U.S. bishops, Jewish advocacy group release Catholic guide to combating antisemitism

CNA Staff, Dec 13, 2024 / 12:20 pm

Amid rising antisemitism incidents in the United States, the U.S. bishops are collaborating with a Jewish advocacy group to offer Catholics a manual of terms geared to help them recognize anti-Jewish hate. 

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) along with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) released on Wednesday “Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition,” a glossary designed to identify antisemitism in order to combat it. 

The glossary is an updated project from the original “Translate Hate,” first released in 2019, featuring additions of Catholic commentary by the USCCB.  

“Sadly, we are currently witnessing a tragic rise in antisemitic incidents both globally and here in the United States, a painful reminder that our work is not done,” Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, said in an announcement this week.

“This project is but one example of the fruits of our collaboration that we hope will have wide-ranging impact as Catholics and Jews continue building bridges and combat antisemitism together,” the bishop said.

Antisemitism is a growing problem in the U.S. and beyond. Incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and assault skyrocketed in 2023 in the U.S., most of them following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in which Hamas murdered more than 1,200 men, women, and children.

The glossary offers examples of various types of antisemitism, ranging from Holocaust denial and distortion to vitriolic anti-Israel hostility. Antisemitism, the guide noted, also includes “medieval blood libel claims” as well as “present-day conspiracy theories about Jewish control of the world economy.”

“In order to combat antisemitism we must first understand it,” the glossary says. “And that means we must define it in all its forms and expressions, in ways both painfully evident and obscure.”

Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC director of interreligious affairs, called the project “groundbreaking” for Catholic-Jewish relations. 

“USCCB’s allyship and leadership in confronting antisemitism as a threat not only to the Jewish people but also to civilized society more broadly is a key part of the national whole-of-society approach we need to combat anti-Jewish hate,” Marans said in a statement.

“As Catholics and Jews, we are jointly motivated to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate by our shared belief in human beings as created ‘b’tzelem Elohim,’ in the image of God (Genesis 1:27),” Marans said. “The persecution of even one of us is the persecution of all of us.” 

The glossary follows the working definition of antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which names it as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” 

“Antisemitism frequently charges Jews with conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews for ‘why things go wrong,’” the glossary says. “It is expressed in speech, writing, visual forms, and action, and employs sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.”

The guide also points to instances in which the Jewish people have been blamed for various disasters, from the medieval Black Death to 9/11 to COVID-19.

Bambera in announcing the guide denounced the “insidious tradition of anti-Judaism” that predominated in the Christian world before Vatican II.

“Anti-Judaism compares the faith of Israel to other religions as defective, inferior, and/or rejected by God,” the bishop said, noting that Christian anti-Judaism laid the groundwork for the rise of antisemitism.

The glossary also denounces the “deicide” charge against the Jewish people, in which Jews were labeled as “Christ-killers,” an early Christian misreading of the Gospel that blamed all Jews for Jesus’ death. 

“The Catholic Church ever keeps in mind that Jesus, his mother, Mary, and the apostles all were Jewish,” the guide notes. “The Church teaches that the Jewish people remain dear to God, whose gifts and calling are irrevocable.” 

“It is our shared responsibility to continue to combat the scourge that is antisemitism,” Bambera said this week, noting that “the scourge of antisemitism remains a troubling reality that seems to be only growing.” 

“Observing this alarming trend, the bishops of the committee remain committed to standing shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish brothers and sisters to combat this evil,” Bambera continued.

Both Bambera and Marans referenced the historic 1965 Vatican II document Nostra Aetate (“In Our Time”) that condemned antisemitism and defined the Church’s approach to the Jewish people.

“As we prepare to mark the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, it is more important than ever to renew our commitment to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters against all forms of antisemitism,” Bambera said.