International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 January 2007

Anglicans for Israel is joining with St Paul’s Church, Kersal in Salford for a special Holocaust Remembrance Day event, to which all are welcome.
This is on Saturday 27 January, 2-4 pm. Venue: St Paul’s Church, Moor Lane, Kersal Salford M7 (near Manchester).

St Paul’s will also feature remembrance of the Holocaust in its Sunday services on 28 January. The Rector of St Paul’s, The Revd Lisa Battye, is a Patron of AFI.

Please also support the campaign Learn from History for Holocaust Day during Holocaust Week.

Please register your support on their website.

This letter was recently written to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, by Frances Waddams, a Regional Director of Anglicans for Israel. This was just before the visit by Dr Williams to Bethlehem and his subsequent comments.

Dear Dr Williams

I enjoyed your recent interview in the Tablet and was particularly interested in your forthcoming pilgrimage to Bethlehem, and I hope and pray that it will be a fruitful one. But I thought your question, ‘’I would like to know how much it matters to the Israeli Government to have Christian communities in the Holy Land,” curious.

It suggests that the Israeli Government is ambivalent towards Christian communities in the Holy Land. Yet in Israel, Christian communities of all types are flourishing. For example, leaders of Messianic communities report that their relatively new congregations now have some 10,000 Messianic believers – the largest number of Jewish believers in Israel since Bible times. The Israeli constitution protects freedom of religion, which in itself is a confirmation of Israel’s commitment to its Christian minority.

So does your question refer to the Palestinian Church, and does it indicate that you believe that Israeli actions and policies constitute the sole threat to its continued existence? If so, this underlying assumption seems unjust. Well documented and long standing intimidation of Palestinian Christians by Palestinian Islamists poses at least as much of a threat to the Christian witness in the Territories as Israeli actions. It has resulted in a haemorrhage of Palestinian Christians from the PA, independently of hardship caused by the conflict with Israel. Sadly, Anglican leaders rarely mention this threat to the Church in the Holy Land when they give interviews or make public statements.

Would it not be helpful for you now publicly to affirm the freedom of religion given by Israel to her citizens, and to condemn both the intimidation of Palestinian Christians by Palestinian Muslims and the continuing attacks by Palestinians on Israeli civilians, which render it necessary for Israel to take action to defend their civilian population, which result in hardship for both Christian and Muslim Palestinians?

I look forward to receiving your observations. In the meantime, may I take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful 2007.

Yours sincerely

Frances Waddams
Regional Director, Anglicans for Israel

Anglicans for Israel has produced its own greetings cards suitable for Christmas and/or Hanukkah and a limited number are available. Inside they have the simple message, “Season’s Greetings - Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem”.

We are aiming to sell the remaining stock of cards this week. If you are interested in purchasing some cards please follow the details below.

Update: These cards are no longer available. Thank you to all who purchased the cards.

ANGLICANS FOR ISRAEL today welcomed the joint agreement between the Anglican Church and the Chief Rabbis of Israel as a great step forward to a new and happy concord between the Anglican Church and the Jewish people. AFI director Simon McIlwaine said:

“This is an historic agreement on a par with Nostra Aetate. The Communique is a clear rebuke and a resounding reproach to those elements within the Anglican Communion who have been working obsessively to isolate Israel and delegitimise the Jewish State and People. We welcome the Church’s support for “all forms of constructive engagement, whether religious, humanitarian or economic, which seek to enable closer bonds between individuals and communities.” The Church has made it clear by these words that it will countenance no further attempts to boycott Israel, and that the Synod vote in February was a tragic aberration and is not in accordance with Anglican doctrine.

The enemies of Israel in our Church, though small in numbers, are likely to react angrily to this statement and will seek to undermine the Archbishop’s renewed commitment to loving interfaith relations with our Jewish brothers and sisters. In the months ahead, therefore, we,as faithful Anglicans, must ensure that these wonderful words are matched by our deeds and that-with God’s help- renewed campaigns to divest from Israel or companies doiing business in or with Israel are defeated.”

Albert Square is one of the main city centre venues in Manchester, England. It contains the huge, Victorian town hall and is often used for rallies and demonstrations. It is Manchester’s Trafalgar Square.

On Sunday 30th July it was awash with Israeli flags, placards calling for peace not terror and pledging support for the Jewish State and between 2,500 and 3,000 people most from the Jewish community but some from Christian churches in Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

Manchester’s Jewish community has played a central role in the evolution of Zionism from the 1880s onwards and was an early trailblazer in the renaissance of Hebrew. Indeed the city has a strong claim to be considered a cradle of Zionism so it seemed appropriate that it should be the first to host a major rally in support of Israel in its very heart.

The speakers reflected the community’s diversity - among them were two MPs, a rabbi, the Chief Rabbi of Elad and a representative of the Israeli Embassy - and its unity of purpose in the face of the armed onslaught by Iran/Syria/Hizbollah and the media onslaught by the West’s appeasers of jihadist terrorism. The common themes were, as might be expected, Israel’s desire to live in peace and security, the proportionality of its response to Hizbollah aggression given that organisation’s declared genocidal intentions towards the Jewish people, the tragic inevitablity of civilian caualties as a result of the terrorists’ calculated tactic of using the Lebanese people as ‘human sandbags’ and the sheer scale of the jihadist military build-up as well as the lethal barbarity of the weaponry at Hizbollah’s disposal. Several speakers pointed out that, just as Nazi persecution of the Jews was the prelude to a more general war against civilisation and freedom, so the axis of evil linking Tehran, Damascus, Hamas and Hizbollah intended first to obliterate Israel and then turn on Jews worldwide before moving on to inflict a worldwide fundamentalist caliphate on whoever was left of the rest of us. As then, so now.

In what was certainly the most highly charged moment of the rally we were addressed by Shlomo Goldwasser, the father of Ehud Goldwasser, one of the two IDF soldiers kidnapped by Hizbollah. He made a moving appeal for the return of his son, described the family’s distress and stressed their support for the State’s actions in defence of its very right to exist.

Among the speakers, and something of a star turn, was Revd. Mark Madeley of Anglicans for Israel. He spoke without notes because, as he explained, he wanted to speak from a heart open to God. The impact of what he said could easily be gauged from the number of people who shook his hand and expressed their thanks when he had finished and long afterwards. Here is a brief account of his comments:

“I am very privileged to be here because I love the Jewish people and the State of Israel. I believe my love is given by the almighty as I do not know of any Jewish blood in my family.

Perhaps more importantly for today I am here on behalf of Anglicans for Israel and the many other Christians in the churches across the land who stand by Israel at this time.

I want to apologise from the bottom of my heart for the Church leaders who condemn Israel without reason, without fact and without doing their research. Sometimes their comments are so one-sided that if they were not so sad, they would be laughable. Anyone who knows anything about the Middle East will know that the current conflict goes back much further than the last couple of days.

Of course our hearts go out to all those who have lost their lives in Lebanon and Israel, the latter often forgotten. Our hearts go out to those who have had to flee their homes in Lebanon and Israel, the latter often forgotten and as for the parents of the kidnapped soldiers, I just do not know what to say except we are with you and pray for you.

Please be assured there are perhaps more people in the Christian Church that do stand by Israel than you might realise. We care about Israel because we believe you have a G-d given right to be in the land and to protect your citizens.

I feel so strongly that if it would do any good I would board the next El Al flight to Israel and proclaim this message there too. We stand by you and we pray for you. May G-d bless you.”

Also worth noting is that Dr Irene Lancaster, Academic and Interfaith Adviser to Anglicans for Israel, attended the pre-rally press conference and spoke to Shlomo Goldwasser. Irene is shortly to make aliyah and will settle in Haifa next door to Nahariya where the Goldwasser family live. There is more about Shlomo on Irene’s weblog.

Charles Brickdale (AfI Joint Organiser, Yorkshire)

Anglicans for Israel is pleased to announce the launch of an AFI Chapter in the New York City/Tristate area, to help combat antisemitism and hostility to Israel in the Episcopalian Church of the USA (ECUSA).

The New York Chapter will be headed by Colin Fergus, a British-born Episcopalian, who is a devoted friend of Israel and the Jewish people. He is assisted by Elliott Pollack, a Connecticut-based attorney, who will help build bridges between the Jewish community and the Church in a spirit of ecumenical fellowship in support of Israel. Our AFI USA president is our Patron, Professor Denis Hale.

The NYC Chapter is proud to associate itself with the work of Fair Witness, a coalition of mainstream Christians, including Presbyterians, Episcopalians and Catholics, who are concerned at the increasing demonisation of the Jewish State. AFI USA also welcomes the opportunity to work with the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs on issues of common concern and looks forward to developing partnerships with the wider Jewish and Episcopalian communities. More information about the work of AFI in the US can be obtained from Colin Fergus at nyc@anglicansforisrael.com

AFI founder, Simon McIlwaine, said:

There is much work to be done in our sister Church in the US. This is an exciting development and represents the next stage in the development of the Anglicans for Israel movement, of autonomous Chapters working to combat anti-Zionism/antisemitism on their own initiative. AFI USA will complement and support the excellent work already being done by FAIR WITNESS and our sister organization, the Judaeo-Christian Alliance.

In the coming weeks AFI will be launching a series of new Chapters and making announcements about Area Directors.

A letter to Mark Thomson, Director-General of the BBC, from Simon McIlwaine of Anglicans for Israel:

Dear Mr Thomson

I wish to complain about the outrageous allegation on the BBC website that: “All Israeli settlements within land occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war are judged illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this. ”

This is utter rubbish! As a solicitor, I would be intrigued to know the authority for this proposition.

The Settlements are Not Illegal! Lawful owners of land have not been wrongfully deprived of it.

By contrast, however, Jordan expelled Jews from land they had lawfully bought in what is now called “the West Bank” after launching a war against Israel in 1948.

The settlements are not located in “occupied territory.” The last binding international legal instrument which divided the territory in the region of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza was the League of Nations Mandate, which explicitly recognized the right of Jewish settlement in all territory allocated to the Jewish national home in the context of the British Mandate. These rights under the British Mandate were preserved by the successor organization to the League of Nations, the United Nations, under Article 49 of the UN Charter.

The West Bank and Gaza are disputed, not occupied, with both Israel and the Palestinians exercising legitimate historical claims. There was no Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank and Gaza Strip prior to 1967. Jews have a deep historic and emotional attachment to the land and, as their legal claims are at least equal to those of Palestinians, it is natural for Jews to build homes in communities in these areas, just as Palestinians build in theirs.

The territory of the West Bank and Gaza Strip was captured by Israel in a defensive war, which is a legal means to acquire territory under international law. In fact, Israel’s seizing the land in 1967 was the only legal acquisition of the territory this century: the Jordanian occupation of the West Bank from 1947 to 1967, by contrast, had been the result of an offensive war in 1948 and was never recognized by the international community, with the exception of some states and regimes. Only Britain (at the time)and Pakistan recognised the Transjordanian annexation of East Jerusalem.

The Settlements are Consistent with Resolution 242.

Many observers incorrectly assume that UN Security Council Resolution 242 requires a full Israeli withdrawal from the land Israel captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

The assumption and the conclusion are deeply flawed. Resolution 242 calls for only an undefined withdrawal from a portion of the land — and only to the extent required by “secure and recognized boundaries.”

Israel has already withdrawn from the majority of the land it had captured, and nearly all of the areas in which it retains communities are essential to “secure and recognized boundaries.” The specific location of Israeli settlements was determined by Israel’s Ministry of Defense over the last 30 years, not by the settlers themselves, and they were set up in order to strengthen Israel’s presence in those few areas from which it cannot, militarily, afford to withdraw.

I cannot allow such a grossly misleading statement as that published on your website to remain unchallenged. The cause of peace in the Middle East is not served by falsehoods which are then used to excuse terrorism.

Yours sincerely

SIMON MC ILWAINE MA FRSA ACIArb (Solicitor)

An Open Letter from AFI to the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey:

Dear Lord Carey

I was appalled to read in the Sunday Times of the attacks on you by several members of our Church at the weekend.

Our friends and supporters within both the Anglican and Jewish communities share your sadness at these unfair criticisms and we pray that all those who may be
seeking to divide the Anglican Communion will have their hearts and eyes opened to righteousness by the Lord.

We are deeply appreciative of your friendship towards Israel and the Jewish people at a time when many of our Jewish brothers and sisters feel increasingly isolated and threatened.

We at AFI - who also find ourselves vilified and traduced - suspect that it is your refusal to join the orgy of Israel-bashing within our Church which is the true motivation for this attack and we pray that truth will prevail in our Church.

With blessings from all at Anglicans for Israel.

Yours sincerely,

Simon McIlwaine

Anglicans for Israel, consisting both of members of the clergy and laity of the Anglican Church has expressed its grave concern at the visit of the controversial Bishop of Jerusalem, Riah Abu El Assal, to several churches in England.

AFI coordinator, Simon McIlwaine said:

“Bishop Riah does not represent the sentiments of most ordinary Christians in the Middle East, who deplore his calls for a boycott of Israel. We are concerned that Bishop Riah seems singularly unwilling to confront the menace of Islamic extremism, which terrorises and hurts so many Christians in the region and is the cause of their flight from places like Bethlehem, instead finding it more convenient to blame the Jews for all the problems of the area. We challenge him to give a true account of his views on suicide terrorism and to respond unequivocally to the disturbing allegations that he has quoted from the Koran to sanctify those who kill themselves in the course of terrorist attacks on innocent Israeli civilians.”

We at AFI consider his apparent adherence to an Islamicised replacement theology, which seeks to disavow God’s promises in the Hebrew Bible and his rejection of the Biblical connection of the Jewish people to the Land and State of Israel to be nothing short of blasphemous.

Bishop Riah has claimed of Palestinian Christians: ‘We are the true Israel… no-one can deny me the right to inherit the promises, and after all the promises were first given to Abraham and Abraham is never spoken of in the Bible as a Jew…He is the father of the faithful.’ We consider that this is not only an unscriptural pronouncement, inasmuch as it seeks to deny the Jewish identity of Jesus and the prophets, but is downright anti-Semitic. We challenge Bishop Riah to say whether or not he rejects the Koran’s claim that Abraham, the Patriarchs, the Prophets and Jesus were in fact Moslems.

We also challenge Bishop Riah, to tell us what steps, if any, he has taken to protect Palestinian gays and lesbians from attack by Fatah, the Palestinian Authority and other Islamicist groups. We challenge Bishop Riah to tell us whether or not he dissociates himself from the legacy of corruption on the part of Arafat and Fatah.

Unlike, we believe, Bishop Riah, Anglicans for Israel care for all those who wish to live in peace, Both Israelis and Palestinians need our love and support. We join with ordinary Anglicans in Israel, in condemning all attempts to boycott or demonise Israel. Reconciliation cannot be built on lies or a refusal to acknowledge Israel’s needs and fears of terrorism.

AFI Director Simon McIlwaine talks about the Church of England disinvestment decision to Tovia Singer on Israel National Radio, 9 February 2006. 15 mins.