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BRING LOVE
Learn
our relationship with the Jewish People
Jews are our dearly beloved brothers and sisters
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The Jewish religion is not “extrinsic” to us, but in a certain way is “intrinsic” to our own religion. With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers, and in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers.”
Pope John Paul II, at the Rome Synagogue, 1986
Christianity draws sustenance from the Jewish faith
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The Church, therefore, cannot forget that she received the revelation of the Old Testament through the people with whom God in His inexpressible mercy concluded the Ancient Covenant. Nor can she forget that she draws sustenance from the root of that well-cultivated olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild shoots, the Gentiles.
Note that the statement that the Church draws sustenance from the Jewish people is in the present tense. It is not simply that she drew sustenance in her beginnings; she now, and perhaps until the end of time, draws sustenance.
A Christian cannot be an antisemite
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Sadly, anti-Semitic attitudes are also present in our own times. As I have often repeated, a Christian cannot be an anti-Semite; we share the same roots. It would be a contradiction of faith and life. Rather, we are called to commit ourselves to ensure anti-Semitism is banned from the human community.
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Furthermore, in her rejection of every persecution against any man, the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel's spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.
We must commit to a path of friendship, solidarity and cooperation
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The path that the Church has walked with you, the ancient people of the covenant, rejects every form of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism, unequivocally condemning manifestations of hatred towards Jews and Judaism as a sin against God. Together with you, we, Catholics, are very concerned about the terrible increase in attacks against Jews around the world. We had hoped that "never again" would be a refrain heard by the new generations, yet now we see that the path ahead requires ever closer collaboration to eradicate these phenomena.
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Together, Jews and Catholics, we must commit ourselves to this path of friendship, solidarity and cooperation in seeking ways to repair a destroyed world...
What is antisemitism?
Antisemitism is Jew-hatred
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Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.
The Three Ds of Contemporary Antisemitism
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The state of the Jews became the Jew of the states.
Antisemitism has manifested itself in many different ways over the ages. Today, it manifests itself as hatred of Israel, the Jewish state and ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.
This is often referred to as the three Ds of antisemitism, a phrase coined by Nathan Sharansky, a Soviet Refusenik and former Israeli Minster for Diaspora Affairs. The 3 D’s are: Demonization, Double Standards, and Delegitimization.
The three Ds are a useful guide for drawing the line between legitimate criticism of actions of the State of Israel and antisemitism. Criticism that delegitimizes Israel (for example, saying that Israel is a settler colonial state that has no right to exist), or demonizes Israel (for example, baseless accusations of genocide against Israel), or that applies double standards to Israel, that is, standards that are different from those applied to other states, will be seen as motivated by antisemitism.