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Muslim leaders pay their respects at Auschwitz

06 Feb 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds,” Jesus instructs his disciples in this Sunday’s gospel. In the hope that a good deed done today might help ensure that a past evil is never repeated, a large delegation of Muslim dignitaries visited the Auschwitz concentration camp Tuesday to pay tribute to the millions of Jews and others killed in the Holocaust. "Muslims have to stand up with Jewish friends because in Europe, anti-Semitism is rising--and where there is anti-Semitism, Islamophobia is not far away," said British Mufti Abduljalil Sajid, who said he knew of the Holocaust from books and movies but that it was his first visit to Auschwitz. "I wanted to see it with my own eyes--and teach others about the evil of hate," he said. "This should never happen again, to anybody." The delegation of some 150 people included representatives from Morocco, Jordan, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq as well as rabbis, Holocaust survivors, and Christian representatives. Several European public figures also were part of the group, including former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Israel Meir Lau, a former chief rabbi of Israel and himself a Holocaust survivor, said he was happy that such a large group of Muslim leaders was seeking to deepen their understanding of the Holocaust. The trip comes at a time when anti-Muslim rhetoric is rising in the West while some Muslim political leaders, such as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, deny the reality of the Holocaust. It also follows the commemoration last week of the 66th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Nazi Germany's most notorious death camp. More than a million Jews as well as Gypsies, homosexuals, and others were murdered at the camp built in occupied Poland. Source: An article by Jamey Keaten for the Associated Press

Muslims auschwitz israel meir lau anti-semitism islamophobia anti-muslim europe jews holocaust abduljalil sajid
Pray for an end to anti-Semitism

28 Oct 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Israel rejoices in being restored to wholeness in Sunday’s first reading and psalm. But not all people are as pleased with modern-day Israel, and their displeasure sometimes crosses the line into hateful speech and even prayers for destruction. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which monitors anti-Semitic incidents worldwide, this week condemned Egypt’s new President Mohammed Morsi for responding “amen” with others at a mosque when the cleric prayed that God "destroy the Jews."A video emailed by the center showed Morsi at a mosque in the Mediterranean town of Marsa Matruh, where the congregation answers "amen" to a cleric who recites a list of prayers in a traditional ritual. In one of the prayers the cleric asked God to “destroy the Jews and their supporters and disperse them, rend them asunder." Morsi is then seen continuing to say "amen." The prayers were aired on Egyptian state TV and caught on video by MEMRI, a pro-Israel media monitoring group.In a statement the Wiesenthal Center strongly condemned the video, saying it is a sign of growing anti-Semitism in Egypt "a slap in the face to America as Egypt's President Morsi pockets billions in U.S. aid and says 'amen' to principles that are repugnant to all Americans," the statement said, quoting Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Wiesenthal Center, and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Center's associate dean.Prayers denouncing Israel or the Jews—terms often used interchangeably in Arab countries—are not uncommon in hard-line sermons, which were not a regular feature on state TV before the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak. Since taking office Morsi has refused to meet with Israeli officials or even use the word Israel in public statements, but his government has continued security cooperation with the Jewish state and says Egypt will continue to abide by the peace treaty signed between the two countries in 1979.Homily hint: This Sunday’s readings about an earlier time of Jewish persecution and restoration provide an opening for reminding folks of the historical link between the horrible persecution of Jews during World War II and the restoration of a Jewish homeland in its aftermath. Anti-Semitism is a virulent and persistent poison that must be condemned whenever and wherever it rears its head. Sources: Articles by the Miami Herald and the Associated Press

israel egypt jews anti-semitism mohammed morsi simon wiesenthal center
Vatican condemns anti-Semitic remarks

13 Jan 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the Psalm 29 option this Sunday we respond, “The Lord will bless his people with peace.” The Jewish people, to whom this promise was made so many centuries ago, under no circumstances can be labeled as “enemies” of the Catholic Church, the Vatican affirmed on Monday, repudiating comments by the head of the breakaway traditionalist group, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX).The Vatican’s chief spokesperson, Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., said that it was “meaningless” and “unacceptable” to label Jews as “enemies” of the Catholic Church. “Both Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor John Paul II personally engaged in dialogue with Jews,” he said. As a sign of the commitment, Lombardi noted the two popes’ visits to Jerusalem’s Western Wall, Judaism’s most sacred site, and to synagogues in Rome and elsewhere.The Vatican reassurance came after Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the SSPX, said on Dec. 28 that “the enemies of the church: the Jews, the Masons, the modernists,” were opposing the group’s reconciliation with the Roman Catholic Church. At Benedict XVI’s prompting, the Vatican in 2009 opened talks to repair the decades-long breach with the SSPX, focusing on the group’s rejection of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), which among many changes revolutionized the church’s relations with Judaism.Anti-Semitic strains within the SSPX have been a major headache for the Vatican; shortly after Benedict lifted the 1988 excommunications of four SSPX bishops it emerged that one of them, Richard Williamson, was a vocal denier of the Holocaust.In a statement the American branch of the SSPX dismissed the “false accusations of anti-Semitism or hate speech” made against the group. It said the SSPX leader used the word “enemies” as a “religious concept,” referring to “any group or religious sect which opposes the mission of the Catholic Church and her efforts to fulfill it: the salvation of souls.”The Vatican is currently awaiting the SSPX’s response to a reconciliation offer submitted last June. Leaked SSPX documents slammed the proposal as “clearly unacceptable,” but the Vatican signaled in October that it is willing to give the traditionalists “additional time for reflection and study.”Homily hint: Anti-Semitism is like one of those virulent biological diseases that humanity must continue to fight in order to finally eradicate. We aren’t there yet, and there is no cure-all vaccine to inoculate the public. Alert your congregation to the ever-present risk of contagion. Sources: Articles by Alessandro Speciale for Religion News Service and Carol Glatz for Catholic News Service

benedict xvi society of st pius x jews federico lombardi anti-semitism sspx bernard fellay
Senate set to haggle over Hagel nomination

20 Jan 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,” proclaims this Sunday’s reading from the Book of Isaiah. Some critics of President Barack Obama’s nominee for the post of secretary of defense, retired Sen. Chuck Hagel, are raising a fuss over alleged anti-Semitic comments Hagel made in the past. Others, including prominent Jewish leaders, are calling the charges absurd as hearings are readied on the contentious nomination.Hagel’s critics accuse him of being hostile to Israel’s interests. He has been quoted for having said in 2006, “The Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here,” and “I'm not an Israeli senator. I'm a United States senator.” In addition, he broke with his party regarding the efficacy of sanctions against Iran.But on Tuesday Sens. Charles E. Schumer of New York and Barbara Boxer of California, two of the most influential Jewish Democrats in the Senate, issued lengthy testimonials to Hagel’s credentials to lead the Pentagon and accepted his assurances that he would support the Obama administration’s policy of vigorously opposing Iran’s bid to obtain nuclear weapons.The Republican former senator from Nebraska made his share of enemies during his two terms in the Senate, which now must consider his nomination as defense secretary, but he begins with two key advantages, observers said.One is traditional senatorial courtesy, which has almost always meant a relatively smooth confirmation process for any current or former senator chosen for a cabinet or ambassadorial post. More important, almost every failed nomination of the past three decades has stemmed from key defections within the president’s own party, and so far Hagel’s opposition has come almost entirely from fellow Republicans.Homily hint: The document Nostra Aetate ("In our time") from the Second Vatican Council affirmed the deep connection between Christianity and Judaism, rejecting anti-Semitism “any time and by anyone,” and marked a turning point in Catholic-Jewish relations. The document could serve as the foundation of a series of discussions in your faith community on the history of relations between the two traditions. Sources: Articles by Paul Kane for the Washington Post and Ken Rudin for National Public Radio

senate israel barbara boxer anti-semitism charles shumer chuck hagel secretary of defense
France reels anew from religiously motivated attack

08 Feb 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Lord “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds,” the psalmist affirms this Sunday. While the French nation continues to heal from the trauma of recent acts of terrorism, anxieties were heightened anew Tuesday when a man attacked and wounded three soldiers as they guarded a Jewish community center. The soldiers escaped serious injury and the knife-wielding attacker was arrested as he tried to flee. Homily hint: Religious intolerance is on the rise worldwide at a time when we need to come together to solve global problems. Teach tolerance and help foster it by encouraging your faith community to participate in interfaith gatherings. The children of God need to get along. For more on the attack, see: French Soldiers Guarding Jewish Site Are Attacked; Frenchman Was Detained Before Attack at Jewish Site

Tolerance terrorism anti-semitism interfaith cooperation
Wide condemnation follows spate of anti-Semitic attacks

05 Mar 2017 - Preaching the News for the First Sunday of Lent, Cycle A

This Sunday’s reading from the Book of Genesis speaks of the Garden of Eden as a tranquil first home for humanity—until evil entered the picture. Cemeteries are to be tranquil final resting places for beloved ancestors, but a recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks around the country has included the desecration of at least two Jewish cemeteries, as well as countless bomb threats against Jewish community centers around the nation. Police were trying to identify the vandals who knocked over or damaged at least 100 headstones at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia early Monday as the nation grappled with the wave of anti-Semitic incidents. Meanwhile, bomb threats forced the evacuations of Jewish Community Centers in New York and in 10 other states. “When we got there, I saw the degree of desecration,” Rabbi Yosef Goldman of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia told NBC News after viewing the damage at Mount Carmel Cemetery. “Seeing it in person was heartbreaking and devastating. . . . You feel the violation.” “This is not just a random act,” Rabbi Shawn Zevit of the Mishkan Shalom synagogue in Philadelphia told the local NBC affiliate. “To topple so many headstones clearly is a concerted effort with intent.” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney agreed, noting that there are four cemeteries in the area “and the only one that was vandalized is a Jewish cemetery.” He said what happened at the cemetery was a sad sign of the times when bigots feel “empowered, emboldened to act out. If we let this go on and on and on, we're gonna spiral down this slope of bigotry and hatred and we can't go there.” No injuries were reported in the latest bomb threats to crash over the country, a wave that also hit Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, according to local police and media reports. The U.S. bishops are responding with solidarity and concern for the Jewish community following the surge in anti-Semitic actions in recent weeks. “On behalf of the bishops and people of the Catholic Church, as the chairman of the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, I want to express our deep sympathy, solidarity, and support to our Jewish brothers and sisters,” said Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of Springfield, Massachusetts in a press release. "I wish to offer our deepest concern, as well as our unequivocal rejection of these hateful actions.” Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia was “deeply saddened” by the vandalism at Mount Carmel Cemetery, and called for “prayerful solidarity with the families of those whose final resting places have been disturbed. As a community, we must speak out to condemn inflammatory messages and actions that serve only to divide, stigmatize, and incite prejudice,” Chaput said. “We must continually and loudly reject attempts to alienate and persecute the members of any religious tradition. Rather, as members of diverse faith and ethnic communities throughout the region, we must stand up for one another and improve the quality of life for everyone by building bridges of trust and understanding.” On February 20, more than 150 headstones were damaged in University City, Missouri, at the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery. According to the Anti-Defamation League, violent anti-Semitic actions soared in 2015 and continued into 2016 with increased online anti-Semitic harassment. “While we may be a nation divided by politics, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms,” President Donald Trump said at the top of his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night in condemning the recent wave of anti-Semitic and other hate crimes convulsing the nation. Lessons drawn from the readings The story of the garden suggests that when humanity falls under the spell of the influence of evil, peace and tranquility is disrupted and suffering will ensue. We must all resist the temptation to treat those who are different from us with suspicion, disdain, hostility, or violence. Final thought in light of the news This Sunday’s gospel account of Jesus countering the temptations of the evil one offers us an inspiring role model for resisting hatred in all its guises. Even at his weakest, after 40 days of fasting in the desert, Jesus rebuffed the temptation toward self aggrandizement, instead placing his trust and devotion in God. We should do the same whenever tempted to build ourselves up by putting others down.

anti-semitism hate crimes desecration of graves Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
Quote of the week

05 Mar 2017 - Preaching the News for the First Sunday of Lent, Cycle A

“This is not normal, when pre-schoolers are evacuated from schools, when relatives have to wonder whether the graves of their loved ones are destroyed.” —Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League

anti-semitism desecration of graves hate crimes anti-defamation league
Fact of the week

05 Mar 2017 - Preaching the News for the First Sunday of Lent, Cycle A

The number of violent anti-Semitic assaults taking place in the U.S. is steadily rising, according to the Anti Defamation League's latest Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents. Anti-Semitic Assaults Rise Dramatically Across the U.S.

anti-semitism hate crimes anti-defamation league
Homily stories

09 Jun 2024 - Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Jesus is often perturbed by his detractors’ illogic. They say Jesus drives out demons by the power of Satan. But, Jesus asks in disgust: “How can Satan drive out Satan?” The comment makes no sense. Of course, as Jesus knew well, the illogic is the point. Jesus’ critics wanted to keep people off balance and confused and thus fearful of following Christ’s countercultural ways. During the rise of Nazism in Germany, the party relied on similar irrationality. As Yale professor Timothy Snyder explains in On Tyranny, “Fascists rejected reason in the name of will, denying objective truth in favor of a glorious myth articulated by leaders.” That myth included scapegoating Jews for the inequities real or perceived that they felt. Snyder tells the story of Teresa Prekerowa, a young Polish woman who witnessed this evil myth take hold. After the Germans invaded Poland in 1939 and forced Jews in Warsaw to move to a restricted area of the city, “Teresa now observed that people quietly allowed their Jewish friends to slip away from their lives. … At great risk to herself, Teresa chose to enter the Jewish ghetto a dozen times, bringing food and medicine to Jews she knew and Jews she didn’t know.” Later in life when asked about her extraordinary actions, Teresa called what she did “normal.” Making loving acts of kindness “normal” is the dangerous game Christ calls us all to play.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

Evil scapegoating acts of kindness anti-semitism

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