The American Jewish Committee is giving $25,000 to the Archdiocese of New York to aid in repairs of Gaza’s Holy Family Church, which was damaged by an Israeli strike last month.
The donation is notable because it marks a rare if not unprecedented donation by a mainstream U.S. Jewish group toward Gaza Palestinians while Israel is at war in the enclave. It also responds to damage caused by Israel’s operations, which the AJC and other major Jewish groups have refrained from criticizing.
The damage to Holy Family drew widespread condemnation last month, with critics of Israel alleging that its army was attacking Christians in Gaza and that it had destroyed the enclave’s only Catholic church. The pope lamented the incident, in which three people were killed and others injured.
It soon became clear that while there was damage to the church during the July 17 incident, it was not destroyed. Israel said the damage was caused by “stray ammunition” from a nearby operation and the church was not targeted.
The AJC’s announcement of the donation notes Israel’s explanation and says the organization was seeking to demonstrate that the Jewish-Catholic alliance, which the group has sought to nurture for decades, can withstand the war.
“In the wake of this tragedy, we want to be there for Catholic partners who have been there for the Jewish people in our times of need,” the AJC’s director of interreligious affairs, Rabbi Noam Marans, said in a statement. “Together, as Christians and Jews, we can affirm the shared humanity of all.”
Keep Jewish Stories in Focus.
(JEWISH REVIEW) has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
