Day 28: War in the Middle East
Israeli army encircles Gaza City. 600 foreign nationals left Gaza through the Rafah crossing yesterday. BBC war headlines here
Bishop and Imam determined to strengthen good community relations in Oxfordshire
The Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft, and Imam Monawar Hussain of The Oxford Foundation have set up regular meetings for faith and community leaders from across Oxfordshire to promote understanding, peace, and strong community relations. They are holding a vigil on Sunday in Broad Street for victims on all sides of the conflict. They say they are horrified by the violence and the suffering of ordinary people: “We stand together here in Oxfordshire as religious and community leaders to say that we must continue the good work of community and relationship building that has taken place over many years. We support and encourage all those working to facilitate honest and respectful conversations and to strengthen the network of good relations, friendships, and trust between our communities of which we in Oxfordshire are so proud” Local Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, who has relatives in Gaza, joined their second meeting.
Relationships in UK “should not be defined by disagreements about conflict abroad”
The Director of British Future, Sunder Katwala, has spoken of the importance of preserving neighbourhoods and communities in Britain amid the escalating conflict in Israel and Palestine. In a comment piece for Hyphen Online, he says it is difficult to recall many moments in his 25-year career which were as intense and raw as this. He has detected uncertainty among people whose role is to promote good relations especially between Jews and Muslims, as they chart a course while other institutions choose “either to steer clear of such a complex and contested issue or to impose punitive measures”, such as banning flags. He says: “We should ensure that our relationships here in the UK — between our family members, friends and colleagues — are not defined by disagreements about conflict abroad”. He emphasises the importance of protecting legitimate free speech while challenging discrimination. His comment piece is here
“Gaza” daubed in red paint on London Holocaust library sign
A sign outside the Wiener Holocaust Library in Russell Square, central London, has been vandalised with the word Gaza written across it in red paint. The library has documents showing that the antisemitism which led to the holocaust was present before 1933 and survived after 1945. There are papers about international networks of antisemites who promoted Nazi ideology after Hitler’s defeat. The Library director Dr Toby Simpson told Jewish News: “This graffiti was obviously intended to cause damage and distress..To lash out against Israel by targeting a Holocaust institution is an action that can only make sense to antisemites and their enablers”.
US Education Secretary horrified at university antisemitic attacks
Cornell University in New York has cancelled classes today after a student was charged with making online antisemitic threats against Jewish people on campus. Patrick Dai, 21, was reportedly tracked through an IP address. He is being held in custody with his next court appearance scheduled for 15 November. Police are guarding a Jewish centre and kosher dining hall at the university. This is one of many antisemitic incidents at American universities. At New Orleans’ Tulane University, where the student body is more than 40 ,per cent Jewish, a pro-Palestinian rally led to a fight with a Jewish student sustaining a broken nose. At The Cooper Union, a private college in New York City, a dozen Jewish students sheltered in a library as pro-Palestinian demonstrators banged on doors and windows. The U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told students in Baltimore that he was “appalled and horrified” by incidents of antisemitism on campuses across the country.
The invisible diplomacy of Pope Francis across multiple conflicts
The Religion News Service charts the invisible arm of the Pope in multiple peace missions to end conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. In public, he has repeatedly called for peace and personally called world leaders, with his representatives also visible on the world stage for example at the UN. But the article suggests “the church’s real diplomatic work is being performed by organisations and leaders outside the Vatican walls”, referencing the lay movement of St. Egidio , which it says “has become the arm of the pope’s invisible diplomacy”, and the work of Patriarch Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. RNS reports the Pope’s interview with the Italian news channel TG1 on Wednesday, when he once more expressed his support for a two state solution and said the world was going through a very dark hour. He said the world is at war and the war in the Holy Land scared him, with concerns about the escalation of the conflict.
Pope Francis celebrates mass in Commonwealth war grave in Rome
Pope Francis celebrated All Souls’ Day Mass at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Rome War Cemetery, the sacred resting place of members of the military forces of the Commonwealth who died during World War II. There are 426 graves of men from the UK, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and South Africa. It is one of 126 sites across Italy cared for by the Commission. The Pope spoke of the importance of honouring those who gave their lives in the name of peace and freedom and thanked the CWGC’s staff for their efforts in caring for the dead and keeping their memory alive.
Church review group set up to consider handling of the Martyn Percy case
A review group has been appointed to oversee the independent review of the CofE’s handling of alleged safeguarding issues regarding the former Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, Dr Martyn Percy. The review was commissioned by the Archbishops’ Council and the group includes lawyers, clerics with safeguarding responsibilities and an abuse survivor. Details in CofE press release here
First handwritten Bible commissioned for 500 years given to Lambeth Palace
The Saint John’s Bible, the first handwritten and hand-illuminated Bible to be commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in more than 500 years, is to be presented to the Archbishop of Canterbury next week. The presentation marks the 25th anniversary of its commissioning by a Benedictine monastery in Minnesota. The Bible is more than two feet tall and three feet wide when open and was created using quills, natural handmade inks, hand-ground pigments and gold leaf. It was produced in Monmouth under the artistic direction of calligrapher and principal illuminator, Donald Jackson, the former scribe to Queen Elizabeth II. Since it was finished in 2011, it has been housed in the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library on the Saint John’s Abbey and University campus in Minnesota. An Apostles Edition of the Bible will be gifted to Lambeth Palace Library on Wednesday 8 November. Fine art reproductions will be presented to Sarum College this Sunday and Canterbury Cathedral the following Saturday.
