CHICAGO — We of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America join our ecumenical and interreligious partners in expressing deep concern and sadness over the deadly shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff outside an event in Washington, D.C. This is yet another example of the rising, deadly scourge of anti-Semitism in our society.
As a church, we have declared that “we recognize in anti-Semitism a contradiction and an affront to the Gospel, a violation of our hope and calling, and we pledge this church to oppose the deadly working of such bigotry, both within our own circles and in the society around us” (“A Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community,” 1994).
We are profoundly disturbed that these killings occurred in the context of an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee that featured speakers from the Multifaith Alliance and the humanitarian organization IsraAID. These speakers were discussing avenues for ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches Gaza, precisely the kind of collaboration that is needed, and that the ELCA supports, as the people of Gaza face starvation and intentional mass displacement.
We join in praying for the families, colleagues and communities of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, for the Jewish people in our communities who live in fear, and for the people of Gaza, who desperately need humanitarian aid to stay alive. We continue to call for a ceasefire, for the release of hostages and those being detained, for access to humanitarian aid, for rejecting violence as a means of solving the ongoing destruction of the Holy Land, and for recommitments to dialogue, reconciliation and humanization. Above all, we pray for God’s peace and justice to prevail for all people.
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop, 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
