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American Synagogue Leaders Decry Presbyterian Church’s “Revised” Statement on “Vigilance against Anti-Jewish Ideas and Bias”
The new statement marks a new low-point in Presbyterian-Jewish relations

NEW YORK, June 13, 2008 – Earlier this week the Presbyterian Church USA released a “revised” and “expanded” version of their statement on “Vigilance against Anti-Jewish Ideas and Bias.” Although virtually the entire Jewish community had welcomed the earlier version, the “expanded version” is a very different document. In response to the new statement, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Jerome Epstein, Executive Vice President of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and Dr Carl Sheingold, Executive Vice President of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, all of whom have engaged in high-level dialogue with the Church’s leadership, sent the following letter to the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church, Reverend Cliff Kirkpatrick:

Dear Reverend Kirkpatrick-

Candor compels us to respond immediately and clearly to the “expanded” and “revised” publication of “Vigilance against Anti-Jewish Ideas and Bias,” and to tell you as plainly as we know how that the new statement marks a new low-point in Presbyterian-Jewish relations.

While we received what now seems to have been a draft of the statement with optimism and appreciation for its clear awareness of the sensitivities in the Jewish community, the revised statement that was just released is deeply troubling theologically, politically, and personally. The revised statement, which is currently prominently displayed on your website, does more to excuse anti-Semitism and foster anti-Jewish motifs then it does to dispel them. And to speak frankly, the revised statement leaves us with a deep suspicion regarding the motivations behind replacing the initial statement – which the Jewish community warmly welcomed – with a document which you surely knew would cause deep angst. Friends, or even dialogue partners, do not engage in actions that can so easily and plausibly be seen as "bait and switch" tactics.

The initial statement contained many important elements that are now absent, including: an acknowledgement of complicity in existing anti-Jewish attitudes, a deep and thorough analysis of Palestinian liberation theology and the adverse characterization it often projects on the Jewish community, and most importantly a tone that is conciliatory and reflecting the spirit of true dialogue and respect. Now we have a statement that is completely unbalanced in its appraisal of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, which contains veiled threats of “divestment”, and which completely undoes much of the positive language and progress that were presented in the initial draft. Indeed, this document reads as a blueprint for how to engage in anti-Israel activity without being accused of anti-Semitism.

On a personal level, we think the most troubling revision to the entire letter is the deletion of one sentence: “We Presbyterians aspire to build positive and respectful relations with our neighbors in the Jewish community, based on an honest exploration of the close ties between our two faith traditions and our shared concerns for peace and justice.” While we still deeply hope that this spirit is alive and well in the Presbyterian Church, the elimination of this statement surely gives us pause. If we are to “build positive and respectful relations” we need to do so in an atmosphere of trust and friendship, and in a spirit that truly encapsulates our prophetic duty to work together in honesty and in peace.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Jerome Epstein, Executive Vice President United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Dr. Carl Sheingold, Executive Vice President Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism