Statement on the Shabbat Murders at the Tree of Life – Or Simchat Synagogue in Pittsburgh, USA

Anette Adelmann; ICCJ General Secretary | 31.10.2018

The ICCJ Executive Board wishes to associate itself with the following statement of its American national member organization, the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations.

Statement by the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations
by unanimous vote of member centers and institutes - dated Oct 31, 2018

The Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations is horrified by the wanton attack on Jews gathered for prayer in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that occurred on Shabbat, October 27, 2018.

The member centers and institutes of the Council are united in condemning this atrocity as violating the moral norms of Judaism and Christianity, and as contrary to the fundamental right to the free exercise of religion under the Constitution of the United States.

The United States, home to the largest Diaspora Jewish community in the world, has consistently fostered sustained Christian-Jewish dialogue and collaborative research which has achieved profound levels of shared enrichment and understanding.

This work of enhancing mutual understanding between Jews and Christians must continue with renewed vigor in the future.