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Maine: Church apologizes over anti Jewish ad


The minister at a Maine church apologized for a newspaper ad touting a sermon titled “The only way to destroy the Jewish race.”

In a statement Monday, the Rev. Philip Andrukaitis of the South Portland Baptist Church wrote, “Please forgive me for causing alarm in your hearts.”

The sermon actually was about fighting anti-Semitism and supporting Israel and Judaism. “When you read it, it is absolutely pro-Israel and pro-Jewish,” said Emily Sandberg, executive director of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine.

“It’s the title that is absolutely inappropriate.”

The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, which published the ad Saturday, also apologized for what it called an “oversight” and said safeguards had been put in place to avoid a recurrence.

JTA



13 Responses

  1. Apology – not accepted! He should’ve thought about that before he advertised it. Why would he apologize anyway? It’s to late I don’t think anyone will accept his apology. He is an Anti-Semite and he will never change. He should burn in gehonim.

  2. What’s wrong with you people? The sermon was pro-Israel and Jews. He didn’t say there’s anything positive about our destruction chas v’sholom. The title was obviously meant to be ironic; granted, it was a poor choice, but that’s no reason not to accept the apology. Listen, contrary to the belief of today’s culture, there is no overriding mitzvah of perpetual victimhood. Let’s leave that for the loser groups who have perfected that strategy.

  3. Just a bad marketing decision to try to get people’s attention. Others have made this type of error in the past.

    Apology was needed and should be accepted if the sermon was indeed supportive of Jews and Israel.

  4. Kishke and Itzik – you are right. I propose that you both give a pro-christian lecture about how much they love Jews and how wonerful they are. Advertise it under the title – “the Historical Leading Cause of the Death of Jews – Chistianity”

    Once the press gets wind of it – apologize and say we really love them and it was going to be a very positive speech about christians.

  5. Note that I said “if”. It is possible that the speech which this Emily Sandberg read was the real sermon that was given; it is also possible that he wrote it for her consumption only. While the galach has a Lithuanian surname and we all know what the goyim in Lithuania were and are, I cannot see how anyone would be stupid enough to plan and advertise a truly racist sermon, but anything is possible.

    When I was in high school and not frum, I was asked to give a report in front of the class. For the sake of tznius, I cannot divulge exactly what I wrote on the board as my topic (which had nothing to do with my presentation), but suffice it to say it caught everyone’s attention. And I caught a detention :)!

  6. kiske – of course we don’t believe that. we also know that some of them love us so much they want us to become just like them, other love us just like Hilary loves us and then of course there are those who flat out hate us – go figure.

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