Ecumenical News International
Daily News Service / 26 January 2005
Israeli chief rabbi’s visit to Patriarchate seen as bid to improve relations
By Michele Green
Jerusalem, 26 January (ENI)–Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi has
paid an unprecedented official visit to the headquarters of the
Armenian Patriarch in Jerusalem in what is seen as a drive by
Israeli officials to improve Jewish-Christian relations in the
Holy Land.
Rabbi Yona Metzger, one of two chief rabbis, made the visit as
part of a series of meetings with Christian leaders to mend
relations after a Jewish seminary student attacked an Armenian
archbishop last year.
“The rabbi condemned attacks against religious clerics and called
for mutual respect between all faiths to be upheld in Israel and
across the world,” Metzger’s office said.
The visit on Monday by Chief Rabbi Metzger, the head of the
Ashkenazi or non-Mediterranean European Jewish community in
Israel, was seen as part of an effort to educate Israeli
officials about Christianity and the diverse Christian
communities who live in the Holy Land. It was the first time an
Israeli chief rabbi had visited the Armenian Patriarchate.
A Jewish seminary student last year pushed and spat on an
Armenian archbishop as he led a religious procession to the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a site in Jerusalem commemorating
Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.
The student, who later apologized to the cleric, said he attacked
the archbishop because he was offended by his holding of a
crucifix, which for some Jews has come to symbolize centuries of
Christian persecution.
The incident raised an outcry in Israel and officials and
religious leaders warned of the need to instil greater tolerance
and understanding in the country’s youth.
Christian clerics said they were frequently accosted by Jewish
seminary students in the Old City.
Israeli parliamentarians and Jewish officials have attended
seminars teaching them rudimentary knowledge of Christianity and
the various denominations in the Holy Land before a series of
meetings with the Latin and Armenian patriarchs, as well as
representatives from the Greek Orthodox community.
“It is incumbent upon us not just to look at the Christian world
with preconceived notions based on past relations,” said
parliamentarian Yuri Stern.
Many Israeli officials have been largely uninformed about the
religious and cultural differences between the Christian
communities living in the Holy Land.
But last year’s attack against the Armenian archbishop
highlighted the need to promote better understanding and
relations between Israeli Jews and their Christian neighbours.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress