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Friday March 16, 2007

Bishop’s slurs cause rift

by toby axelrod
jta

berlin | The fragile progress in Christian-Jewish relations established in Germany over the past few decades suffered a setback recently when a bishop compared Israel with the Nazis.

Activists are wondering how to repair rifts in those ties after a delegation from the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference that visited Israel and the Palestinian territories in late February and early March compared Ramallah to the infamous Warsaw Ghetto.

Gregor Maria Franz Hanke was quoted as saying, “This morning we saw pictures of the Warsaw Ghetto at Yad Vashem, and this evening we are going to the Ramallah ghetto.”

He went on to say “that while Israel has the right to exist, this right cannot be realized in such a brutal manner.”

Hanke said he would include his impressions in his sermons during Easter.

“It’s a setback,” said Eva Schulz-Jander, Catholic president of the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation.

The Bishops’ Conference reportedly will meet with Jewish leaders in Berlin. Activists in Jewish-Christian relations are at odds over how to respond.

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