December 14, 2022

The Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR) has issued today a statement entitled, "A National Reckoning of the Soul: A Call to the Churches of the United States to Confront the Crisis of Antisemitism." The CCJR is a network of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim scholars at centers and institutes devoted to the study of the history of Jewish-Christian relations and to promoting interreligious understanding and dialogue. 

Alarmed by a level of antisemitic rhetoric and violence not seen since the Second World War, the statement calls upon churches in the United States to intensify condemnations of antisemitism as "antithetical to the very essence of Christianity itself."

It also urges Christian leaders to encourage their congregations to reflect upon the profound religious significance for Christian faith of Jesus' identity as a Jew. A deeper understanding of Christianity's intimate relationship with Jews and Judaism, the CCJR states, will help Christians to reject sacrilegious claims put forth in social media that Christians should hate Jews. 

The full text of the statement can be accessed HERE. 

Kathryn Post of Religion News Service has written this article drawing on the CCJR statement "This Advent, churches urged to assess worship for inadvertent antisemitism."