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By Charles Jacobs
July 6, 2005
On July 5, at its Atlanta Synod, the United Church of Christ voted to divest from companies doing business with Israel -- but not from companies doing business with Sudan, or Egypt, or with Iran or China, all places which severely persecute (and murder and enslave) Christians. The UCC, it seems is not against oppression as such, but only what it (falsely) sees as "Jewish oppression".
On the same day, the UCC voted to insist that Israel "tear down the wall" -- a fence, really -- that protects Jewish innocents: men, women and children from crazed suicide bombers. But. the UCC did not condemn any of the world's 12 other security fences, constructed to prevent the murder of non-Jews. With the UCC the issue is not "walls," it seems, but only "Jewish walls".
On the same day, the UCC voted to insist that Israel "tear down the wall" - a fence really, that protects Jewish innocents, men, women and children from crazed suicide bombers, but the UCC did not condemn any of the world's 12 other security fences, often constructed to stop illegal immigration.
So ... the people who voted for this are, in effect if not in intent, anti-Semites: shocking to some, long suspected by others.
But the real scandal involves the Jews ... at the leadership level. Here is a divestment movement sweeping through the mainline churches, gaining momentum, picking up one denomination after another, infecting millions of American Christians with a horrifically hateful and biased view of the Jewish state -- anti-Israelism in the churches may be more dangerous than anti-Zionism on campuses -- yet what are Jewish leaders doing?
The Boston Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), which has been active on the issue, spoke with its New England region UCC colleagues who introduced an alternative resolution at the Synod. But it failed. And other local groups are speaking with their Christian friends. But only one national Jewish organization sent an official delegate to the Atlanta UCC conference.
He was invited to address UCC's committee on divestment. He was articulate, and he probably thought he persuaded the committee to drop divestment language in the resolution... but as soon as he left the conference, divestment proponents reinserted their issue... and won the final vote.
Who is minding the store? Whose job is this? This debacle is emblematic. Jewish organizations do not have a way to apportion responsibilities. Jewish policymakers have not realized -- or fear to lead on what they know -- that Jews now live in a new time, characterized by the emergence and growth of real enemies, gathering herds of "new anti-Semites" who target us not so much for our religion, and not this time for our race, but for our state.
At the UCC conference, the Jews paid for this blunder. And there is much more to come.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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