December 19, 2005
In recent days, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, has
been widely quoted as saying the Holocaust is a "myth," and that
the State of Israel should be relocated to Europe, Canada, or
Alaska. Earlier, he was quoted as saying Israel should be "wiped
off the map."
I join with other religious leaders in condemning these remarks.
The historical record of the Holocaust is clear and has stood up
under legal and scholarly scrutiny. We have listened carefully to
the eyewitnesses, many of whom have lived among us for the last
half century. We know and grieve the awful truth of the Shoah. No
reasonable person can stand by while any nation's leader makes
such outrageous and unacceptable claims. The remarks represent a
sadly different path for Iran, which in 2001 initiated the
International Year of Dialogue among Civilizations at the United
Nations.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran World
Federation have worked tirelessly to promote a just and lasting
peace in the Middle East for all people. Our efforts have involved
conversations with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as well as with
Jewish, Muslim, and Christian leaders. We shall not cease our work
to seek balanced and reasonable solutions that ensure peace,
safety, and security for all people in that troubled land.
In the United States, I have joined with Christian, Jewish, and
Muslim leaders in a 12-point plan for Middle East Peace. The plan
emphasizes a two-state solution, and it calls on the government of
the United States to do more to promote a lasting peace in the
Middle East. The ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2005 implemented a
Middle East strategy that calls for peace with justice between
Israelis and Palestinians.
Moreover, we as Lutherans are committed to a relationship with the
Jewish community that is open and honest. At the 1984 Assembly of
the Lutheran World Federation, held in Budapest, the presence of
Dr. Gerhard Riegner, then retired General Secretary of the World Jewish
Congress, signaled a new start in the dialogue between Jews and
Lutherans at the global level, addressing the lamentable reality
of Martin Luther’s anti-Judaic writings and the tragedy of the Shoah. At that time, we jointly affirmed the integrity and dignity
of both faith communities and pledged to work together against all
forms of racial prejudice.
In its 1994 document, “Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America to the Jewish Community," the ELCA acknowledged
the pain caused by Luther's anti-Judaic diatribes and his violent
recommendations against the Jews. The ELCA expressed its "deep and
abiding sorrow" over the tragic effects of these writings on
subsequent generations.
In the declaration the ELCA said that "we express our urgent
desire to live out our faith in Jesus Christ with love and respect
for the Jewish people. We recognize in anti-Semitism a
contradiction and an affront to the Gospel, a violation of our
hope and calling, and we pledge this church to oppose the deadly
working of such bigotry, both within our own circles and in the
society around us. Finally we pray for the continued blessing of
the Blessed One upon the increasing cooperation and understanding
between Lutheran Christians and the Jewish community."
Nothing can be gained by condemning or showing disrespect for any
person, much less an entire people. As Lutherans, we will continue
to work with the Jewish people, we will work with the Palestinian
people, and we will work with all other people of good will in the
Middle East. Together we will continue our quest for mutual
respect, hope, and peace for all people in this world.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
President, The Lutheran World Federation
