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Wiesenthal Center Condemns Burning of New Testament
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The Simon Wiesenthal Center unequivocally condemns the burning of copies of the New Testament by individuals in the Israeli town of Ohr Yehuda who were reportedly angered by the activities of missionaries targeting local Ethiopian Jews. A statement released by Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Center’s Associate Dean, and Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, Director of Interfaith Activities for the Center, said, “While the deputy mayor of Ohr Yehudah has apologized for this action, we hope that he and other officials will share his sentiment with all the citizens of that community. Burning books is not a method of solving a problem, but of expressing contempt and loathing for people and their faith. That is why the Nazis burned Jewish books, and that is why Jews should not do the same. In a democracy, missionaries who allegedly resort to unethical practices can be dealt with by a variety of legal means.”
Center officials have also expressed their condemnation to Israeli officials and also noted that the sentiments conveyed on religious Jewish blogs overwhelmingly expressing the notion, lo zu haderech – this is not the Jewish way.
For further information or comment, please call Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, Director of Interfaith Affaris, at 310-772-2464
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