December 30, 2019
Today is the last day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival oflights commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. As ourJewish siblings lighted the menorah, they sang this blessing:
Wekindle these lights because of the wondrous deliverance You performed for ourancestors. During these eight days of Hanukkah, these lights are sacred; we arenot to use them but only to behold them, so that their glow may rouse us togive thanks for Your wondrous acts of deliverance.
Tragically, several acts of anti-Semitic hatred, bigotry andviolence in New York during these days have marred the joyful festivities in Jewishcommunities across this country and around the world. Within the last year, wehave witnessed the broader surge of anti-Semitism from Pittsburgh to Poway inwhich these most recent incidents have occurred. Our Jewish neighbors are livingin pain, grief and fear.
Twenty-five years ago, the Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica joined other Lutheran Christians worldwide in repudiating anti-Judaism withinour own tradition. In our 1994 “Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community” we affirmed that “we recognize inanti-Semitism a contradiction and affront to the Gospel, a violation of ourhope and calling, and we pledge this church to oppose the deadly working ofsuch bigotry, both within our own circles and in the society around us.”
This will require more of us than repeated statements. Itwill require building bridges of inter-religious understanding in ourcommunities. It will require reaching out to our Jewish neighbors to offer ourcare, support, love and protection. It will require our persistence in addressingthe root causes of anti-Semitism and its menacing companions of white supremacyand xenophobia.
In different ways, and for different reasons, this is a timeof year when Jews and Christians celebrate the miracle of light. In our prayersand actions, may we be a living presence of God’s sacred light that rouses usall to resistance and righteousness.
In peace,
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop, ELCA
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
