We need to repent of anti-semitism (November 2001)

Archbishop Writes

by Peter Jensen

The recent spate of arson attacks on Churches and Mosques, undoubtedly inflamed by the current situation in the Middle East, should remind us of the fragility of our civil society. Racist ideas lead to violence, and if they are politicised into ideology, they can lead ultimately to genocide.

The well-known human rights advocate, Geoffrey Robertson wrote in his book Crimes Against Humanity that during the 20th century 160 million human lives were wasted by war and genocide and torture. The most shocking event of that century, however, was the genocide of 6 million European Jews by Nazi Germany.

Genocide - the annihilation of a race of people - may have occurred in earlier centuries, but the word was invented in the 20th century because of the special brutality of this epoch. The slaughter of the Armenians, Rwandans, and Cambodians has also warranted this description. We must never forget the suffering of these peoples. Yet we who are part of the Christian West, must particularly remember the Nazis’ attempt to wipe out European Jewry in the 1930s and 40s. An unprecedented act of evil that has become known as the Holocaust.

I was recently asked by organisers of a service of repentance for 2000 years of Christian anti-semiticism to apologise for the part the Christian churches played in fomenting anti-semitic attitudes.

Words alone fail to describe the horror of the Jewish Holocaust which was fuelled by an endemic anti-semiticism that had existed over centuries.

I believe we must all make ourselves aware of what happened and why it happened. Reading, viewing, listening may be supplemented by a visit to the Sydney Holocaust Museum. For sheer heartless brutality and malevolence, it would be hard to surpass this moment in history. There is a contemporary movement among certain discredited historians to deny that the Holocaust ever happened. We must have no truck with this - the Holocaust remains a disturbing stain on 20th century history.

I would also ask you, friends, to resist the tendency we all have to tire of painful subjects, and even to resent those whom we see as ‘harping’ on about past suffering. We must be aware that the attitudes and activities which helped to create the horror of the Holocaust are still to be found close at hand, even, at times, within our own sinful hearts –– and in our Christian churches.

It is true to say that Adolf Hitler was consciously and deliberately anti-Christian. It is also true that there were some who carried out his orders who did confess the faith, and there were others who did not protest when opportunity arose. Historians have shown that without the willing co-operation of many quite ordinary men and women, the Holocaust could not have occurred in its awful severity. But we must think more deeply still. The genocidal activities of the Nazis were assisted by the general attitude towards Jewish people so typical of the so called ‘Christian’ nations of the world, not just Germany. The injustices illustrated by Fiddler on the Roof, for example, draw on the long history of Jewish pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe.

As Anglicans we particularly inherit the history of the Church in England. In that country the history of Christian treatment of Jews is little better than the rest of Europe. During the Crusades - as across Europe - Jews in England were massacred, and then in 1290, Edward 1 expelled them. It was not until 1826 that Jews could officially enter England and become full citizens and not until 1846 could they own freehold land. In 1858 they were finally admitted to Parliament, although some Jews - including the great prime minister Benjamin Disraeli - had achieved earlier political influence after being baptised as Anglicans.

We must always recognise the need to repent of past racist attitudes and to be attuned to the sensitivities of others when we express our Christian faith.

This is an area in which we all need to search our hearts, and to do so with deep regret, not merely for ourselves personally, but for the terrible distortions of our own Christian culture down through history. From this should come the repentance which, through Christ, deals with our own contribution to such sin, and where necessary resists it in others. The tendency within us all to sinful racist attitudes has especially been evident by Christians towards their Jewish neighbours over the centuries.

Of course we are dealing with important theological issues here, such as the special place of Israel in God’s plans, and the question of suffering and evil. However, one foundational issue in this is - how we read the Bible. There are passages, for example which speak of ‘the Jews’ or ‘men of Israel’ as being the ones who put Jesus to death (eg Acts 2:23). An abuse and misunderstanding of these passages has lead to people using them as the basis of discrimination or persecution of the Jews. I would hope that all those in ministry would see the importance of explaining this to our congregations from time to time.

Remember that the Lord Jesus and all his original followers were Jews. Even at the time it was not the whole Jewish people who played a part (with Pilate) in the death of Jesus. Nor is there Biblical warrant for any idea that today’s Jews are somehow specially implicated in this crime. Jesus gives a place of honour to the Jewish people, saying “salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). Paul pointed out that Israel had more natural right to the covenant blessings of God than any Gentiles (Romans 11:11-17).

In one sense, of course, we are all implicated in Jesus’ death, because we all exhibit the attitudes, the sin, that led to it. We are all the sinners for whom Christ died. For this reason, the Apostle Paul said in Romans 9 verses 1 to 5, “I speak the truth in Christ - I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit –– I have great sorrow and unceasing sorrow in my heart. For I wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption of sons, theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, for ever be praised! Amen”

Paul’s vision was for a single people in which Jews and Gentiles would gladly and equally rejoice in the blessings of God through Christ, and in which racism, whether coming from Jew or Gentile, would be no more.

The discussion between Jews and Christians about God’s plan to bring us together into the same fold must continue. But it must be accompanied by mutual respect and tolerance - and with the absence of any coercion, prejudice or discrimination.

We Christians must learn to extend our love to the Jewish people. In particular we must be in the forefront of those who condemn any attacks on Jewish schools, synagogues and places of business, such as those that have occurred in our city in the last two years. We cannot ignore them or pretend they haven’t happened.

Racism in the form of anti-semitism, remains a real issue for us in Australia. And though we pray that the awful 20th century shadow of genocide is far behind, we must remember that Jeremiah’s words are still true of us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?”.

We must be numbered among anti-semitism’s chief opponents.

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