Episcopal Church's Top Leadership Overturns Blatant Anti-Israel Resolution

August 19, 2009

Episcopal Church's Top Leadership Overturns Blatant Anti-Israel Resolution

The Simon Wiesenthal Center lauded the top leadership of The Episcopal Church (TEC) for striking down a one-sided, anti-Israel resolution at its recent convention. “We are gratified that the leadership overturned a resolution passed by the House of Deputies that was an unfair one-sided attack on the Jewish State,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Center, adding, "We are grateful that the House of Bishops overturned the biased measure, but remain deeply troubled that so many denominations are being inundated by serial anti-Israel measures. In the long range, interfaith leaders and true peace activists should find ways to use their unique positions in the own communities and among the broader Non-Governmental Organizations to reject the demonization of Israel and utilize their considerable moral capital to safeguard and improve the lives of Christian, Jews and Muslims in the Middle East.”

Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, the Director of Interfaith Affairs for the Center, observed that the bishops were reportedly so distressed by how far the resolution had tilted to one side, that they saw no alternative but to reject it. "They rejected the House of Deputies resolution, and adopted instead a prayer that all walls between people should come down. All good people of faith can say amen to such a prayer," he added.

Last week Canada's largest Protestant denomination the United Church of Canada voted down a virulent anti-Israel resolution but left open possible local boycotts of Israel and endorsed the Palestinians' so-called 'right of return', which, if ever implemented, would mean the end of the Jewish democratic state.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036.