During the week covered by this review, we received 26 articles on the following subjects:
The Pope and the Vatican
Jews’ Attitudes Concerning Christians
Christians in Israel
Jewish–Christian Relations
Status of Holy Places
Christian Tourism
Book Reviews
Miscellaneous
The Pope and the Vatican
Uvda, May 23, 2014
Thirty 10th-grade students from the Ort Sharett High School in Upper Nazareth participated in the reception for Pope Francis at the president’s residence. “Our students come with a message of coexistence . . . we are honored to receive the pope,” said Sigal Berger, headmistress of the school.
BeSheva, May 29, 2014
This article sets out the differing opinions of the Derech Emuna organization of rabbis and the Beit Hillel organization of rabbis regarding the chief rabbis’ meeting with Pope Francis. Rabbi Baruch Efrati, CEO of Derech Emuna, is of the opinion that the chief rabbis of Israel were correct in meeting the Pope, because of their official function, but that the other rabbis who were absent were also correct, since if they had been present it would have been “legitimizing idol worship.” Rabbi Ronen Noibirt, one of the heads of Beit Hillel, quotes Maimonides, who said that “part of God’s plan for redemption is that other religions would recognize Judaism.” Noibirt says, therefore, that the meeting between the pope and the chief rabbis was permitted. The article also comments that this controversy is taking place among the national religious groups only, since the ultra-Orthodox circles are united against the meeting with the pope.
BaKehila, May 29, 2014
Chaim Sheinfeld reacts both to Pope Francis’ recent visit and to the proposed prayer service that President Shimon Peres and Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will attend in the Vatican. He states that Judaism has “an open and blood-soaked 2,000-year account with the church,” and that the Israeli heads of government should have reminded the pope of this during his visit.
Matzav HaRuach, May 30, 2014
Hagai Huberman writes a response to Pope Francis’ visit in the form of a welcome address. In the course of this address he mentions issues such as the fact that Bethlehem was not only Jesus’ city but King David’s, and that David is the one who bought the site for the first temple. Pope Francis should enjoy his flights in air force helicopters “belonging to the Jewish state, which, if it had existed during the Crusades, would have saved ten of thousands of lives, and would have made the founding of Yad VaShem unnecessary.”
Yediot Haifa, June 6, 2014
Maronite patriarch Beshara Butrus a-Rai came from Lebanon to accompany Pope Francis on his recent visit to Israel, and remained some days afterward. He held a public prayer service on May 30 in Haifa for some 3,000 people, in the Latin church in the lower city. The patriarch visited Nazareth, Gush Halav, Jaffa, and Bethlehem, as well as holding a prayer service at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Most of the patriarch’s speeches focused on “reconciliation between peoples and the need for dialogue in order to promote better understanding between the different religions.”
Various Newspapers
On Sunday, June 8, President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas took part in an interfaith prayer service initiated by Pope Francis at the Vatican. The service took place in the Vatican garden, in response to the chief rabbis’ request that the service not take place in a church, and was the first time Israeli and Palestinian officials met with each other in more than a year. Peres and Abbas were both accompanied by interfaith delegations. The service included readings from the Old and New Testaments and from the Koran. Peres’ speech included particular emphasis on interfaith dialogue for advancing peace; Chairman Abbas also pronounced his people to be “obligated to peace.” Pope Francis ended the service by praying for “real steps for realizing peace.” The three also planted an olive tree in the Vatican gardens.
On the second day of his visit, Peres met with Italian president Giorgio Napolitano and presented him with the President’s Medal for Napolitano’s “firm stand in support of Israel’s security, his part in the return of the Prisoners of Zion, his firm stand against terrorism and in support of the Israeli democracy.”
Haaretz, June 9, 2014
This letter to the editor sees it as impolite for Prime Minister Netanyahu to have disagreed with Pope Francis in the matter of the languages Jesus spoke, and uses the Talitha story and the quotation of Psalm 22 at the crucifixion as proof that Jesus spoke an Aramaic dialect common at the time (preserved in writings such as Targum Yerushalmi and Targum Yonatan). The writer also says that Hebrew was the “book language” of the time.
The Jerusalem Post, June 9, 2014
In this article, Paddy Monaghan responds to Caroline Glick’s Jerusalem Post article from May 27 about Pope Francis’ Israel policy, saying that the pope “is totally committed to reconciliation between the Church and Israel” and mentioning five specific points. Monaghan states that Pope Francis and other high officials in the church have “affirmed God’s everlasting covenant with the Jews”; that the pope “has been at the forefront of condemning anti-Semitism,” as seen in speeches, encyclicals, meetings, and education policy; that the pope has stood against the attempts to de-Judaize Jesus, Mary, and the apostles by reaffirming in encyclicals and other places that the church “looks upon the people of the covenant and their faith as one of the sacred roots of her own Christian identity”; that the pope, by “comparing all of us to Herod” in his homily in Bethlehem, was following the official Catholic rejection of replacement theology, as expressed in the Nostra Aetate declaration and the Catholic catechism; and that the pope recognized Christians’ full position as citizens in Israel when he commended Israel’s Christian communities to President Shimon Peres.
Haaretz, June 13, 2014
In his letter to the editor, Reuven Fox is responding to Prof. Yaakov Wexler’s Haaretz article from June 6, in which Wexler calls it “a shame” that Pope Francis did not call the Holocaust a Jewish catastrophe. Fox says instead that it is not a shame, since in so doing Pope Francis has exposed the Catholic Church’s continued true stand and that he is a “conceptual follower of Pope Pius XII.” Fox also comments that Pope Francis’ visit to Jerusalem took place exactly 70 years after his own grandparents were murdered in Auschwitz.
Jews’ Attitudes Concerning Christians
Yediot Netanya, June 6, 2014
Dr. Israel Stabon, member of the Netanya city council, objects to the 3-week summer camps proposed by the Education Ministry, as they will be partially funded by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which some call “a Christian missionary organization in disguise.” Stabon is also concerned about the possible contents of the summer camps. Others have responded, saying that although the camps are partially funded by the IFCJ, it is the Education Ministry that will choose the content. The IFCJ itself responded by saying that as a philanthropic body its purpose in the summer camps is “strengthening children from weak areas,” and that if someone does not wish to take part they should deal directly with the Education Ministry. The Netanya municipality responded by saying that their funding for the camps was received directly from the Education Ministry; that they know nothing about parents’ opposition; that if someone abroad wants to contribute they should be “embraced and thanked”; and that there was not one case when someone tried to convert them. The Education Ministry responded as well by saying that the contents of the summer camps were chosen, reviewed, and will be supervised by the ministry itself.
Makor Rishon, June 13, 2014
In this article Rabbi Avraham Gissar sets out his response to the ongoing controversy over the summer camps to be partially funded by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. He begins by stating the successes of Hemed schools [mixed secular and religious content], how many of the students succeed in their matriculation exams, how well the system absorbs new immigrants, and how many of the students volunteer for combat positions in the Israel Defense Forces. He continues to say that due to this evidence of success, “it is strange that different rabbinic elements have become accustomed to burst out with cries of ‘Woe is me!’” People should not jump to the conclusion that the IFCJ is a missionary organization in disguise (Gissar mentions that Israel’s very foundation is a revelation of God’s glory), and instead “increase their faith in Hemed education.”
Christians in Israel
Maariv, June 8, 2014
A conference took place on June 6, in Sachnin in the Galilee, as a protest to the notices that thousands of Christian Arab youths recently received from the Israel Defense Forces calling them to volunteer for service. Conference organizers called on those present to refuse cooperation with people who “join the conquering army” and to boycott them; some of those present flew Palestinian flags or tore their volunteer notices onstage.
Jewish–Christian Relations
Index HaGalil Tverya, May 30, 2014
A group of 37 students from the Baptist University of East Texas visited the Baruch Pada Medical Center in Poriya on Sunday, May 25. The students are studying history, religion, and politics in Israel. During their time they met with the center’s director, Dr. Erez Onn, and visited the maternity and cardiovascular departments. This is the fourth year that groups from East Texas are visiting the center.
The Jerusalem Post, June 8, 2014
The Jerusalem Post has re-published its article on the upcoming pro-divestment resolutions to be considered at the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly meeting, which will take place in Detroit from June 14 to June 21 (see June 9, 2014, Media Review).
Status of Holy Places
Israeli, May 23; BaKehila, May 29, 2014
It is now clear that control of the David’s tomb structure will not be given to the Vatican, but that the issue under discussion is Christian prayer taking place some 60 times per year. Opposition to this agreement continues in full force: “How can we pray with crosses above us in whose shadow Jews were slaughtered?” says Rabbi Simcha Kook, the chief rabbi of Rehovot, one of the main leaders of the opposition. Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky has also spoken against giving control of any part of the structure to the Vatican, and called for action to raise a public protest.
The Jerusalem Post, June 6, 2014
In his letter to the editor, Sam Rosenblum responds to Bishop William Shomali’s request that Catholics be allowed to pray in the Cenacle at any time, and makes his own request: that Jews be allowed to pray on the Temple Mount whenever they themselves wish it.
Christian Tourism
The Jerusalem Post, June 6, 2014
The Jerusalem Post has re-published its article advertising the Book of Books exhibition at the Bible Lands museum. This exhibition, “tracing 2000 years of the Bible,” features “some of the most important biblical texts ever to be seen in Israel” (see June 9, 2014, Media Review).
Globes, June 12, 2014
The coastline of Tel Dor offers a variety of sights for a variety of people, from the archaeology enthusiast to the scuba diver. The site is the location of the ancient port city of Dor, which formed part of the maritime trading route. Beginning from the south one sees a rugged coastline, complete with reefs and shell “mountains.” This is also where most of the archaeological remains are located; most of the Israelite remains (3,000 years old) are sunk beneath the sea, but the ruins of a Crusader fortress can be seen on the beach, as well as a Hellenistic and Roman city wall. Many items of jewelry, coins, and glass mosaics have been found—these are displayed in the nearby kibbutz’s museum—as well as an Alexander the Great–era seal. Twenty-eight sunken ships have also been found off the coast.
Book Reviews
HaZvi, May 22, 2014
This article reviews the recently published book Who are the Chosen People? by Avi Becker, which deals with the history of religion-based anti-Semitism. The book’s main point is that the core of the problem is the conflict as stated in the title. It surveys the “replacement theory” used by both Christianity and Islam, which both say that God has replaced the Jews. It goes on to survey different incidents of religion-based anti-Semitism throughout history, from the beginning of Catholic policy through to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. The article ends by calling the book “a riveting book that will leave no reader apathetic.”
Miscellaneous
Zman Ma’ale, May 22, 2014
The children from 15 kindergartens in Ma’ale Adumim recently visited the Martyrius monastery site in the city as part of specialized experiential archaeology studies that include winemaking, oil making, pottery, and more. The purpose of these studies is to learn about lifestyles from long ago, concentrating on issues such as house building, water, hospitality, and protection from enemies. The children also saw garden plots carved out of stone and the mosaic-paved refectory.