pain of the Palestinians. We remember only too well what it is like to have a degraded existence. There is a way out of the problems, but it is not by causing ruptures in Christian-Jewish relationships in the United States.

Sincerely,

Eric Geller
Wellesley, Mass.

Also, a Presbyterian elder has responded to Mr. Geller’s earlier comments with appreciation.   His note:

Eric Geller has sent this observation ... and question.

As a progressive American Jew, I have previously posted on this site, explaining why, from the mainstream American Jewish perspective, focusing on "divestment" is counterproductive for many reasons. I will not restate those reasons here, except to say that one of the predictable consequences of this effort is a deterioration in the quality of the relationships between Presbyterians and Jews in the United States.

Here is a link to the PCUSA website, which I encourage you all to read: http://www.pcusa.org/today/articles/2005topnews.htm.

The story lists the "Top Presbyterian News Stories" of 2005, "compiled in consultation with the staffs of Presbyterians Today and the Presbyterian News Service."

In order, the top stories are:

1. Unnatural Disasters;
2. Staying the Course on Divestment;
3. Peace, Unity and Purity Report;
4. Taco Bell Boycott;
5. Struggling Schools;
6. Mission Initiative;
7. Standing with Colombians;
8. Blueprints for Church's Future;
9. Montreat History Office to Close;
10. Mobilizing Against Poverty.

Under Number 2, "Divestment," the author wrote, "Undeterred by skewed media reports and criticism by Jewish groups, the committee that monitors Presbyterian Church investments methodically worked through the steps of 'selective, phased divestment' strategy initiated by the 2004 General Assembly."

Now, I would have thought that a Church that prides itself on identification with the plight of the Palestinians might have also found time during the year to focus on some other significant events, also involving conflict: I looked for some indication of efforts regarding the war in Iraq and found none. I looked for work to alleviate the suffering in Darfur and couldn't find anything. I looked in vain for reference to your work, I am sure, on behalf of the tens of millions of humans suffering on the African continent. I thought there might be a reference to tensions between "mainline" Protestant denominations and "evangelical Christians." I thought perhaps an important story in 2005 would have been subjugation of minorities and women in the Muslim world or persecution of Christians in China.

Here's what I found included in the Top 10 List: Taco Bell, Presbyterian schools having difficulties, and the closing of a facility in Montreat, North Carolina. No Iraq, no Darfur, no oppression of Muslim women, no mention of Africa at all.

But of course I found that the "Divestment" issue made it all the way to Number Two on the Top 10 List. Next year, it might make it to Number One.

I really do understand your "liberation theology," but I am giving up on trying to figure out who you are trying to "liberate." I get it that you care about the Palestinians. And the Colombians.

Surely Iraq and Darfur are more important than Taco Bell and the closing of the Montreat office in North Carolina.

Can any of the readers of this site understand why American Jews are perplexed?

Eric Geller

Would you like to comment
either on Mr. Geller's note,
or on the PC(USA)'s listing of its "top ten" stories for 2005?
Just send a note,
to be shared here!

[1-7-06]

Regarding Mr. Geller's comments (and the alarming response by Mr. Kelly) about the PC(USA)'s divestment policy, I notice several troubling misunderstandings. Whether these are true of the American Jewish community as a whole, as Mr. Geller claims, we as Presbyterians certainly need to do a better job of communicating our intentions.

Divestment is a complex issue. I do think that Christians and Jews alike can agree that there are certain investments that would be inappropriate for a church to make. The Mission Responsibility Through Investment committee--rightly, in my opinion--divests Church funds from tobacco companies, weapons manufacturers, and companies complicit with human rights violations (the 2005 Divestment List notes Talisman, a company that was divested from due to its involvement with the Sudanese government, then restored after it withdrew from Sudan).