Fr. Deacon Andrew Bennett has a simple message for Canadian Jews: “We will not abandon you.”
On Sept. 23, Canada’s former ambassador for religious freedom launched the Canadian Christian Declaration on Antisemitism, a document that denounces the rising tide of antisemitism in Canada and states an unequivocal solidarity with the Jewish community.
“We declare to you, our Jewish cousins, that in these challenging times we are with you. We will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you in defence of human dignity, justice, and freedom–these cherished Canadian values—and we will turn back the tide of antisemitism in Canada together.”
With an open call to Christian leaders across the country to endorse the declaration, Bennett sent the statement to 675 Christians across the country with an initial goal of gathering 250 signatures within a month of publication. As of Oct. 7, the document already had 503 signatories.
The final date for endorsement is Oct. 25, the day Jews celebrate Simchat Torah this year and what Bennett calls the “religious anniversary” of the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel that killed over 1200 and led to 251 being taken hostage.
The breadth of support for the initiative is, according to Bennett, “amazing.”
“I think we have signatories from pretty much every province. We have Catholic bishops, Anglican bishops, United Church ministers, Reform clergy, and Orthodox clergy. We have lay leaders and parishes.”
Bennett was inspired to action by witnessing the rising antisemitism in the country, particularly since the Oct. 7 massacre, but even going back before that date. He speaks with sadness of his friend and colleague Rabbi Idan Sher, of Ottawa’s Congregation Machzikei Hadas, who has recently publicly questioned whether Jews should be preparing to leave Canada.
“When you have a prominent Canadian Jewish rabbi beginning to ask the question, ‘How long can we stay here?,’ that is a major, major problem. I’m sorry, but this is simply not my Canada. Jews should not have think that way in this country.”
Bennett notes that there has been a dearth of clear and uncompromising Christian support for the Canadian Jewish community in the wake of attacks on synagogues, schools, and individual Jews.
“While I think we have to decry these visible manifestations of Jew-hatred that we’re seeing on our campuses and our streets, in social media and so forth, we also have to be very concerned about the silence that is evident from those Canadians who should be much more vocal in standing up for our Jewish fellow citizens,” said Bennett.
Following the Oct. 7 massacre, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops President, Bishop William McGrattan issued a four-line statement that spoke of a “rapid escalation of armed conflict in the Holy Land” but made no mention of the attack that resulted in the largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. Bennett said the statement was “very vague and did not measure up to the sort of clarity required at that time.” Disappointment in the statement led to the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus suspending dialogue with the Church.
Bennett stresses that his declaration is a theological statement of support, not a geopolitical one.
“We can’t separate out the current antisemitism from the situation in the Middle East, but we can stand up and speak out on behalf of Canadian Jews. We can’t solve the situation in the Middle East, but we can act here at home in Canada.”
He also wants Canadian Catholics to know that concern for our fellow citizens and concern for Middle Eastern Christians caught in the crossfire are not mutually exclusive.
“I know there are many Catholics who ask the question, ‘What about the Palestinian Christians who are caught in the middle of this geopolitical conflict and are suffering?’ I would say, we absolutely must stand in solidarity with our fellow Christians in the Middle East, but we can do that and, at the same time, stand in solidarity with our fellow Canadians of the Jewish faith. We can do both.”
Bennett cites Catholic teaching, particularly the 1965 declaration Nostra Aetate, which admonishes Catholics to have care for the Jewish people, especially when they are experiencing persecution.
The Canadian declaration is step one in a three-part strategy to inspire Christian clerical and lay leaders to move from words to concrete action.
Bennett plans for a Toronto summit of 50 Christian leaders and 50 Jewish rabbis to be held in the new year. The third stage is to pair 50 clerics and their churches with 50 rabbis and congregations for a minimum of a year of cooperation.
“During that year, they’ll be encouraged to hold joint events, to talk about Christianity’s understanding of Judaism, Judaism’s understanding of Christianity, to find ways for their youth, women’s groups and men’s groups to come together to talk with one another, to get to know one another.”
These follow-on events will be, Bennett says, a way to live out the sentiments of the Declaration.
“As Christians, we will not simply speak but act peacefully in support of you, our Jewish friends, in the interest of all that is just and good.”
