During the week covered by this review, we received 13 articles on the following subjects:
Christians in Israel
Arab Christian Community
The Pope and the Vatican
Christian Holidays (Easter)
Jewish-Christian Relations
Interfaith Dialogue
Christian Sites
Science and Technology
Archeology
Christians in Israel
The Jerusalem Post, April 5, 2013
This three-page article tells the story of Father Gregor Pawlowski, also knowm as Ya’akov Zvi Griner, a Catholic priest who was born a Jew in Poland and now lives in Israel. Zvi survived the Holocaust by getting a Catholic baptismal certificate and posing as a Catholic. Zvi’s mother, father, and two of his siblings did not survive the Nazi atrocities. After Zvi escaped from the massacre in which his family perished, “he was taken in by a Catholic orphanage. Zvi’s baptism took place years later, when he was nearly 14, after the war was over, when the children in the orphanage prepared for their first communion.” Says Zvi, “‘Had I remained with Jews, and the Shoah not occurred, I would have been 100 percent like all the Jews. … My family was very religious. My mother told me that I would be a soldier of the messiah. In Catholic school, they told me about Jesus the messiah and I accepted that. There is no contradiction [between being a Jew and a Catholic priest] since we are all speaking about the messiah.’”
Father Pawlowski was ordained into the priesthood in 1958, but he only revealed his Jewish identity to the church in 1966 when he published an article in a Catholic paper that related his personal story. “Pawlowski stresses that publicizing his Jewish background was courageous. There are other ‘Jewish’ priests in Poland who kept their origins a secret, he says. ‘But I could not deny my mother and father any longer, especially since they were murdered for being Jews.’” Through this article, Father Pawlowski discovered that his older brother had also survived the war and was living in Israel. They were reunited in 1970, when Pawlowski, or Zvi, came to Israel, where he still lives today, serving as a priest of the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community in Israel.
The article relates how it was difficult for Zvi’s family to accept him. They are observant Jews, “and traditionally, Jews have held apostates in opprobrium. … Having an apostate as a relative is hardly a source of pride in a traditional Jewish family.” But, asks the writer, “can Pawlowski’s baptism and even his subsequent ordination as a priest be considered apostasy? Bereft of his family and the lone Jewish child in a Catholic orphanage, having witnessed close-up the martyrdom of Polish Jewry, was any other outcome likely?” But it is not just Zvi’s family that has a hard time accepting him. The State of Israel cannot and will not recognize him under the law of return. Today, “Pawlowski is a naturalized citizen in Israel, whose identity papers state his name as Gregor Pawlowski, not Ya’akov Zvi Griner. Despite his suffering as a Holocaust survivor, despite his adherence to basic Jewish practice, and despite his joy when he heard of Israel’s victory in the Six Day War, Father Gregor Pawlowski/Ya’akov Zvi Griner is not considered a Jew by the State of Israel.”
Yediot Ahronot, March 31, 2013
In this two-page spread, Telem Yahav interviews Jurgen Buhler, the executive director of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. She begins by recounting the story of Albert Buhler, Jurgen’s father, who was a soldier in Hitler’s Nazi army, was taken captive by the Soviets in 1945, and who would have died in their concentration camp had it not been for a Jewish doctor who saved him. Yahav writes that Albert Buhler “taught his children to love the Jews as they are and to do everything to help the Jewish people. Why? Because the Jews saved his life. Buhler’s secrets created a dynasty of Israel- and Jewish-loving evangelical Christians.”
Jurgen Buhler, Albert’s son, has been serving as executive director of ICEJ for two years, but arrived in Israel as early as 1994 in order to complete his doctoral studies in physics. Yahav explains that the Christian Embassy “was founded more than thirty years ago by Israel-loving evangelical Christians and is considered to be one of the biggest Christian Zionist organizations in the world.” Jurgen sees his life in Israel and his work with the Embassy as a calling from God to help lobby against the anti-Israel attitude that is so prevalent in Europe today. For example, during the second Intifada, “while the European Union was pouring money into the West Bank, and much of that money was being used to support terrorist organizations,” says Buhler, “we created an information sheet where we did not ask that the funds for the Palestinians be stopped, but that they would be distributed responsibly. … We wanted to make sure that money didn’t go to terrorist activities, but to promote freedom of speech, women’s rights, and equality.”
Buhler decided to move to Israel after visiting the country with his father in 1991. “It was an amazing experience,” says Buhler. “The Russian aliya had just arrived, and we saw how the new immigrants were being received. I remember that it says is the Bible that God will settle the land with Jews from all the ends of the earth, and here it was happening before our very eyes.” Buhler concludes his interview by telling Yahav that the Jewish people should be proud of themselves: “Israel is one of the greatest success stories in the history of humanity. It is a beacon of light in the Middle East and the world at large. Few nations can compete with it.”
Arab Christian Community
The Jerusalem Post, April 3, 2013
Linda Gradstein tells the story of Hazem Farraj, a Palestinian Muslim who converted to Christianity when he was 15 and now hosts an evangelical TV show in the U.S. Farraj, who was born in New York but moved with his family to Beit Hanina, near Jerusalem, when he was 12, kept his conversion to Christianity a secret for three years before having the courage to tell his father. “His father cut off all contact with him,” writes Gradstein, adding that “he has not seen him since. The pain hurts even 10 years later.”
Farraj details his journey to Christianity, telling Gradstein that “the deeper I got into Islam, the more depressing it was for me.” On the other hand, says Farraj, his Christian neighbors “told me things I was searching for, like ‘Cast your worries upon Jesus who cares for you,’ and ‘God so loved Hazen that He gave His only son for him.’” When Farraj dared to visit a church in East Jerusalem for the first time, his life was turned upside down. He recounts: “I sat in the last pew in the back corner, and I saw something I had never seen. … I saw a guy named Steve singing with a guitar and smiling as if he knew Jesus. I saw people at the altar raising their hands and loving God, and it made me mad because I wanted it to be the God of the Koran.” But when he tried to pray to that God and nothing happened, he started praying in the name of Jesus, “and something happened on the inside that transformed me.”
For a long time, Farraj believed he was the only Christian from a Muslim background. But, he tells Gradstein, “there are many underground Christians in Arab countries today.” David Parsons, who is the media director at the Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, adds that “there are hundreds, if not thousands, of underground Christians in the West Bank.” Farraj concludes: “I thought I was the only ex-Muslim in the world, but they’re really everywhere.”
The Pope and the Vatican
The Jerusalem Post, April 2, 2013
Rome’s chief rabbi, Ricardo Di Sengi, sent a greeting to Pope Francis on the eve of Passover, saying Passover and Easter “represent both the link and the separation between our religions.” The rabbi offered this greeting “‘in the spirit of respect and brotherly friendship,’ with the hope that the Lord ‘renders us able to reciprocally understand the sense of difference and the value of brotherhood.’”
In response, Pope Francis sent a letter to Rabbi Di Sengi saying he was praying “‘that the Almighty, who freed His people from slavery in Egypt to guide them to the Promised Land, continue to deliver you from all evil and to accompany you with His blessing. I ask you to pray for me, as I assure you of my prayers for you, confident that we can deepen [our] ties of mutual esteem and friendship.’”
Christian Holidays (Easter)
Yerushalayim Shelanu, March 27, 2013
Dr. Adam Akerman details the miracle of the Holy Fire that Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate each year on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter) at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Akerman first explains that Holy Saturday is the day Christians believe Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea just before he rose from the grave on what has come to be known as Easter Sunday. Over time, “a myth was born that during the afternoon hours of Holy Saturday … a miracle occurs and a supernatural flame descends, casting light on the inner chamber of Jesus’ tomb and kindling a fire in the oil lamp that burns continuously. This incredible occasion is a symbol of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus for those who believe.” Akerman then describes how the Greek patriarch lights his lamp and passes the flame on to those waiting outside the tomb. “Religious representatives of the various Eastern churches then run quickly with the flame to various altars scattered in different churches throughout the city.” The fire is then taken to other cities across the country (like Bethlehem and Nazareth) and is even flown to cities further afield that boast a large Eastern Orthodox population.
The rest of Akerman’s article deals with the controversy surrounding this miracle, noting that the Catholic Church, for example, condemned the ceremony as early as the 13th century. Historically, the myth of the Holy Fire is what caused the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to be burned down in 1009 CE – an act which was brutally avenged by the Crusaders in 1099 CE. Today, writes Akerman, the greatest difficulty surrounding this ceremony is how to keep the fire-lighting safe and injury-free, a task that lies in the hands of the Israeli police.
Jewish-Christian Relations
Ala Kfar, March 31, 2013
The Nes Amim Christian community in the north of Israel is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Israel. The community was established in 1963 by Christian volunteers from Switzerland who desired to turn a new leaf in Jewish-Christian relations in the wake of World War II and the Holocaust. Volunteers who arrived there over the years “learned about the Jewish roots of their Christian faith and supported the young country by establishing agricultural projects” which helped develop Israel’s agricultural technology. In 2002, Nes Amim became a center for interfaith and intercultural dialogue.
Interfaith Dialogue
Kochav Yizrael, March 22, 2013
An American delegation representing three major religions – Judaism, Islam, and Christianity – visited a school in Ein Bustan which is attended by children from both the Jewish and Arab villages nearby. The event included religious and civil leaders from across the board, as well as representatives of IHF, a Dutch non-profit organization that supports Ein Bustan. One of the delegates said: “We see Ein Bustan as a model and example for a future of co-existence, which can only be attained through education for tolerance and respect.”
The Jerusalem Post, April 4, 2013
The third annual Kiev Interfaith Forum will take place later this month at the Ukrainian parliament, The Jerusalem Post reports. It will be attended by representatives of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism. Organizers of the event told the paper that the forum is “a chance for dialogue” which “has the ability to destroy prejudices.”
Christian Sites
Haaretz, Makor Rishon, April 5, 2013
Two papers ran lengthy reports on the ongoing efforts to stop the building and development plans for the pastoral village of Ein Kerem, situated on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Ein Kerem is the site of Mary’s Well, where Christians believe that Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth when they were both expecting their firstborn sons. The site is often mentioned as one which might sustain serious damage if the development plans are given the final go-ahead (see previous Media Reviews from November, January, and March).
Haaretz, April 5, 2013
Qasr el Yahud is the focus of the “recommendations” column of the travel section of Haaretz’s weekend edition. This monastery is situated on the banks of the Jordan River, marking the place where Jewish tradition says the Israelites crossed the river into the Promised Land after their exodus from Egypt, where Christian tradition says John the Baptist baptized Jesus, and where some traditions believe that Elijah was taken up into heaven after parting from Elisha. It has been open to the public since 2011.
Science and Technology
The Jerusalem Post, April 5, 2013
The latest documentary by controversial Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici aims to reconstruct biblical faces using the same technology that forensic police artists use to reconstruct faces. The first episode in the series focuses on the biblical figure of Delilah, and “reconstructs the head and face of a Philistine woman” using an original skull from 3,000 years ago. Says Jacobovici: “We’ve put flesh to bone on faces of people who actually lived in biblical times.” The documentary’s first episode airs on Saturday night on Canadian television.
Archeology
Masa Yisraeli, April 1, 2013
This snippet mentions the King Herod exhibition currently taking place in Jerusalem (open until October).