Simon Wiesenthal Center To Urge UCC Delegates To Defeat Anti-Israel Resolutions

WHEN:    Friday, July 1, 2005
               10:00 a.m.
WHERE:  Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel
                International H Room
               210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta

To coincide with the opening of the General Synod of the United Church of Christ (UCC) being held in Atlanta, the Simon Wiesenthal Center will convene a press conference to urge UCC delegates to defeat a number of proposed resolutions that are hostile to the State of Israel, including a call for divestment of American companies doing business in Israel and a condemnation of Israel’s security barrier.

"If these ill-conceived resolutions are passed, they will prove devastating to relations between the UCC and the Jewish Community and do irreparable damage to the fragile Mid-East peace process," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Wiesenthal Center.

Joining Rabbi Cooper at the press conference will be Atlanta Rabbi and Professor of Religion at Emory University, Michael Broyde, and UCC delegates opposed to the resolutions.  Additionally, some 20,000 online activists have joined the Center’s online protest (www.wiesenthal.com) to UCC President John H. Thomas.

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, and the Council of Europe.

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, or visit www.wiesenthal.com.

Proposed UCC Resolutions (excerpted)
As of Jun, 29, 2005

Tear Down the Wall
(Resolution of Witness: Requires 2/3 vote for passage)
Submitted by: Wider Church Ministries

THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED that the Twenty-fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ calls upon the Israeli government to cease the project to construct the barrier, tear down the segments that have already been constructed, and pay reparations to those who have lost homes, fields, property, and/or lives and health due to the barrier and its effects as security for both peoples can best be achieved through an end to the occupation and efforts to encourage access and contact, rather than restricting and denying it; and

LET IT BE RESOLVED that the Twenty-fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ urges the U.S. government to compel the Israeli government to abide by international law and agreements and withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories; and

LET IT BE RESOLVED that the Twenty-fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ calls upon the U.S. government to engage actively, fully and fairly in a peace process that will lead to the peaceful coexistence of two states: Israel and a future Palestine; and

LET IT BE RESOLVED that the Twenty-fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ encourages its members at all settings of the United Church of Christ to engage in prayer, study, and dialogue about the barrier and to raise diligently with their governmental officials these concerns.

Funding for the implementation of this resolution will be made in accordance with the overall mandates of the affected agencies and the funds available.

The Executive Council recommends that the resolution entitled "Tear Down the Wall" be referred to a General Synod Committee.

SELECTIVE DIVESTMENT FROM COMPANIES INVOLVED WITH ISRAEL’S OCCUPATION OF THE WEST BANK AND GAZA, THE BUILDING OF THE "SECURITY FENCE," AND THE ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS WITHIN PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

(Prudential Resolution: Requires majority vote for passage)

Submitted by: Board of Directors, Penn West Conference

Summary This resolution calls the church and the U.S. government to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a just manner and requires the United Church of Christ’s Corporate Social Responsibility Ministry to begin the process of divestment from companies involved with Israel’s illegal (by UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338) occupations of the West Bank and Gaza, the building of the "security fence," and the Israeli settlements within Palestinian Territory.

Theological Rationale: We believe that God in love seeks blessing and not destruction for all peoples, and lays the same pursuit upon Jews, Christians and Muslims (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:15-20, 21:14-19; Joshua 5:13-15; Isaiah 42:5-7, 49:6; Jonah; Micah 4:2-4; Matthew 5:14-16, 5:23-24; Mark 3:35; Luke 6:27-36, 9:51-55, 10:25-37; John 3:16-17, 21:15-17; Revelation 22:1-2)

Calling for a Study of Divestment of Church Funds from Companies that Profit from the Perpetuation of Violence and Injustice in Israel and Palestine

(Prudential Resolution: Requires majority vote for passage)

Submitted by The Church of the Crossroads, Honolulu, Hawaii; Baker Community Church, Baker, Montana; All Pilgrims Christian Church, (UCC and Disciples), Broadview Community Church, Seattle, Washington; Kanaana Hou, UCC, Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii; Hanapepe Hawaiian Congregational Church, Hanapepe, Kauai, Hawaii; Iao Congregational Church, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii.

Summary: This resolution proposes that the United Church of Christ of the USA conduct a study of divestment of church funds invested in companies that may be profiting from the perpetuation of violence and injustice in Israel and Palestine. If such investments are found, the resolution asks for a study of the desirability and efficacy of divestment as a means of promoting peace and justice for both peoples.