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American Jewish Groups Denounce Presbyterian Church for Calling Israel an Apartheid State
(Religion News Service) Yonat Shimron - On July 8, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) general assembly voted 266-116 to approve a resolution that stated: "Israel's laws, policies, and practices constitute apartheid against the Palestinian people." It also voted to add May 15 to the church calendar as a day of mourning the displacement of Palestinians in 1948 when Israel was created. The Jewish Federations of North America responded: "Jewish Federations are not surprised by the latest anti-Semitic action taken by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in its vote to adopt a resolution calling Israel an apartheid state. There was a time when their words mattered. That time is long gone." "It's a tragedy," said Rabbi Noam E. Marans, director for interreligious and intergroup relations for the American Jewish Committee. "Presbyterians and Jews in the pews need and want each other in order to address the issues that are most challenging in America today. This prevents that from happening."