Germany’s main Protestant body distanced itself from the anti-Semitism of its founder, Martin Luther, and pledged to confront the dark side of its roots. In a unanimous decision Wednesday by its 120 members, the EKD Synod, the decision making body of the Evangelical Church in Germany, renounced the 16th century theologian’s calls to persecute and…
BERLIN (JTA) — Germany’s top Jewish leader urged Protestants to confront and condemn anti-Jewish teachings of Martin Luther, who began the Protestant Reformation. Speaking at a conference in Berlin last week, Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said he hopes for a clear sign from the Protestant Church condemning Luther’s…
A senior official from the Dutch Protestant Church pulled out of a Holocaust memorial event co-organized by Socialists who commemorated a Hamas leader. Arjan Plaisier, secretary of the PKN umbrella of Dutch Protestant churches, announced Friday that he would neither be speaking nor attending the Kristallnacht commemoration event organized by the Platform Against Racism and…
“We had the feeling of the Holy One being at work through us,” said the Rev. Mark Hanson, a top Lutheran leader, as he reflected on a recent meeting between Jewish and Christian leaders. That might sound a bit over the top, especially since the cleric was describing a meeting of Christian and Jewish organizational…
Leaders of Canada’s largest Protestant denomination are speaking out against their church’s boycott of products made in Israeli settlements. “We believe that this decision [to boycott] has damaged relationships that are vital to growing a just peace,” according to the website of United Against Boycott, which represents 47 leaders of the United Church of Canada….
Canada’s largest Protestant church launched a campaign to boycott goods made in the West Bank. The United Church of Canada campaign, dubbed “Unsettling Goods: Choose Peace in Palestine and Israel,” encourages “economic action” against three Israeli companies: Keter Plastic Ltd., SodaStream and Ahava, which all have factories in the West Bank. “With these efforts, we…
“The Catholics have done it; the Protestants have done it; AND NOW THE JEWS ARE GOING TO DO IT!” So began a 1956 solicitation letter for, of all things, a new Jewish translation of the Bible. Fifty years have now passed since the first part of that translation, “The Torah: The Five Books of Moses,”…
When 15 prominent American Protestant leaders sent a letter to Congress last week calling for an investigation and possible suspension of U.S. aid to Israel, at least one outcome was certain: The Jews wouldn’t like it. Already, one major American Jewish group has canceled its participation in an Oct. 22 annual Christian-Jewish roundtable involving representatives…
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