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Call to Christians to stand up against anti-Semitism
Dr Laurie Cardoza-Moore, the president of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations (PJTN), has called on Christian leaders to step-up efforts to combat anti-Semitism. PJTN is a United States-based organisation that seeks to educate and advocate in support of Israel and Jews worldwide.
JORDAN MOSHE
South African Christians must reclaim their space, Cardoza-Moore said, and make it clear that groups such as Boycott Divestments Sanctions (BDS) do not speak for them.
“It’s time for you to draw a line in the sand, South Africa,” she said. “South Africa is a Judeo-Christian nation, and what happened in Durban ends here now. We will not allow someone else to dictate what we believe about our Jewish brethren or the state of Israel.”
Cardoza-Moore was speaking at the launch of PJTN’s first chapter on the African continent at Beyachad in Johannesburg on 13 June, where she addressed a gathering of local Christian leaders.
Also present were Congress of the People (COPE) President Mosiuoa Lekota; Ayellet Black, the deputy ambassador of Israel in South Africa; and Gavi Sacks, the chairperson of South African Friends of Israel.
South Africa must rise to the task of combatting anti-Semitism and the lies spread about Israel, said Cardoza-Moore. “You know that this is your hour. It’s time to act. What happened at the United Nations World Conference on Racism in 2001 in Durban is not what we stand for.”
The threat isn’t only political, it’s religious, she said, pointing to a rapidly rising tide of “replacement theology” experienced by the Church. This promotes a false narrative which aims to remove Jews from the history of Christianity and write them off.
“Replacement theology is anti-Semitic. It’s a lie. It suggests that the covenant with the Jews is over. There’s no text in the Bible, and no book or verse to substantiate this position. Yet it’s preached and promoted across the West.”
Cardoza-Moore suggested that governments worldwide are acting contrary to the will of their citizens, pushing Israel away when they should be doing the opposite. The launch of PJTN in South Africa is thus a call to society to make its voice heard.
“We cannot sit by and allow government to dictate what is true,” said Cardoza-Moore. “We will stand, and we will speak out. It’s tragic but true that Christians killed Jews in Crusades, in pogroms, in the [Spanish] Inquisition, in the Holocaust. Now, we see anti-Semitism on the rise, unlike anything seen in our lifetime. Where is the Church? Is it promoting a false doctrine, or drawing a line in the sand?”
Her words were met with enthusiastic applause. It was clear that those in attendance were confident that institutions such as PJTN would help to amplify the voice of the Christian community. Many said anti-Semitism was at odds with the Judeo-Christian principles entrenched in South Africa, and must therefore be addressed.
The South African chapter of PJTN will host its inaugural conference on 12 September at the Mosaïek Teatro in Fairlands, Johannesburg, affording Jews and Christians alike a space to show their support.