11/27/2004: "Jewish reactions roll in, Presbyterians reel"

Jewish leaders�the ones who are presumably so hard to deal with, touchy people that they are�are responding with outrage to the Presbyterian remarks out of Lebanon. Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, and Rabbi Paul Menitoff, Executive Vice-President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, have written to Clifton Kirkpatrick and Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase of the Presbyterian Church (USA):

We are deeply disturbed by reports that leaders of the Presbyterian Church (USA) met with and praised leaders of Hezbollah. In light of our recent meetings and conversations, you can imagine how surprised and alarmed we were to hear of these meetings. We were also very troubled by your statement in response. Though you distance yourself by saying that the visit and the comments made at this meeting do not reflect the official position of the Presbyterian Church (USA), you fail to condemn the fact that an official delegation from your church met with a known terrorist entity whose stated enemies are the United States and the state of Israel.

To speak of Hezbollah "goodwill towards the American people," as Elder [Ronald] Stone is quoted as doing, is astonishing. The U.S. State Department has long identified Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. In 1983, Hezbollah carried out a suicide bombing attack that killed 241 American Marines in Beirut. They continue to portray on their television station, Al Manar, United States foreign policy as Satanic. Chief Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that "the Arabs must understand that Israel is merely a battalion of the American army, and that the United States is the principal enemy." And on and, tragically, on.

Furthermore, we are horrified by Elder Stone's praising of Hezbollah for an initiative of "dialogue and mutual understanding." Hezbollah is responsible for untold numbers of Israeli deaths and kidnappings declaring "there is no life and no co-existence with Israel; there is only one slogan: Death to Israel." Hezbollah proclaims "we expect to see a suicide attack every day or every two days" as suicide terror "is the only way to wipe out the Zionists." Even after Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon, Hezbollah continues to launch rockets into northern Israel killing dozens of Israelis. Hezbollah continues to kidnap Israeli soldiers and civilians, including Elhanan Tannenbaum, an Israeli businessman kidnapped during a business trip to Europe.

We are especially offended by Elder Stone's remarks that meeting with Hezbollah "is a lot easier than dealings and dialogue with Jewish leaders." To suggest that dialogue with terrorists is preferable to conversations with the American Jewish community is appalling and has overtones of anti-Semitism.
Based on our recent dialogue, we had hoped that you would swiftly and strongly denounce these meetings and statements by individuals who speak in the name of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Yet your statement does no more than repeat an earlier blanket condemnation of terrorism with no attention to the meetings of and statements from this delegation.

As we said when we met, there can be no religious justification whatsoever for words that serve to encourage terror and justify terrorism. Surely all people of decency, especially those whose tradition calls on us to "choose life" and "seek peace," can see that Hezbollah is not praiseworthy. We hope and pray that you will exercise the moral leadership required at this moment and repudiate these deplorable words spoken in the name of your church.

Richard Ostling of AP reports two others weighing in:

The American Jewish Committee said the Presbyterians had "lent legitimacy to what American government officials call the 'A-Team' of global terrorists" and delivered "a blow to peace efforts in the region." It called on the Presbyterian Church "to repudiate immediately" the delegation's actions.
Anti-Defamation League director Abraham Foxman said he found it "irresponsible" and "deeply disturbing" that Presbyterian leaders would seek to meet "members of a terrorist organization that is directly responsible for attacks against both Americans and Israelis and that has repeatedly denounced America and Israel as enemies of Islam."

Then there's this editorial from the Jewish newspaper Forward:

With relations between the Jewish and Presbyterian religious communities at their lowest point in decades, it's hard to imagine what could have possessed the Presbyterian Church (USA) to decide this was the right time for a good-will visit with the leadership of Hezbollah.

A 24-member delegation from the church met last Sunday in Lebanon with Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, described in press reports as the commander of Hezbollah in South Lebanon. According to The Associated Press, the group was on a fact-finding mission that included tours of sites near the Lebanese-Israeli border. They were briefed on Hezbollah's network of educational and social services, and heard from Kaouk that his Shi'ite group would welcome better ties with the American people.
Hezbollah is deemed by the American government to be one of the most dangerous international terrorist organizations. It is responsible for a host of atrocities, including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, which killed 270. Before September 11 it was responsible for more American terrorist deaths than any other group. It is believed to be responsible for the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, still the deadliest anti-Jewish attack since World War II. And it is busy expanding its links to other terrorist groups; it is currently believed to be directing as much as 70% of ongoing terrorist violence in the West Bank.

At press time the leadership of the Presbyterian Church (USA) was said to be seeking to distance itself from the church's irresponsible behavior. But the hug-fest with Hezbollah is merely the logical conclusion of a course that was set last spring, when the church voted to divest itself of holdings in companies doing business with Israel. By singling out Israel for de-legitimization and demonization, the church sent a clear signal to its followers that the Jewish state is fair game and, by implication, that its enemies are valid partners in dialogue.

The church should use this opportunity to re-examine its shameful policies and return to sanity.
And the reaction in Pittsburgh isn't much better:

David Shtulman, executive director of the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Jewish, Committee, said he was stunned by Stone's comments.

"I think saying (Stone's) words are outrageous would be being kind," he said. "In my mind, the Pittsburgh Presbytery and the national Presbytery has to disassociate themselves from these remarks and come out with a strong condemnation of them."

Stone's pastor refused to do so, though a fellow elder at East Liberty Presbyterian Church kinda, sorta did:

The Rev. Richard E. Otty, of East Liberty Presbyterian, declined to discuss Stone's remarks.
"He's not over there as a representative of the church or the congregation, so I really can't comment on the context of any remarks that he's making," Otty said.

But Laura Lou Struthers, 70, of Squirrel Hill, an elder who has attended the church for 45 years, said Stone's words do not reflect a common opinion among parishioners.

"I am surprised that Ron would speak out in such a manner," she said. "I mean, I would not support Hezbollah in any way."

But never let it be said that people in the PCUSA aren't capable of recognizing when they've been whacked with a ball-peen hammer:

"I think it's safe to say that (Stone's) statements as reported in the international press cannot help but worsen relations between the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and Jewish groups," said Jerry VanMarter, director of the Presbyterian News Service.

As a great man once said, "D'oh!"

UPDATE: From the sinisterly-named Zionist Organization of America:

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) strongly condemns the U.S. Presbyterian Church leaders who this week held friendly meetings with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and a Hezbollah terrorist leader in Syrian-occupied Lebanon.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein: "This is the height of hypocrisy: these Presbyterian officials hold friendly meetings with a brutal dictator and a terrorist whose organization has murdered hundreds of Americans, and instead of condemning the dictator or the terrorist, they condemn and threaten Israel, the only country in the region that is a democracy and respects human rights."

According to the Associated Press, the 24-member Presbyterian delegation, headed by the Rev. Nile Harper, 'met with the South Lebanon commander of Hezbollah" on Monday. Hezbollah, which is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations, is responsible for the 1983 massacre of 241 Marines in Lebanon, among many other atrocities. The next day, the Presbyterian delegation met with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, in Damascus. The Assad regime illegally occupies Lebanon, wantonly violates the human rights of the Syrian and Lebanese population, sponsors terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and is developing weapons of mass destruction.