Synod President calls for action against anti-Semitism
The president of the regional synod of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO), Harald Geywitz, has called for a decisive stand against anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel. It was not only the atrocities committed by Hamas in its terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 that shook him, Geiwitz said on Wednesday in Potsdam at the opening service of the church parliament's fall session, according to the speech transcript. This also applies to expressions of joy on the streets in Germany. "Joy over the death and suffering of other people - that's where we see how close the abyss of civilizational collapse is."
Internationally and in Germany, anti-Semitism is blatant. The regional church opposes this decisively and concretely. "We know that modern anti-Semitism also has roots in Christian traditions, and we condemn anti-Semitic and anti-Judaic traditions in Christianity as aberrations," said Geywitz. There is no doubt: "Every form of anti-Semitism and hostility towards Jews is a sin against the Holy Spirit and has no place in our churches and our theologies."
Geywitz explained that he was grateful for the many signs of solidarity shown by church congregations towards Jews. "I would like to see even more, and above all I hope we have the staying power that we will need." The church must not be deterred, even if there are threats to a vicarage like the one in Fürstenwalde. According to the police, on November 11, unknown persons destroyed a display case in front of a Protestant parish in Fürstenwalde and stole a notice with a Star of David depicted on it. The notice also contained the appeal "We protect Jewish life".
The plenary session of the EKBO Synod begins on Thursday in Berlin-Friedrichshain. Until Saturday, the approximately 100 synod members want to discuss church and social issues and pass various resolutions. There are around 1100 parishes in the EKBO, mainly in Berlin and Brandenburg, but also in the Saxon district of Görlitz. The regional church has around 830,000 members.
The Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO) strongly opposes anti-Semitism, both locally and internationally, recognizing its roots in certain Christian traditions. Geywitz, the synod president, condemns these anti-Semitic and anti-Judaic traditions as aberrations, stating that every form of anti-Semitism is a sin against the Holy Spirit.
Source: www.dpa.com
