Israeli chief rabbi’s visit to Patriarchate seen as bid to improve relations

by Michele Green
Ecumenical News International

JERUSALEM — Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi has paid an unprecedented official visit to the headquarters of the Armenian Patriarch in Jerusalem in what is seen as a drive by Israeli officials to improve Jewish‑Christian relations in the Holy Land.

   Rabbi Yona Metzger, one of two chief rabbis, made the visit as part of a series of meetings with Christian leaders to mend relations after a Jewish seminary student attacked an Armenian archbishop last year.

   “The rabbi condemned attacks against religious clerics and called for mutual respect between all faiths to be upheld in Israel and across the world,” Metzger's office said.

   The visit on Jan. 24 by Chief Rabbi Metzger, the head of the Ashkenazi or non‑Mediterranean European Jewish community in Israel, was seen as part of an effort to educate Israeli officials about Christianity and the diverse Christian communities who live in the Holy Land. It was the first time an Israeli chief rabbi had visited the Armenian Patriarchate.

      A Jewish seminary student last year pushed and spat on an Armenian archbishop as he led a religious procession to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a site in Jerusalem commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.

   The student, who later apologized to the cleric, said he attacked the archbishop because he was offended by his holding of a crucifix, which for some Jews has come to symbolize centuries of Christian persecution.

      The incident raised an outcry in Israel and officials and religious leaders warned of the need to instill greater tolerance and understanding in the country’s youth.

      Christian clerics said they were frequently accosted by Jewish seminary students in the Old City.

      Israeli parliamentarians and Jewish officials have attended seminars teaching them rudimentary knowledge of Christianity and the various denominations in the Holy Land before a series of meetings with the Latin and Armenian patriarchs, as well as representatives from the Greek Orthodox community.

      “It is incumbent upon us not just to look at the Christian world with preconceived notions based on past relations,” said parliamentarian Yuri Stern.

      Many Israeli officials have been largely uninformed about the religious and cultural differences between the Christian communities living in the Holy Land.