OPINION: Archbishop of Canterbury’s Israel tweet is outrageous and tone deaf
'I am shocked to see how quickly the Archbishop has changed his tune,' writes Andrew Freedman, following Justin Welby's Tweet that assumes Israel’s army intentionally bombs innocent civilians.
My schooling was rather Christian. Not quite smells and bells, but certainly enough exposure to the Church of England that its descants, hymns and prayers took on a quiet repository in my memory. But I can also tell you the correct nusach (version) for any service throughout the Jewish calendar. And I’ve always been proud of this slightly quirky, perhaps eccentric duality, of knowing the liturgy of my own religion and also the tone of this country’s official religion.
And so when I read the Archbishop of Canterbury’s tweet, the melodies in my mind jarred. For it was not only outrageous in content, it was also tone deaf. Gone was the song of interfaith. Banished was the melody of sympathy towards Israel, its dead and its hostages.
Soon after 7 October, the Archbishop tweeted strong messages of support for Israel to defend itself alongside strong condemnation against Hamas and its barbarism. So it was a shock to see how quickly the Archbishop had changed his tune. He is singing the atonal hymn sheet of a terrorist organisation which would sooner seek to wipe out Christianity than break bread with it.
But the most ear piercing note of the Archbishop’s Tweet was the baked in assumption, that Israel’s army intentionally bombs innocent civilians.
The volte face from the Primate of All England shows he is playing from a different score from his visit to Israel on 22 October. There he gave comfort to families of those who had been bereaved and kidnapped, noting that allegations of Israel bombing the Al-Ahli hospital (which he referred to in his most recent Tweet) was a “modern day blood libel”.
At one of the meetings, the Archbishop asked how he could help. The grandfather of fallen soldier Yosef Guedalia, said this: “Support us by declaring the justice of our being in Israel…we are Jews, this is our home, this is where we live, and this is where we have to defend ourselves.” The Archbishop replied that he “agreed entirely with that”.
It seems that the Archbishop has succumbed to the siren song of portraying Israel as amoral, punitive and vengeful. Some of the language in a later missive has traces of the pulpit: “the evil of Hamas cannot be paid by the civilians of Gaza”.
What the Archbishop sadly fails to see, is that Hamas has wrought that very same evil on its own civilians. And for that, we must weep. But Israel does not have that luxury: her very survival is at stake.
- Andrew Freedman is part of the Jewish Diplomatic Corps of the World Jewish Congress and works as a public relations advisor. He writes in a personal capacity.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
