The following announcement was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace & Common Security:
The Watertown Citizens for Peace & Common Security is sponsoring a panel discussion of five Christian Ministers for our talk entitled: Religious Leaders Speak Out About The Injustices in Palestine.
Christian and Unitarian Universalist clergy will offer perspectives on the unjust circumstances that have been and continue to be imposed on the Palestinian people of Gaza and elsewhere in historic Palestine.
Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 2:30pm
Location: The Church of the Good Shepherd
9 Russell Ave., Watertown, MA 02472
The speakers are:
Rev. Ashlee Wiest-Laird, American Baptist/Alliance of Baptists Pastor, First Baptist Church; Jamaica Plain MA
The Rev. Peter J. Miano, United Methodist, Executive Director, The Society for Biblical Studies, Arlington MA
Rev. Korte Yeo, United Church of Christ, Pastor, Berkley Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Berkeley, MA
Rev. Martha Durkee-Neuman, Unitarian Universalist, Assistant Minister for Lifespan Faith Formation at the First Church, Unitarian Universalist, Belmont, MA
The Rev. Andrew Goldhor, Episcopal Rector, Church of the Good Shepherd. Watertown, MA
Watertown Citizens for Peace & Common Security is a working group of Watertown Citizens For Peace, Justice & the Environment.
“Religious Leaders Speak Out About The Injustices in Palestine.”
Excellent! It’s about time religious leaders speak out about the appalling treatment of Jews and Muslims—but mostly Jews—by Hamas. Jesus was persecuted, mocked, and put to death AS a Jew. (The inscription INRI stands, in Latin, for Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.) Multiply that by 1,200 on Oct. 7, 2023. Speak out about that, will you.
“Historic Palestine” is an odd expression, however. Israel was Israel—twice, and still is, thank God!—for eons more years than it was Palestine. It’s like referring to historic Biafra. If you had invited a Jew, you might know that.
Add to that the 70 Catholics beheaded by Muslims in the Republic of Congo in February 2025.
Same source of hate and violence.
“Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment was founded in 1979 as Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety (WCES),” their website helpfully notes. They formed after the Three Mile Island accident, and claim to have been instrumental in getting the Arsenal designated a Superfund site. For which much thanks. The same for planting trees, cleaning up the Charles River, etc. But I see a problem. “Recognizing the breadth and interconnection of our activities, in 2011 we changed our name to Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment.”
If only their activities actually promoted peace and justice as bike lanes (sort of) promote the environment. How they have the nerve, the chutzpah, to even think, much less write, about “the unjust circumstances that have been and continue to be imposed on the Palestinian people of Gaza” WITHOUT mention of Oct. 7, 2023, and WITHOUT a single pro-Israeli to remind them of that darkest of dark days, is an insult to peace, an obscenity of justice. What a disgrace to both.
Wonderful to see faith leaders calling for justice. Thank you.
Jesus Christ was crucified by the Pontus Pilate who was a Roman politician.
Indeed. Though Pilate was not a politician (he was appointed, not elected), but a prefect—more of an administrator. Interestingly, as Mark 15:39 says, a Roman was also the first gentile to recognize His identity: “And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.”
Peace and Justice? What hypocrisy. The organization is so pro-Palestinian that they don’t even mention the 1.200 Jews murdered by Hamas, the kidnapping of 200 Jews, the hostages–some of whom have died under the peace-loving Palestinians, or the rocket attacks by Hezbollah, or the attack by Houthis.
I was raised Jewish and I am disgusted by the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians that began in 1947 by European Colonizers who founded a racist state that privileges Jews over the indigenous population. All I hear is racist hate without a single mention of the GENOCIDE that has killed more Palestinians ( mostly women and children) than the number of US armed forces killed in the entire 20 year Vietnam War.
Genocide is a crime against humanity no matter who does it. I’ll bet that you all were outraged by Apartheid in South Africa, but you’re just fine with Apartheid Israel/Palestine.
As someone raised a Jew, you would know this, but just for the record.
Jews have lived (or would have lived) in the Land of Israel since the time of Abraham. If one does not believe in the historicity of the Bible, there is also ample historical and cultural evidence of Jews living in the Holy Land well into antiquity. Only when conquered, enslaved, and exiled have Jews been absent. Their repeated return over the millennia between imperial occupations is anything but colonialism.
Skipping to the 20th century, the Holy Land passed from one empire (Ottoman) to another (British), which let it be known they would “look favourably” on a Jewish homeland in the so-called Mandate of Palestine. This proposal passed through several international tribunals before being approved by the League of Nations (forerunner of the United Nations, which adopted the League’s positions). If Israel is a colonial construct, so are Jordan (originally intended to be part of the Jewish homeland, but reassigned for the Hashemite Kingdom), Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Yet one hears nothing about Maronite, Alawite, or Baathist occupations. Israel is both an ethno-religious state and a functioning secular democracy, something no other nation in the region seems to be able to manage.
Israel fought a War of Independence to establish her statehood. So sue her. After you sue all other nations in history who fought Britain and other colonial powers for their independence. See you in court—in the 24th century if you get the right judge. Israel will sue right back over the pogroms and summary evictions (around a million) from other Middle East capitals at the time.
I’ve gone on long enough; and as I say, you probably know all this. But you probably also know that none of this matters. You know that Israel is not reviled as a colonial relic or anachronism—but because Israel is Jewish. That is the demonstrable history of the Jewish people, a history which hasn’t ended yet. Horrifying to contemplate after the Holocaust and Oct. 7, but look at the reality: the perennial victim of unimaginable genocide is slandered as the committer of genocide. Such slander is as ignorant as it is shameless. That is why I write.
Josh, I know quite a number of Jews, Israelis, and children of Holocaust survivors who are disgusted with Israel’s actions toward the Palestinians. Would you consider them anti-Semetic?
Also you leave out the part where the Brits promised to look kindly on a Palestinian homeland in exchange for their assistance in driving out the Ottoman Turks. Yes, our English friends were talking out of both sides of their mouths.
The situation in the Middle East is complicated and there is plenty of blame to go around.
This is what I have learned from some Jewish people that I know. They do not conflate a government with its citizens. Additionally, I learned back in college that the Palestinians and Israelis are both a Semitic people who had similar religious rites prior to Israelis adopting monotheism. The Israelis were removed through exile and enslavement from the land by the Assyrians, then the Romans. The Palestinians were able to remain, and eventually turned to monotheism in the form of Muslimism when Muslims invaded. Some Muslims don’t necessarily see Palestinians as true believers but just converts.
When I look at this conflict, I see a civil war in which other countries, particularity those in Europe, have exasperated the situation for one of two reasons: remove the Jewish People form Europe and get easy access to Middle East oil. The British had no intention of letting these two sides live in peace. Most of the anti-Semitic slurs and tropes come from Western Europe, as do most Islamophobic slurs and tropes. I learned that in grad school. My opinion, the right thing to do after WW2 would have been to make East Germany or a part of Sothern Italy the new Israel. But that wouldn’t have removed Jewish People from Europe or provided a foil to Muslims in attempt to have access to oil. The sad truth is that some on the side of the Allies were not fighting the Fascists to stop the Holocaust. And it is sad that these two people who lived together prior to invasion are killing one another to the benefit of the Western world. We in the West really need to get out of there.
Unlike others, I hold back on insults, slights, or personal attacks on strangers with whom I disagree. I think disagreement is of paramount importance. But then I would, as I am often in disagreement with people on this forum. I’ll argue my corner as best I can, and call out incorrect and illogical counterarguments, as I tried to do above. But that’s where I leave it.
So noticed. I see that someone referred to your comments in another post as “bovine excrement” That was out of line and should have been moderated. Since it wasn’t, and in keeping with the agricultural theme, I guess it would appropriate to thank you for not engaging in porcine mud wrestling.
To all people who believe in the Jewish or Christen bible, the Koran or other religious documents, I ask that you replace the word Jew with puppet when reading the text. After all, these words are written by people, only men probably, who have written these texts because they want you to believe them so you will be controllable. When you replace these words of people definitions with puppet, you may have a better understanding of their true intentions.
Before these religions, society was perhaps a lot simpler and honest. People were just people. Wouldn’t it be nice if we did away with all this classification on who is who and who is better?
Nah. I just do that with Biden. Offending religious followers really insufflates. Big time.
“…replace the word Jew with puppet…” Really? Not Christen (sic), Muslim, or others – but just Jew? What’s going on here?
This was a great discussion with academic rigor and heartfelt emotion from the panel and the audience for all trapped in this conflict. Thank you to the organizers and the panel. The panel’s experiences in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, and their wanting to be in harmony with others who disagreed with them was good to hear. It was good to go over various definitions.
I was disgusted by the definition of Christian Zionism. I knew it was mostly in fundamental or low churches, and that the belief is to return all Jews to Israel to bring about the seconding coming. I didnt know it involved the conversion of some Jews and sending the rest to hell. It was disheartening to hear the confirmation that the conflict is overshadowing the rise of anti-Semitic incidents happening every day in this country, such as the very visible, public Nazi salute. However, when I left, it was good to know that people are working to bring about a peaceful existing for everyone.
As a Catholic who no longer practices, it was deafening that there was no one from the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, most American Catholic Churches are aligned with the current administration and border on Evangelical Protestantism. Why they aren’t excommunicated, I don’t know. Some churches, priests and nuns are following Pope Francis’ message to the letter concerning the poor, Israel-Palestine, immigrants and LBGT. It just reaffirms why he is pope; he is the better of most Archbishops in this country.
“I didnt know it involved the conversion of some Jews and sending the rest to hell.”
Because for the vast majority of Christian Zionists (including all that I know), it involves nothing of the sort. Christians travel to see the land—Israel—where Jesus lived, preached, healed, died. For centuries it was largely closed to them, but to stand on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, to walk the streets of Jerusalem, they feel an overwhelming attachment to the land of His people. Of course Christianity believes in conversion: that is one of its first and still ongoing missions. At 2.4 billion adherents, they’ve succeeded. They would welcome anyone to join, but Judgement is not theirs to mete. As any true Christian would confess.
Went back and researched this – there are two types. Those who happen to be of a Christian sect and support Zionism, like Liberal Zionists which were referenced at the forum. They believe in the right to return but for reasons other than the rapture and conversion. They are the ones I am familiar with being in New England. However, there is a different type just as szable if not more that exist elsewhere. They are more Evangelical and/or Fundamentalist, and they do see Jews as a vehicle to bring forth the rapture, and those who don’t convert, regardless of religion, are sent to hell. So still disgusting.
I quote from a review by Batya Ungar-Sargon of the Amazon series “House of David”:
“But the show’s most important contribution is in exposing liberal American Jews to the way so many of our Christian neighbors see us—not as an oppressed victim caste who killed Christ and should be loathed for it, but rather as an ancient, noble tribe of warrior poets and kings favored by the blessing of the God they serve.
“American Jews often accept a widespread misconception that the attachment so many evangelical Christians have to Israel, and to their American Jewish neighbors, is the result of a longing for the Second Coming. In this reading, the Jews are mere instruments whose return to the land of Israel will result in their mass conversion (or mass expiration), and bring about the messianic redemption of the world. Many Jews feel offended by this apocalyptic narrative, but it’s far removed from how Jews are understood by American Christians, one of the first populations in history to organize their religion around the protection of Jews, rather than around our persecution.
…
“American Christians are keenly aware of the Jewishness of Jesus and the early leaders of Christianity. As my friend Darvio Morrow put it, ‘We’re in the house that you built. Without the Jewish people, none of us would know anything about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’
…
“New York archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan recently reminded readers of The Free Press, ‘The devil hopes to divide God’s people, to make them fear and eventually hate each other. In rejecting Satan’s lies and empty promises, as Christians are called to do this Lent, in the weeks before Easter—and as our Jewish neighbors prepare for Passover—we renounce his plans to divide the children of Abraham from one another.’”
Ms. Ungar-Sargon says by beautifully what I tried to say above. I hope all those who attended this misguided discussion will take her words to heart.
Sixty years ago, in the Second Vatican Council, the Church issued the Nostra Aetete, which renounced almost two millennia of hateful doctrine:
“As the sacred synod searches into the mystery of the Church, it remembers the bond that spiritually ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham’s stock.[…] Nor can she forget that she draws sustenance from the root of that well-cultivated olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild shoots, the Gentiles.”
Twenty years later, “during his historic visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome, Pope Saint John Paul II said, ‘The Jewish religion is not ‘extrinsic’ to us, but in a certain way is ‘intrinsic’ to our own religion. With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers, and in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers.’”
Perhaps no one from the Catholic Church was there because they didn’t want to dig up a past properly buried.
Yes I knew that. The Catholic Church’s behavior toward Jews was referenced at forum. Still doesn’t answer the question.