Anglican Journal, Canada
March 2005
Rabbi mends fences
ENI
Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi has paid an unprecedented official
visit to the headquarters of the Armenian Patriarch in Jerusalem in
what is seen as a drive by Israeli officials to improve
Jewish-Christian relations in the Holy Land.
Rabbi Yona Metzger, one of two chief rabbis, made the visit as
part of a series of meetings with Christian leaders to mend relations
after a Jewish seminary student attacked an Armenian archbishop last
year. It was the first time an Israeli chief rabbi had visited the
Armenian patriarchate.
A Jewish seminary student last year pushed and spat on an
Armenian archbishop as he led a religious procession to the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre, a site in Jerusalem commemorating Jesus’
crucifixion and burial.
The student, who later apologized to the cleric, said he
attacked the archbishop because he was offended by his holding of a
crucifix, which for some Jews has come to symbolize centuries of
Christian persecution.
The incident raised an outcry in Israel and officials and
religious leaders warned of the need to instil greater tolerance
among the country’s youth.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress