JERUSALEM (SDJW) — An arsonist set fire on Thursday, Feb. 26, to a Greek Orthodox seminary in Jerusalem, prompting condemnation from the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin and others.
Rivlin spoke by phone with Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, and expressed his sadness and shock at the arson and graffiti attack on a building within the Greek Orthodox compound on Mount Zion.
The President said, “It is inconceivable that an act like this could happen in a house of prayer, this is a heinous crime, there must be an investigation and those responsible must be brought to justice. Such criminals not only threaten to set fire to places of worship holy to all of us, but ignite the regional powder keg upon which we all sit.”
The President added, “The protection and conservation of the holy sites, both those holy for us and those holy for others, is our obligation as a state and as a society, and we cannot allow such attacks to sabotage the common fabric of our lives here. We all have a responsibility to put an end to these terrible acts.”
The Patriarch thanked the President for his words, and expressed great appreciation for his concern. He said, “Our mission is to act to bring an end to such acts, in all areas of the Land of Israel.”
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Rabbi Rick Jacobs, ExecutIve Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) Anat Hoffman, and IRAC Director Rabbi Noa Sattath visited the Greek Orthodox Seminary in what they described as a suspected hate crime by ultra-Orthodox Jews earlier this morning. They met with seminary students (ages 10-17) who reside there. Following the visit, Rabbi Jacobs issued the following statement:
“The string of violent attacks against places of worship – the mosque that was attacked yesterday and the seminary this morning – represents ideas that run against every value of the Jewish tradition. These events must not only be condemned, but stopped entirely. Coexistence is not an abstract ideal; it must be a daily practice, most especially in this holiest of cities.”
Anat Hoffman added: “Being ‘the other’ in Jerusalem means being a second class citizen at best, and being subject to threats, intimidation, and humiliation at worst. We need to work harder to realize the vision of Jerusalem as a city of peace.”
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Preceding culled from news releases