world Presbyterian Weigh Divestment Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency Washington W hich way will Presbyterians go this time? That's a ques- tion Jewish groups and their Presbyterian allies are nervously asking as they work to head off divestment efforts within the church targeting Israel. The fear is the efforts could pass this time after a narrow defeat two years ago. A successful divestment vote at the biennial Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly (GA) June 14-21 at Cobo Center in Detroit could precipitate a rupture between the mainline Protestant denomination and the Jewish community, Jewish groups warn. Jewish-Presbyterian relations already were strained severely following the pub- lication by a church-affiliated group of a document, "Zionism Unsettled:' that depicted Zionism as a false theology "The publication of `Zionism Unsettled' by the very voices back- ing divestment in the PC (U.S.A.) revealed an agenda that is not about Ethan Felson church investments:' said Ethan Felson, vice presi- dent of the New York- based Jewish Council for Public Affairs. "These backers of divestment want to return their church to a place of retrograde anti-Jewish theology, hostility to main- stream Jews and, of course, a blind eye to the responsibility of Hamas and Hezbollah on the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the steps Israelis are forced to take to defend themselves:' In a May 31 Shabbat sermon, Rabbi Joseph H. Krakoff of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield called for Jewish unity to help overcome the challenge of a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) vote by the PC (U.S.A.). "In this ultimate battle against BDS, which is a force of evil, every soldier counts:' Krakoff said. "Each and every Jew has the ability to add Rabbi Krakoff their invaluable energy and unyielding resolve to educating the world that at the end of the day, boycott and divestment from Israel doesn't solve 42 June 12 • 2014 any problems for the Palestinians, but only extends and exacerbates them by adding fuel to the fire of the current conflict and keeps it going with no end in sight:' On The Agenda Delegates to the G.A. will consider at least five resolutions, or "overtures," that would advance divestment from companies that deal with Israel's military and one that would reconsider whether the church sup- ports a two-state solution. Church officials organizing the assembly declined to com- ment directly on the resolutions. At the 2012 church assembly, delegates rejected a divestment initiative by the slimmest of margins, 333-331. Such reso- lutions have become commonplace at mainline Protestant churches in recent years. But other mainline Protestant churches have been less receptive, defeat- ing them by solid margins. Jewish communal officials and their allies worry that divestment proponents could find success at this year's G.A. Since the last assembly, a contingent of con- servative Presbyterians has broken away from the denomination over its recent embrace of the ordination of gay clergy. Conservatives are seen as likelier to reject anti-Israel measures. Peace Talks Impact Meanwhile, divestment proponents are pointing to the collapse of Israeli- Palestinian peace negotiations in their efforts to encourage church members to back divestment. "Part of what this is about is highlighting how we're now at the tail end of the peace process due to settlement con- Rabbi Wise struction," said Rabbi Alissa Wise, director of campaigns for Oakland, Calif.-based Jewish Voice for Peace, which is lobbying for divestment at the church's G.A. Christopher Leighton, a Presbyterian minister who is the executive director of the Institute for Jewish and Christian Studies in Baltimore, said one reason he feared divestment would pass was that typical delegates to assemblies are not necessarily steeped in each issue under consideration. "The vast majority of Presbyterians don't know these issues or the histori- cal religious complexity of the region," Leighton said. "What they're bombarded Jewish groups lobby, warn and worry in advance of Detroit vote. with is 'Palestinians are suffering ter- ribly. If we don't do something about it we become complicit in an injustice: The arguments put forth traffic in all kinds of stereotypes that require work to undo:' Leighton was outspoken in his criticism of "Zionism Unsettled:' the study guide published in January by the church's Israel/ Palestine Mission Network. The guide targeted what it called "the theological and ethical exceptionalism of Jewish and Christian Zionism, which have been shel- tered from open debate despite the intoler- able human rights abuses rooted in their core beliefs:' Rabbi Noam Marans, the New York- based American Jewish Committee's inter- religious relations director, said the com- bined damage of the study guide and pas- sage of divestment overtures would likely have consequences for Jewish-Presbyterian ties, although he did not want to outline them until after the G.A. "Depending on which resolutions pass, and they may yet evolve, Rabbi Marans we will have to make challenging decisions," said Marans, who will attend the church's assembly. "It certainly is an ongoing crisis in Presbyterian-Jewish relations:' But Wise said that linking the divest- ment bid to the study guide is "opportu- nistic:' She noted each was generated by a different church contingent — "Zionism Unsettled" by the Israel/Palestine Mission Network and the divestment overtures by the church's investment committee. That committee, Mission Responsibility Through Investment, had been consider- ing divestment since 2004, a decade before the study guide came out. "To bring `Z.U: into this process is disrespect- ful to how intentional the Presbyterian community has been," Wise said. The Rev. Katharine Rhodes Henderson, president of Auburn Rev. Henderson Theological Seminary in New York, said there was considerable overlap between the Israel/ Palestine Mission Network and those pro- moting divestment. She said they shared an agenda informed by the BDS move- ment. "The stakes are very high," said Henderson, who criticized "Zionism Unsettled" and will advocate against divestment at the G.A. "In my mind, all of these things go together; you can't pull apart motives. Divestment today may mean full-out BDS tomorrow, and that's the decision that Presbyterians face:' Not Standing Pat Pro-Israel groups are not giving up. They plan to send several dozen young Jewish activists to the G.A. to counter what they say is the mistaken impression of senti- ment among young Jews created at past Presbyterian assemblies by pro-divestment groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace. A letter opposing divestment signed by more than 1,500 rabbis, cantors and semi- nary students of all streams of Judaism also will be circulated at the assembly. As in years past, organized Jewish push- back will show that left-leaning and dovish Jews also oppose divestment. Rachel Lerner, senior vice president for community relations at New York-based J Street, said "Zionism Unsettled" portrays Zionists "as pathological and racist and scarred and unable to act in any normal way:' She plans to attend the G.A. to pro- test the document. "It ran contrary to everything I think Zionism stands for. I was personally offended by it," she said. "I think it says something about the movement, where divestment is coming from and who it is coming from in the church:' Lerner said that should divestment suc- ceed, it would challenge friendships she had made with church officials. "I don't anticipate cutting them off, but it puts a strain on them," she said. John Wimberly, a co-convenor of Presbyterians for Middle East Peace, a group that works with mainstream Jewish groups, said "Zionism Unsettled" may prove helpful in his efforts to defeat the divestment overtures at the G.A. "There are Presbyterians who are very upset with Israel's policies toward the Palestinians and would like to find a way to make a statement about that treatment," he said. "But they will not make the state- ment by voting for people whose intention is to destroy Israel." The challenge, Wimberly added, would be to "keep that clear so the other side is unable to create enough smoke to hide that agenda:' ❑ IN Contributing Editor Robert Sklar contributed to this report. See his related essay on page 35.