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Abraham H. Foxman, ADL’s national director: “Though the World Evangelical Alliance claims it seeks to convert Jews out of their “love” for Jews, we believe that if the WEA really loved Jews, they would respect Jewish teachings and recognize the integrity of Jewish tradition.”
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NEW YORK (EJP)---A US Jewish group has denounced a call by an international evangelical organization to target European Jewry for conversion, declaring it a “serious affront to the Jewish people” and “disrespectful to Judaism’s own teachings.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League, an organization fighting anti-Semitism in the world, the theological commission of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) issued the call in its document, “The Berlin Declaration on the Uniqueness of Christ and Jewish Evangelism Today,” reiterating its commitment to proselytize European Jewry.
“We urge the WEA to withdraw its call to target the Jews of Europe for conversion and immediately begin serious dialogue with Jewish interfaith representatives, so they can understand the immense pain and anger they are causing with their ill-advised and theologically misguided position,” the ADL said.
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL’s national director, and Rabbi Eric J. Greenberg, ADL’s director of interfaith policy, declared: “Promoting a campaign to convert Jews away from their faith is a serious affront to the Jewish people and disrespectful to Judaism’s own teachings.”
“Though the World Evangelical Alliance claims it seeks to convert Jews out of their “love” for Jews, we believe that if the WEA really loved Jews, they would respect Jewish teachings and recognize the integrity of Jewish tradition.”
The ADL said it is especially troubling that the WEA “includes and validates the deceptive proselytizing tactics of Messianic Jews and groups like Jews for Jesus.”
“To issue this declaration from Berlin, where the Nazis directed their Final Solution to exterminate the Jewish people, is the height of insensitivity,” it said.
ADL called the document "not an offer of love, but a prescription for hate."
"As long as the WEA teaches that Judaism is incomplete or misguided, anti-Semitism will continue.”
