During the week covered by this review, we received 6 articles on the following subjects:
Christians in Israel / Political Issues
Christians in Israel / Christian Holidays
Missionary Activity
Christian / Jewish Holidays
Political Issues
Christians in Israel / Political Issues
Globes, January 25, 2021
The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East won a case against the municipality of Ramla, and as a result, it will not be required to pay an improvement levy (“heytel hashbacha”) of 2.9 million shekels on the sale of its assets. Initially, the municipality of Ramla had decided that the Episcopal Church should pay the levy, claiming that the Church makes a profit on land sales and other endeavors, such as running guesthouses around the world. But a district judge overturned this decision on the grounds that any profits made by the Church get redirected into the services they provide, which include health, education, and other charity services. Profits are thus not used to enrich Church members.
Christians in Israel / Christian Holidays
The Jerusalem Post, January 25, 2021
This article reported that a number of the historic churches in the Holy Land – the Franciscans, Greek Orthodox, Syrian and Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Armenian Orthodox – were recently allowed to hold small staggered Epiphany services at Qasr al-Yahud. The site, which is on the River Jordan, is traditionally associated with the baptism of Jesus. It was inaccessible until recently, as it was turned into a minefield after the Six-Day War, during which time priests were forced to abandon a series of monasteries that line the area. The last of the Epiphany services, held by the Armenians, included priests and celebrants who also gathered on the Jordanian side of the Jordan River (the river is narrow, making it possible to speak to a person on the other side). Armenians have been making pilgrimage to the site since the 4th century, when they established a presence in the Holy Land. The article noted that “Christian worshipers can pray together on either side of the river banks, but they cannot cross, because such travel can only happen at an official border site.”
Missionary Activity
HaShavua BePetah Tikva, January 22, 2021
In an article similar to last week’s, this piece reported that a book by a missionary named Eitan Bar is available for purchase from the digital bookstore “Ivrit”. This has drawn protests from Yad L’Achim, which demanded the book be removed from the website. The bookstore has refused to take the book down, on the grounds that to do so would be a violation of free speech.
Christian / Jewish Holidays
Tevah HaDvarim, January 26, 2021
This was a piece about the history of New Year’s Eve, or the “Sylvester”, as it is referred to in Hebrew. The holiday bears the name of Pope Sylvester, who died on December 31 in the fourth century. The author wanted to clarify that the holiday does not belong to Christianity and was established by the Romans during the time that they were in fact persecuting Christians. The Edict of Milan, which was promulgated by Constantine, and which de-criminalized Christianity and instated religious toleration, was issued a year before Sylvester became the Bishop of Rome. Only later would Christianity become the official religion of the Roman Empire. There is no evidence that Sylvester persecuted Jews. However, in later years, hooligans used the holiday as an excuse to start pogroms, which is why an association between the holiday and anti-Semitism still exists today. The Communist Regime, which was atheistic, sought to eradicate all religious associations with the holiday, and established in its stead the holiday of “Novy God”, which means “new year” in Russian. Many Jewish immigrants from the former USSR still celebrate Novy God by putting up trees, decorating them, and giving gifts to their children. The author clarified, however, that the tradition of putting up a tree goes back to pagan times, since the evergreen symbolizes life in the midst of winter.
Political Issues
Israel Hayom, January 28, 2021; The Jerusalem Post, January 28, 2021
Both articles reported that Luxembourg has signed an agreement with the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), seeking to address ongoing disputes over the restitution of such things as looted art and looted funds. Luxembourg announced that it will donate €1million to the WJRO, and that a further €120,000 would be annually donated to the Luxembourg Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah for a period of thirty years. The Government of Luxembourg also made a commitment to purchase and renovate Cinqfontaines Abbey, which housed Catholic monks until they were expelled in 1941, after which time it was turned into a Jewish internment camp. The Abbey will be turned into a Holocaust memorial and education center.