A Church of England report released last week concluded that repentance is necessary for the centuries of Christian anti-Semitism which led to the Holocaust.

The report, entitled “G-d’s Unfailing Word: Theological and Practical Perspectives on Christian-Jewish Relations” also said that Christians should understand the significance of Zionism for most Jews.

“Christians have been guilty of promoting and fostering negative stereotypes of Jewish people that have contributed to grave suffering and injustice, the report says. “They therefore have a duty to be alert to the continuation of such stereotyping and to resist it.”

The report added that the relationship between Christians and Jews is “a gift of G-d to the Church, to be received with care, respect and gratitude, so that we may learn more fully about G-d’s purposes for us and all the world.”

Not all Jews were happy with the report – British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis criticized it for its failure to condemn Christian attempts to convert Jews, a Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) report said.

“Even now, in the 21st century, Jews are seen by some as quarry to be pursued and converted,” Rabbi Mirvis wrote. “The enduring existence within the Anglican Church of a theological approach that is permissive of this behavior does considerable damage to the relationship between our faith traditions, and, consequently, pursuing a comprehensive new Christian-Jewish paradigm in this context is exceptionally challenging.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, responded to the Chief Rabbi’s criticism, saying he would take the “challenge of his afterword with immense seriousness” and reflect on “any sense that we target Jewish people,” the Jewish Chronicle (JC) reported.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)