Britain’s Jewish community will pray this month especially for persecuted Christians in the Middle East, as part of an initiative organised by the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ).
The initiative, called “If not now, when?” is named after a teaching of the Jewish sage and scholar Hillel: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”
Jewish members of the CCJ have conceived and designed the campaign to encourage synagogues, youth movements and other Jewish groups to pray and reflect together on so-called Islamic State’s violent persecution of Middle East Christians.
The associated resource pack produced by the CCJ explains that “throughout history, Jewish communities have responded to crises such as these with prayer, reflection and learning. Within the Jewish tradition, the recital of Tehillim (the Hebrew word for Psalms) has been used as the vehicle to engender reflection.”
Suggested reflections include “He (God) puts a stop to wars until the end of the Earth” (Psalm 46) and “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together!” (Psalm 133). The pack also notes that prayers already said in Shabbat services discussing hopes for ultimate peace are opportunities for reflection on worldwide conflict.
The chairman of the English and Welsh bishops’ conference committee for Catholic-Jewish relations, Archbishop Kevin McDonald, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis have all endorsed the campaign. It also has backing from senior rabbis in every Jewish denomination, and each tradition has written its own insert to be used by its congregations.
The CCJ reports that its “Still An Issue” campaign against anti-Semitism in the United Kingdom “has drawn a wide and enthusiastic response from Christians across the country who have signed on to our initiative to support the Jewish community in a time where anti-Semitism is rising. In a similar vein, the Jewish community is looking for a way to extend its support to Christians, who share a faith with those being oppressed and persecuted in the Middle East.”
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