AJC: Methodist Conference Rejects Israel Divestment, But Fails to Confront Anti-Semitism

News provided by

May 20, 2016, 12:53 ET

NEW YORK, May 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Notwithstanding prior United Methodist Church (UMC) rejections of anti-Semitism, AJC is deeply concerned that the Church's General Conference defeated a resolution that condemned rising global anti-Semitism and called on the entire church and governments around the world to take concerted action to confront this cancerous hatred.

"The UMC Conference refusal to confront the resurgence of anti-Semitism is painful," said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations.

The proposed resolution, "Confronting Twenty-First-Century Anti-Semitism," was defeated by a vote of 446 to 336.

The rejected measure stated that the UMC "acknowledges and views with alarm outrageous incidents and disturbing trends of anti-Semitism in recent years," cited violent incidents across Europe, and recognized that "the problem is not limited to Europe," but, in fact, continues to exist in the U.S. as well.

It stated, significantly, that "it would also be morally irresponsible and intellectually dishonest to ignore the fact that some criticism of and opposition to Israel is truly anti-Semitic."

Rabbi Marans added that "the UMC missed an opportunity to join in solidarity with the Jewish people in confronting the resurgence of the oldest form of hatred in the world, anti-Semitism, and that is disturbing."

Earlier in the 10-day UMC General Conference in Portland, Oregon, four resolutions that called for divestment from companies doing business in Israel were defeated in committee.

And in another welcome action, the body adopted a resolution calling on the Church's General Board of Global Ministries to withdraw its current membership in the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation because of that group's open support for BDS against Israel.

The conference includes one more day of business that could affect standing decisions.

Emily Soloff, AJC Associate Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, attended the conference to monitor developments.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee