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Wake-Up Call

Strong disagreement over Israel re-engages out-of-touch Jewish
and Presbyterian communities.

SHARON LUCKERMAN

Staff Writer

L

eaders in the Jewish community called it a
wake-up call when the Presbyterian Church
(USA) General Assembly made two contro-
versial moves concerning Israel this past year.
Alarming to Jews was the news of a visit by a
committee of the Presbyterian Church with repre-
sentatives of the Lebanese radical Islamic group
Hezbollah — a visit Presbyterian leadership after-
wards called "misguided" and "unapproved." Earlier,
the church voted to consider divesting its $8 billion
portfolio from companies who profit by supporting
the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
United Jewish Communities, the New York-based
umbrella for North American federations, criticized
the vote because it supported divestment from
multinational corporations operating in Israel. In
addition, UJC said, other mainline Protestant bod-
ies, including the Anglican Church, are considering
following suit.
In New York, representatives from five
American Jewish organizations called on
ecumenical Protestant leaders to reject
divestment from Israel and focus, instead,
on real conversations about how to end
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Divestment, they
said, is a discriminatory method against the State of
Israel, which undermines peace, promotes extrem-
ism and damages the relationship between Jews and
Christians.
"The Presbyterian call for divestment is not a
statement that says, 'Let's reach out to our Jewish -
brothers and sisters to find ways to meet the needs
in that region,"' said Sharona Shapiro, Michigan
area director of the American Jewish Committee
(AJC). "There was no mention about violence and
what the Palestinians were doing. It was a one-sided
resolution."
A third issue, currently getting less attention but
a contentious matter between the two communities,
is Jewish concern about the Presbyterian church's
evangelism among unaffiliated Jews.
Several local Presbyterian ministers also experi-
enced an awakening over this new controversy —
but a different kind than their Jewish counterparts.
"I was most surprised by the deep pain the situa-
tion created for my Jewish partners," said Dr. Sue
Melrose of First Presbyterian Church of Farmington
in Farmington Hills.
She recently discussed the conflict.between
Presbyterian and Jewish groups with Rabbi Daniel
Nevins of Adat Shalom Synagogue of Farmington
Hills, president of the Farmington Area Interfaith
Association. She has been a member of this group
N since she first came to this area five years ago.

Presbyterians, who were most-
Dr. Melrose and other
ly supportive of the peace
Presbyterian ministers also
process, Shapiro said. They
expressed surprise at how lit-
had other fires to extinguish.
tle the Jewish community
"Since the Clinton era, our
knew about Presbyterian
attention was more on the
involvement and concern in
evangelicals and the conserva-
the Middle East since almost
tives in our country, trying to
1948, she said.
create relationships where we
In education alone, several
could agree," she said.
well-known universities and
schools in the Middle East,
In 2000, Jewish groups
started dealing with religious
including the American
groups and ethnicities they
University in Beirut and in
Dr. Susan Melrose
had not traditionally reached
Cairo, have grown out of
out to, such as Hindus or
Presbyterian missions.
Muslim groups in Asia and the Middle East. After
"We have a deep commitment to wanting to see
9-11, they spent time dealing with Muslims; then
peace, and unfortunately, that's seen as taking
this year with Catholics over Mel Gibson's film
sides," Dr. Melrose said, adding that her national
The Passion of the Christ.
church has a long history that supports the right of
"It's been a busy time for the American Jewish
Israel to exist and its security — but also has a deep
Committee," Shapiro said. "We didn't think we
concern for the welfare of the Palestinians.
had to revisit our relationship with the
The pain she felt over the current con-
flict between her church and the Jewish
Presbyterians."
Shapiro took the lead in seeking conversations
community, she said, was not only for the
involving Presbyterian ministers, rabbis and com-
Jewish community, but her own.
"[The painful Jewish reaction] was a sur- munity leaders after the Presbyterians' visit with
Hezbollah and issues of divestment hit
prise for many in the Presbyterian
the newspapers. There were already con-
community who allied themselves with
nections between the two communities,
Jews on many issues of education and civil
such as Rabbi Daniel Syme of Temple
rights in the past," Dr. Melrose said. "We
Beth El in Bloomfield Township and the
didn't understand it, [they] calling us anti-
clergy at Kirk in the Hills in West
Semitic ... There's pain there that I don't
Bloomfield. Or at Orchard Lake
understand. Intellectually, I understand it
Community Church, Presbyterian,
— where it's coming from and the history
where the pastor, Dr. David Robertson,
of the Holocaust — but the pain hit me
said that two early interfaith leaders
in the gut. It's something more than what
Rabbi Nevins
working together in this community
I can cognitively understand."
were his previous pastor, Dr. Edward
Putting Out Fires
Auchard, and Rabbi Ernst Conrad, rabbi
emeritus of Temple Kol Ami in West
Unfortunately, because of the past good
Bloomfield.
relationships with the liberal side of the
But while there were good foundations
Presbyterian Church, Jewish groups have
to build upon in the suburbs, Shapiro and
focused on other groups, said AJC's
the clergy joining her had a mixed reaction
Shapiro. They didn't see the need for
when meeting church leaders in Detroit.
confrontation even when there was a mix
The first meeting left Rabbis Nevins and
of motives while working together — as
Sharona Shapiro
David Nelson of Congregation Beth
when the Presbyterian Church advocated
Shalom in Oak Park cold.
for Soviet Jewry on the one hand, but
"I felt the Presbyterian leaders we
also brought books and materials to the
talked to in Detroit were again placing
Jews in Russia to serve the church's own
all the blame on Israel and `villainizing'
agenda.
both the Israeli government and the
But in the 1990s, when Israel and the
Bush administration," said Rabbi
Palestinians were moving toward peace
Nevins, who also was joined by Shapiro,
— during these hopeful times — Jews
Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg of Congregation
didn't spend as much time focusing on
Shir Tikvah in Troy and Tom Wexelberg-
their relationship with mainline
Clouser, the Jewish Theological
Protestant groups, which includes the
Rabbi Nelson

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