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2007-07-24 issue:

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Mennonites, Judaism and Israel-Palestine

A Speaking Out column

by John Kampen

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A delegation from Mennonite Church USA recently returned from a two-week fact-finding trip to Israel-Palestine and issued a letter calling for churches to become more directly involved in these issues. It speaks of providing the basis for a common conversation among various parts of Mennonite Church USA. This letter calls for the denomination and its constituent churches to engage these issues, thereby formally extending this discussion, which had formerly been confined to agencies such as MCC and Christian Peacemaker Teams, into the conference structures and congregational arenas.



I believe that we must prepare for such conversations in a very careful and deliberate manner. I would like to spell out some of the elements which need to be addressed so that a common conversation can continue in a meaningful manner. I address this question from the standpoint of someone deeply engaged with groups striving for justice and liberation for the past forty years, and who completed doctoral studies at a Jewish institution whose primary purpose is the education of rabbis for Reform Judaism.

The “Open Letter” lists under their observations a set of concerns about the present military occupation that I have witnessed first-hand and for the most part share. The present situation is good neither for Israelis or Palestinians and we must continue to find ways to support peace efforts in that portion of the world. More awareness of the conditions under which all persons in those lands live is necessary.

What appears absent from the letter, and from our church experience, is a concerted effort to come to terms with our relationship with Judaism, an integral piece of any attempt to speak words of peace within this contested portion of the world. For most of us even this statement seems rather arbitrary. What does religion have to do with land? This observation begins to illustrate the basic nature of the discussion which is required if we are to speak words of peace. Let me list a few areas which require treatment.

The holocaust is the landmark event of the twentieth century which forced knowledgeable persons in the western world to redefine the nature of evil. The cold and calculating manner in which a systematic attempt to obliterate an entire people was constructed forced us to think of evil in relationship to humanity in new ways. This recognition had an impact on both Protestant and Catholic theology throughout the second half of the twentieth century.

However within our own church conferences and study documents the question received scant attention. We know that Mennonites were part of the German army, members of the Nazi party, and supporters of the Nazi movement in other portions of the world in which we had settled. There have been individual efforts which are to be commended. One fails to find in any of our statements the kind of apologies which parallel the present Lutheran statements with regard to the persecution of the Anabaptists. As a Mennonite church we have not addressed this issue. It would be helpful to address this question if we seriously wished to speak words of peace.

Anti-semitism has hardly fared any better in our circles. It has not been a major concern in the construction of our theologies and has received no attention in our statements of faith.

While there is a considerable body of literature which raises questions about anti-Semitism, even within the New Testament, the issue has not informed our study. The manner in which anti-Semitism has shaped a good deal of western Christian theology has been noted, but this literature has not had an impact on our work and perceptions. There are now guidelines available with regard to the use of the Bible in educational curricula. These have not been significant in our own publications. When we wish to speak words of peace in Israel-Palestine we have not constructed a solid foundation upon which to stand. We don’t have a history of the condemnation of anti-semitism which would support our claims as peace makers.

Absent from our discussion and our literature is any actual discussion of the role of the land. This is a difficult subject for those of us who were raised with a deep attachment to land and whose theology had no place for such a connection. We aren’t prepared to support claims to land. However, in order to speak words of peace in this contested area we have to understand it. A number of years ago I had occasion to interview the rabbinical students whom I knew as most engaged in social issues and most interested in advancing the cause of peace with Palestinians in Israel. These were committed social progressives who were willing to address the issues in both the North American Jewish community and Israel. What was most remarkable about my interviews with them was the manner in which the wars of 1967 and 1973 had formed either their Jewish, or more specifically their rabbinic, identity. A number of them had decided to become rabbis as a result of those two events when Israel, from their perception, was under attack. We will not be able to advance words of peace if we do not understand Jews and the land.

The Christian Zionist option is singularly unhelpful in developing such a new self-understanding. While this option reflects a convenient alliance for certain segments of the political establishment in Israel, American Jews often find this connection at the minimum unhelpful and more frequently dangerous. They know that the legitimate place of Jews within North American is undercut by these same forces which ally themselves with Zionism.

Forward thinking Jews within Israel know that such forces pose an obstacle in the development of the conditions for co-existence with the Palestinians necessary for the healthy growth and survival of all.

A similar list of concerns and issues must be constructed for effective engagement with the Palestinian population. The endangered plight of the limited number of Christians, mostly Greek Orthodox, requires knowledgeable and concerted attention. We are ill-equipped to understand that religious viewpoint as well. The economic obstacles in the way of Palestinian well-being are formidable. Further understanding of the place of the Palestinians within the broader Arab and Muslim worlds requires our attention. Other persons are more qualified to compile this list of prerequisites to conversation than me.

Perhaps we have arrived at a time when the Mennonite Church must dig deeper and face significant issues overlooked in the past if it is to truly become a voice of peace in a portion of the world in such desperate need.

Kampen is the academic dean and professor of New Testament at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Delaware, Ohio.


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  • Posted by tmadmin at Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 10:40 AM

    From Raymond McKown, posted by admin: Concerning your article, " Mennonites, Jews and Antisemitism": We can say all we want to about being enlightened and not antisemitic as a church but the members are still human and may fall back to their old ways without even being aware of it. I give this story as an example. There was a small Mennonite church that had gone by the name of "Shalom" for many years without a second thought until a new member, not from a Mennonite background, started complaining about the Jewishness of the church's name. He was dismissed until he started to talk to his neighbors about that Jewish church in town called "Shalom". This started a rumor that Jews were moving into our small town. When this rumor came to the ears of the pastoral team, they approached the members of the church about changing the church's name so it would not appear so Jewish. Needless to say that the member who started this rumor denied any knowledge of where this rumor came from but wholeheartedly voted that the church's name should be changed. Which happened. This man is a closet Antisemitic and brought out the Antisemitism of others in the town and the church. The church was definitely not anti-Jew but the humans in it were and that is my point.