Steven Spielberg’s Munich has already generated considerable controversy. Conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks said that Spielberg presents a "perpetual motion machine" of violence and that he ignores the "evil" involved — presumably meaning the Palestinians. The right-wing organization, CAMERA, is aghast that Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner depict Palestinians as people rather than as mindless killers.   

At Jewish Voice for Peace, we work for a lasting and just peace that respects the rights of Israelis and Palestinians equally. We do that by working to change American policy in the region and by raising a Jewish call for policies that treat Israelis and Palestinians equally within the framework of international law. Read our view of the film and the relevant history >>

John Van Nuys, a Witherspoon member, has sent some friends this warm recommendation (slightly edited) of another film portrayal of Israel:

Mr. Eric Geller has been corresponding with us over the past few months, offering his thoughtful reflections as an American Jew on the debate about Presbyterian actions regarding Israel/Palestine and divestment.  And yesterday he sent this note:

Doug,

You may have read the recent horrific remarks by the President of Iran. The Presbyterian Church issued the following terrific statement following these remarks. Click here >>

Just thought you might want to see this. I think what the Iranian President said has sent some shock waves of reality throughout the world. The Presbyterian comment was great.

Regards,

Eric

[10-28-05]

Aurelia Fule reports that a resolution was recently passed by Santa Fe Presbytery, endorsing the action of the 216^th General Assembly, which called for exploration of "phased selective divestment" of church funds from companies whose business in Israel is found to be directly or indirectly causing harm or suffering to innocent people, Palestinian or Israeli.

The text:

RESOLVED
that the Presbytery of Santa Fe, meeting on October 2 1-23, 2005
at Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, NM:

(1) reaffirms our belief and the teaching of our tradition that

(A) God’s faithfulness to the covenant is without end,
(B) that we Christians are thus fellow heirs in God’s covenant with the Jewish people,
(C) that in the family of God the Jews are our elder brothers and sisters with whom we share holy Scriptures,
(D) and that Jews and Christians therefore have special responsibility to point to errors in each other's actions;

(2) expresses deep concern over terrorism by the Palestinians and the expansion of settlements on the West Bank, continued home demolitions and the use of great military force by the Israelis;

The Rev. Bill Somplatsky-Jarman, the PC(USA)'s associate for Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) and Environmental Justice, will represent the church at an ecumenical conference of church-related organizations interested in using economic pressure to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and to achieve a "just peace" for both Israel and Palestine.

A conference titled "A Call for Morally Responsible Investment: A Nonviolent Response to the Israeli Occupation" started Wednesday in Toronto, Canada, and runs through Saturday. The host for the event is Canadian Friends of Sabeel, a group that supports the work of Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem through education, advocacy and financial support.

Somplatsky-Jarman is guiding MRTI as it responds to an order from the 216th General Assembly to begin a process of phased selective divestment from multinational corporations with business practices believed to contribute to violence in Israel and Palestine.

Mr. Eric Geller wrote to us earlier with his reflections as an American Jew on the debate about Presbyterian actions regarding Israel/Palestine and divestment.

He has written again to point out to us a recent trip to Israel which included both Jews and Christians. He expresses appreciation for a recent statement by the Episcopal Church favoring "investment, not divestment."

His note:

Dear Doug,

I am attaching a press release put out yesterday by the American Jewish Committee commending the National Episcopalian Church for coming out clearly for "investment, not divestment."

[You can read the Episcopal press release.]

A group of prominent Jewish and mainline Protestant groups recently completed a trip to the Holy Land/Israel, and by all reports it was very positive. I know prominent Presbyterians went on the trip.

I have no idea whether or not the Presbyterians are going to reconsider its position in the future or not. In my view, it is my hope, that the Episcopalian model will prove far more fruitful for achieving peace than the path thus far taken by the Presbyterians. I

I believe that over time we will all come to see the divestment topic as a sideshow for the really important work that needs to be done, and I believe that more and more mainline Churches will come to see it that way. In short, divestment accomplishes nothing, and the Episcopalians have come to understand that.

Anyway, here is the link to the site.

I am a member of the Boston chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

As always, comments and feedback are appreciated.

Best regards,

Eric Geller

Committee formed to review requests for proxy votes, other activities
[9-28-05]

In a move that would seem to weaken efforts of the Presbyterian Church to be socially responsible in the management of its investments, the Presbyterian Foundation is claiming that it is the owner of the church’s invested money, and not the church itself. Thus it claims the right to manage those investments, and carry on shareholder actions or divestment under the guidance of its own committee, without having to follow direction from the General Assembly Council, and its Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) committee.

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

Eric Geller refers to the PC(USA) study paper approved in 1987, called, "A Theological Understanding of the Relationship Between Christians and Jews."  He is apparently responding to the latest Presbyterian steps toward divestment. 

The Presbyterian Church’s Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) committee , meeting last week in Seattle, chose five multinational corporations — Caterpillar, Citigroup, ITT Industries, Motorola and United Technologies — for "progressive engagement" about business practices believed to contribute to violence in Israel and Palestine.

After several hours of discussion on Aug. 5, the MRTI committee unanimously selected the five companies and agreed to begin discussions with them about their involvement in the conflict.

See the Presbyterian News Service report >>

Also, about 20 members of the PCUSA went to Seattle to express support for the General Assembly’s decision to start a process of "phased selective divestment."   The article >>

And officials of firms on ‘engagement’ list defended their business practices in Israel-Palestine, with some expressing puzzlement, others sticking to earlier statements.   The story >>

"This is a brilliantly organized political campaign to hurt Israel, and it's not going to help a single Palestinian," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish watchdog group based in Los Angeles. "When you look at the list of companies, this is basically a recipe for Israel to disarm."

The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., said in an interview: "It's not a campaign to divest from the state of Israel. We're fully committed to the state of Israel. But it is a campaign to divest from particular activities that are doing damage and creating injustice and violence, whether that's the building of the separation barrier, construction related to the occupation, or weapons and materials that lead to suicide bombings."

Doug,

The Times piece on MRTI's announcement is only slightly better than what I would expect from the Layman. It gives lots of attention to what other people are saying and studiously diminishes both the content of MRTI's statement and the expertise behind it. Like so much of what we have seen, it manages to imply that selecting targets and topics for engagement is tantamount to proceeding with taking our money out of Israel sometime this week. The Times needs to be called on the carpet for buying in to an hysterical side show so fully that it appears to be unwilling to present either the case MRTI has made or the reality of the process our church has undertaken. On Saturday the piece was one of the top five articles that people had looked at on-line.

The assumption that these big serious companies will not engage our silly little church is both ill-informed and debilitating. The news that our church might influence its targets with holdings so small as $60 million total in companies whose market capitalization amounts to tens or even a couple of hundred of Billions is a serious enough matter to excite all that blather makes it real clear that a lot of folks who are real good at getting access to the news media do not agree with the assumption.

Perhaps someone should explain to some folks that the PCUSA's holdings in these companies stocks are the PCUSA's property, and the church has property rights to make decisions about its holdings based on its own perception of its interests and responsibilities.

Jonathan Justice

The Rev. David Oliver-Holder, of Hartland, WI, calls our attention to a petition which has come to his church’s e-mail address. The subject line read: "Help Rescind the PCUSA General Assembly Divestment Resolution."

The text follows:

I ask you to join more than 2,000 Presbyterians who have already signed a petition calling on the 216th General Assembly to return in special session to debate fully last summer's Israel Divestment Resolution. You can do this by adding your name to the petition at www.PcusaPetition.org.

Please inform your leaders and congregation about this opportunity to sign the petition! A PCUSA survey found 61% of our membership unaware the General Assembly had voted to initiate a divestment from corporations doing business in Israel.

The strongest proponents for these anti-Israeli policies proclaimed their actions "prophetic." This is their way of justifying why they adopted these policies without the fair and balanced debate traditionally a part of our Church's historic sense of decency and orderliness. Please support a fair debate by adding your name to the petition and asking others to do the same.

Thank you,
Larry Rued
Petition Manager and an elder at
First Presbyterian Church
Bradenton, FL

Have you received a similar petition?
If you know anything more about it, or have been involved in discussions of it,
we’d like to hear from you.
Just send a note,
to be shared here for the enlightenment of others.

A group calling itself the Judeo-Christian Alliance has recently issued a statement condemning a number of Christian pastors in the West Bank and Gaza who are criticizing the Israeli occupation of Palestine. They are compared to Christians in Nazi Germany who cooperated with Hitler’s regime, and it is charged that “some of these pastors have introduced Islamic concepts of jihad and violent martyrdom into their teachings.”

The David Project, which is the founder of the Judeo-Christian Alliance, has also issued a lengthy paper condemning the PCUSA action, under the title, Blind Prophecy.

The David Project states its mission as promoting “a fair and honest understanding of the conflict. We believe that the values of tolerance, pluralism, and civil society are prerequisites for achieving genuine peace for all people in the Middle East . We do not endorse a political agenda beyond Israel ’s right to exist securely and peacefully among its Arab neighbors.”

But they define the nature of the conflict as “the struggle for Jewish political sovereignty and self-determination in the Middle East. The conflict is rooted in Arab leaders’ rejection of political equality for religious and ethnic minorities.”

Towards a Just and Durable Peace: Presbyterian Bruce Gillette speaks to the United Nations on Israelis and Palestinians     [3-23-05]

On March 9, 2005, the Rev. Bruce Gillette, moderator for the Assembly Committee on Peacemaking of the 216th General Assembly (2004), spoke to a special meeting of the United Nations in Geneva about the creative actions for peace and justice for all in the Middle East that were taken by the assembly. One week after the assembly met, the International Court of Justice (the principal judicial organ of the United Nations since 1946) issued an advisory opinion that "the construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated régime, are contrary to international law." The UN held a special meeting on the question of Palestine on March 8-9, 2005 in its Geneva offices for the purpose of exploring the implications of the ICJ opinion and peacemaking efforts in the Middle East by various groups in society through the support of international law. The Presbyterian Church (USA) was the only religious organization to be invited to make a presentation at this meeting.

Witherspooners Darrell and Sue Yeaney have shared with us an article published in The Nation. Calling it "a powerful witness to the truth by an former member of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), [and] a witness that few Americans see, hear or know," they encourage people to share it with friends and acquaintances.

After recounting his experiences in the Israeli army (including the torture of Palestinian detainees), he says:

After years of failed political efforts by the Israeli and international human rights community aimed at ending the occupation, it is clear that new approaches must be implemented. It is time for American civic institutions to support a multi-tiered campaign of strategic, selective sanctions against Israel until the occupation ends. Since the Israeli government is flagrantly disobeying the ICJ decision, international law mandates the use of sanctions to force Israel to comply with UN resolutions and human rights treaties.

The first step for American institutions is to engage in selective divestment--withdrawal of their investments from companies that are, directly or indirectly, funding the occupation.

A representative of Jewish Voice for Peace tells Chicago Presbyterians why her group appreciates and supports the PC(USA)’s considering possibilities for selective divestment from companies that are providing equipment and other support for Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.

This note has just come to us from Kathleen Eschen-Pipes, a Presbyterian Minister in Santa Cruz, CA.   [2-28-05]

Yet another Israeli group comes out in support of selective divestment. Best known for its work to support conscientious objectors, New Profile seeks to civil-ize Israeli society.

Peace, Salaam, Shalom,
Kathleen

Vernon Broyles, associate for corporate witness for the General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), recently provided a clear articulation of the background of the PC(USA) action to consider divesting from corporations providing material support for the destructive aspects of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. Writing in Christian Century, he concludes: "It is time for us to join forces----Christian, Jewish, Muslim----to demand of our leaders a secure and lasting peace in the region. The people of Israel/Palestine must have it; peace in the region and the world requires it; and our God commands it. If we could manage that, the discussion of divestment would be irrelevant. Thank God for those who already have shown the courage to begin."

You can also read two critical responses to Broyles:

Broyles responds to their criticisms.

Presbyterian News Service reports on a recent meeting of a representative of the PC(USA) with leaders of the Anti-Defamation League in West Palm Beach, Florida, in yet another effort to reach some understanding of the 216^th General Assembly's action to consider divestment from corporations that profit by supporting Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.

The ADL leaders apparently continued to reject the Presbyterian Church action, with Abraham Foxman, ADL national director, labeling it as "moral hypocrisy."

Ecumenical partners' actions creating 'movement,' says Bill S-J

The Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) is continuing to research which corporations the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) should target for a General Assembly-mandated "process of selective, phased divestment" because of their involvement in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

Presbyterian ministers, members divided over divestment

A recent survey by the PC(USA) Research Services office indicates that most Presbyterian laity are not aware of the 216^th General Assembly's decision to "begin a process of phased, selective divestment" of companies profiting from the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. More laity -- 42 percent of members and 46 percent of elders -- oppose selective phased divestment than favor it (28 percent of members, 30 percent of elders). But pastors favor the Assembly's action by a 48 - 43 percent margin and specialized clergy favor the divestment decision by a margin of 64 -24 percent.   [2-11-05]

The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions - ICAHD - has endorsed the action of the 2004 General Assembly, calling for selective divestment from companies profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.

There's a brief report on the ICAHD statement on their website, as well as the full text.

[The reference to the Presbyterian action is near the bottom of a fairly long page.]

January 27 marks the 60^th anniversary of the liberation by Soviet troops of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp which, with its gas ovens and crematoria, came to epitomize more than any other the horrors and efficiency of the Nazi death machine. 

Kofi Annan honors the victims, the survivors, and those who tried to help - and reminds the nations that massive horrors against humanity continue

Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, addressed a Special Session of the General Assembly on Jan. 24, remembering the terrible deeds of the Holocaust, honoring the victims and those few who tried to help them. He also recalled that other groups were subjected to similar treatment by the Nazis, and that the world, to its shame, still allows similar things to happen - in Cambodia, in Rwanda, in the former Yugoslavia, and now in Darfur, Sudan.

Also ...

Survivor Elie Wiesel looks back at the Auschwitz death factory 60 years later.

'This Cannot Be True' ... but It Was

Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace laureate and a Holocaust survivor and author of 40 books, writes a Commentary essay in the Los Angeles Times. He notes that today "the world has grown used to seeing pictures and hearing stories of huge, frightening, nature-made or man-made catastrophes from places like Bosnia, Rwanda and South Asia. But Auschwitz remains a case apart. It is unique."

His closing lines:

One cannot conceive of Auschwitz with God or without God. Ever since, all certainties need to be reexamined, all theories reevaluated.

All we know is that Auschwitz did not descend ready-made from heaven. Human beings imagined it, built it, served it, used it against other human beings. When all is said and done, it represents a grave theological challenge to Christianity, an immoral abdication on the part of humankind.

Were the torturers still human beings? Was it human then to be inhuman?

Today, when I think of the guilty, I sense despair. But when I think of the survivors, I strangely discover a compelling promise of hope.

Church leaders, including Kirkpatrick, urge peace initiative   [1-21-05]

The Witherspoon Society Executive Committee supports the statements of the 216^th General Assembly on Israel and Palestine, and applauds the efforts of our national staff and Moderator to maintain communication with the Jewish faith community and others about the very difficult issues involved.

We dare to offer a few suggestions for the dialogue which will surely continue, and a quick survey of some of the background behind the current debates.     [10-22-04]

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

Witherspoon’s Facebook page

Mitch Trigger, Witherspoon’s Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive

Got more blogs to recommend?

Plan now for our 2010 Ghost Ranch Seminar!

GHOST RANCH SEMINAR

July 26-August 1, 2010

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