2 Indicted in Extremist Arson on Church of Loaves and Fishes

By JTA July 27, 2015

Two suspects in the alleged arson attack on a historic church in northern Israel are slated to be indicted.

The indictments stemming from the June 18 attack on the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes are scheduled to be handed down Wednesday in Nazareth Magistrate’s Court, Haaretz reported. The suspects have been in jail since their arrest earlier this month.

Two other suspects were released on bail and one remains in custody until at least Tuesday.

Police initially detained 16 youths, reportedly all Jewish residents of the West Bank who were hiking in the area on the evening before the attack.

Along with the fire that struck the church, located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, graffiti reading “False idols will be smashed” and “pagans” were found on its walls. The site is where Jesus is believed to have fed thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish.

Built on the site of a fifth-century church, the church contains restored mosaic floors from the time period.

The fire reportedly damaged the church’s roof and structure and burned hundreds of books, according to Haaretz.

Meanwhile, a crowdfunding initiative launched by Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein as of Monday had raised nearly $15,000, or more than its goal of 50,000 shekels, for repairing the church.

The initiative was endorsed by more than a dozen Israeli rabbis, and the funds raised are being matched by what the initiative describes as an “important Jewish North American organization.”

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO