The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said a recent statement by a prominent leader of the Coptic Church, who claimed that the New Testament says that the Jews killed Christ and that the Vatican was wrong to apologize for two thousand years of church-based anti-Semitism, “shows the persistence of anti-Semitism among Arab Christian leaders.”
According to a translation of an interview with Egyptian Copt Patriarch Shinoda III, provided by The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the Coptic leader told an interviewer on Egyptian TV that the Vatican was wrong to apologize for longtime church teachings about Jews as Christ killers.
“It is disturbing, but not surprising that there are still Christian leaders in the Arab world who not only wholeheartedly ascribe to the deicide charge, but who teach it to their congregants as a core tenet of their faith,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “It shows the persistence of anti-Semitism among Arab Christian leaders and contributes to the already virulent anti-Semitism that is part of the mainstream in many Arab nations. It also shows the need for education and leadership for tolerance in Middle East not only among Muslims, but Christians as well.”
“What is the Vatican apologizing for?” Patriarch Shinoda III said in his April 8, 2007 appearance on Egypt’s Dream 2 TV. “It has done nothing that warrants an apology. I don’t like things that are done for appearance’s sake. Everything must have depth and reasons. What are they apologizing for?”
When the interviewer noted that the Catholic Church had apologized for describing Jews as “Christ killers,” Patriarch Shinoda responded, “The New Testament says that they (Jews) are. Is the Vatican against the teachings of the New Testament?”
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12 Responses
An arab will always be an arab just like a cockroach will always be a cockroach!!
Interesting… I have a coworker who belongs to this denomination and she is one of the most respectful ‘aino yehudim’ I have ever met… extremely respectful of my needs and frumkeit in general.
I learned when I was in seminary that there is a chilukei dayos how the Christian “savior” was killed. But, we need to daven. What he is saying can only be equal to a former member of the Hitler Youth being voted in as Pope!
Kudos to Mr. Foxman who works tirelessly on behalf of the Jewish community. We have to realize that antisemitism is Heavenly ordained (Halacha beyaduah esav sonei l’yaakov) and although “education and leadership for tolerance” is a wonderful idea, only when “verau kol amei haaretz ki shem Hashem nikra alecha” will we be zoche to “veyaru memecha”!
It would seem that Coptic religious leaders are more aligned with other Eastern churches than with Rome. Those brands of Christians never changed their view about all Jews being J. killers. The irony is that this attitude forces them to align against Jews and Israelis, who would otherwise be their biggest defenders from Muslim persecution. So they get what they deserve. The Muslims fanatics will continue to kill Coptics, and no one will stand up for them, not even other Christians.
arabi tov arabi met
ellie
perhaps not all that interesting.
as you know
the german “people”
were the most respectful, considerate and friendly to Jews, in all of europe
Feivel,
Can you please clarrify what I perceive to be the ‘sarcasm’ in your post?
Arent hthe words RESPECTFUL, Considerate, etc. supposed to be in quotations??
Am I missing something here???
not sarcastic at all
i wasnt clear i see now, sorry
i was referring to the earlier years before WWII, when Jews called berlin the “new Jerusalem”
it is well known how the germans loved the Jews (or so it appeared)
ADL IS very left organization, and is the equivalent of CAIR and aligns itself with the ACLU. Drop DEAD ADL.
foxman has an agenda which is to bash christians because he can’t stand the fact that they are opposed to all liberal toevos retzichos and hashkafos. you will almost never hear him bashing muslims our real enemies.
with foxman it is always chashdehu vchashdehu
never kudos
Feivel,
What type of Jews called Berlin the ‘new Jerusalem?’
Were they perhaps the reform Jews who integrated with Germans?
The fact is that many say the worst antisemitism stemmed from the German people. However until the outbreak of the second world war, their hatred was dormant and then needless to say, became obvious.
In fact before the war, there were stories about how the old Belzer Rebbe never wanted to sit in a German car. There was also the incident when the German Kaizer Wilhem went to visit Yerusholayim and Reb Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld at the time refused to meet him.