Simon Wiesenthal Center: United Church of Christ's 'Tear Down The Wall Resolution' -- Immoral, said Rabbi Abraham Cooper

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 4, 2005--A United Church of Christ (UCC) resolution demanding that Israel dismantle its anti-terrorism fence "is functionally antisemitic, which devalues the lives of the citizens of the Jewish state," charged Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, of Los Angeles.

"This immoral resolution, which cloaks itself in the language of reconciliation, demands that Israel leave her six million citizens exposed to a renewed spate of suicide terrorism, which over the past five years has murdered and maimed thousands of innocent Israeli Jews and Arabs.

"We are deeply shocked that nowhere is there an explicit call to the Palestinians to desist from further violence and to tear down the infrastructure of terrorist groups, like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. We note that the Theological rationale of this onerous resolution is based on Reconciliation and Love. Cooper added, "While we agree that Reconciliation is a holy goal, woe to those who would reconcile to the evil of terrorist violence. In the post-9/11 world, people of Faith have the obligation to denounce Terrorism and to build the strongest barriers available to protect the innocent from more mass murder.

"The Simon Wiesenthal Center beseeches members of the UCC Synod to cast a vote against terrorism and for true reconciliation by voting down the Tear Down the Wall Resolution on Tuesday," said Cooper.

Last Friday, Rabbi Cooper convened a news conference with UCC Activists to oppose resolutions which called for the divestment from US Companies doing business with Israel.