from Religion Media Centre
Three bishops and eleven Church of England inter faith advisers have signed an open letter expressing concern at the recent Green Party vote which it says is “part of a wider deeply concerning drift towards an increasingly antisemitic culture in our country. As Diocesan Inter Faith Advisers, we believe the Church of England and other churches and religious communities must become a bulwark against that drift”.
The letter says the vote has “deepened an already acute sense of vulnerability” and is part of a wider and troubling pattern in public life. They cite their concern over language in debates, demonstrations and physical attacks in Manchester and London. It dismisses as inherently racist the idea of Zionism which fails to acknowledge the great diversity of ways Zionism is understood within the Jewish community. “Taken together, these developments reveal a slippery slope, contributing to a climate which undermines Jewish strength and participation in wider society and increases Jewish vulnerability and marginalisation”.
It says that “condemning antisemitism and raising these issues cannot mean any lack of deep concern for the extreme sufferings of Palestinian people and of all those caught up in violence” and it calls on politicians, church leaders and faith leaders to encourage real dialogue which “holds Israeli security and Palestinian freedom, dignity and self-determination together”.
Letter on X here.