2021 Easter Newsletter

Easter Greetings

This year the western Easter falls on the 4^th April 2021, whilst the Orthodox Easter is on the 2^nd May. So, it is still not too late to send out the Kairos Palestine Easter Alert 2021 . Easter celebrates the surprise of new life in the face of death and hope of new beginnings overcoming despair. Patriarch Emeritus Michael Sabbah, the president of Kairos Palestine, calls for an end to demolitions and expulsions in the city of Jerusalem and for real peace between Christians, Jews, and Muslims. He writes –

‘This year, may Easter, the celebration of resurrection, be a celebration of new peace, love, and full equality for all the people in Jerusalem, the entire region and the whole world. The people of Jerusalem are responsible, the international community is responsible, and so are the Churches, to bring back to Jerusalem its holiness where justice, peace, and love may prevail.’

Ethnic Cleansing in East Jerusalem

During the Corona Pandemic Israel has intensified the process of demolition and expulsion of Palestinian people from their homes. In East Jerusalem 15 Palestinian families are due to be expelled from their homes in the Silwan district of Jerusalem on the 2^nd May, the Orthodox Easter Sunday. Most of these families, totaling 37 households of around 195 Palestinians, are refugees who in 1948 were forcibly transferred from their homes during the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe). This is part of the ongoing colonisation of East Jerusalem by Israeli settlers. I draw your attention to the attached statement by Kairos Palestine. The statement still hopes for the world community and churches to stand up for justice. In this regard they invite people to write to their TD/MPs and foreign ministers, Simon Coveney and Dominic Raab. A sample letter (see attachments) is provided by the General Secretary of Kairos Palestine, Rifat Kassis, that can be adapted and sent to your political representatives.

Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism

The Kairos movement stands against any form of racism, including antisemitism. Unfortunately, the definition of antisemitism offered by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) has been misused by a number of countries (eg Israel, Germany, the UK) to equate criticism of Israeli policies and Zionism with antisemitism. Seven of the eleven examples attached to IHRA definition are specifically related to Israel. The recently published Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism has been prepared by a wide range of scholars including international scholars working in antisemitism studies and related fields, including Jewish, Holocaust, Israel, Palestine, and Middle East Studies. The Jerusalem Definition on Antisemitism, which has been signed by over 200 people offers a much better guideline than the flawed IHRA version. It specifically states that it is wrong to conflate BDS (Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions) with antisemitism. It also places antisemitism within the wider area of racism and prejudice based on ethnicity. Hopefully, this new definition will replace the unsatisfactory IHRA definition. 

A further discussion of the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism is found in the Palestine Portal produced by Kairos USA.

Webinars

On the 2^nd February, 92 people attended an online seminar given by Munther Isaac, the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Drawing on his recent book, ‘The Other Side of the Wall’, Munther spoke about the difficulties for Palestinian Christians in reading the Old Testament. A written transcript of this talk has been sent out to people who attended the seminar. It is also available on the Kairos Ireland website.  Recently, Munther’s mother died from the effects of Covid 19 and he has also had the infection. Condolences and good wishes have been sent from Kairos Ireland to Munther.

Our next online event will be a webinar comparing apartheid in South Africa and Israel by the Methodist Minister, Brian Brown. This will be on the 11^th May from 4 – 5.30pm. Details will be sent out nearer the time. The title of Brian’s talk is 

“Why is Israel as an Apartheid Society no longer the unmentionable?”

Brian was a director of the South African Christian institute together with Beyers Naude until it was proscribed by the white minority government in 1977. He then continued the struggle against apartheid from Britain. 

Easter Campaign World Council of Churches with EAPPI International

I draw your attention to an Easter campaign that the WCC (World Council of Churches) has just launched with EAPPI International (Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel). The campaign sets out to connect the Biblical narrative of the Easter story with current realities in Palestine and Israel to spotlight the injustices of life under occupation. Four one-minute-long videos give powerful images of life under occupation as they relate to

• Access to education in the village of Khan Al Ahmar – threatened with demolition.
• The Bedouin community on Jabal Al-Baba, the Pope’s Mountain to the east of Jerusalem.
• Difficulties of nationality and freedom of movement for Palestinians.
• Freedom to worship – difficulties for Christians and Muslims to access places of worship in Jerusalem.