Holy Land: Church leaders file complaint against Rabbi who called for church burning

Loaves and Fishes mosaic Tabgha

The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land filed a complaint against Israeli Rabbi Bentzi Gopstein and the Lehava movement, on 7 August, following remarks the rabbi made about supporting and encouraging the burning of churches in Israel.

Rabbi Gopstein, leader of an anti-Jewish assimilation extremist movement, Lehava, made the remarks at a panel discussion for Jewish yeshiva students where he did not hesitate to assert that Jewish law advocated destroying the land of idolatry Israel, and therefore churches and mosques could be burned.

The Assembly said: "These remarks, which came after the Church of the Loaves and Fishes at Tabgha was gutted in an arson attack, are unacceptable to the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land. They incite hatred and pose a real threat to the Christian religious buildings in the country.

"The Catholic community in the Holy Land is fearful and feels in danger. A complaint was therefore filed Friday morning with the Israeli police.

"The AOCHL calls on the Israeli authorities to ensure real protection for Christian citizens of this country and their places of worship."

The Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, which is made up of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the heads of the local churches of the Holy Land and the Ministry of Islamic Waqf of the Palestinian Authority, said it was outraged by the arson and vandalism on the historic church in Tabgha. A number of Jewish organisations have supported the reconstruction of the church - but attacks on Christian and Muslim properties are continuing. About 43 churches and mosques have been torched or desecrated since December 2009. The Council said not a single person has been prosecuted by the authorities.

Source: Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem/AOCHL

See also: ICN 21 June 2015 - Israel: Extremist Jews pose growing threat to Christians www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=27741

and ICN 22 June 2015 Israel: Thousands protest at destruction of church by Jewish extremists www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=27752