To:
The Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President
United
Church of Christ

I join with the more than 400,000 member families of the Simon Wiesenthal
Center in expressing my deep concern and dismay regarding resolutions to be
considered at the General Synod that call for the dismantling of Israel’s
security barrier, and divestment from companies doing business with Israel.

The introduction by the UCC of these one-sided resolutions against the
security barrier and for divestment at a time when Israel is dismantling all
settlements in Gaza and when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas just met in Jerusalem to further the cause of
a real and lasting peace, is counterproductive and deeply troubling.

We urge you and other leaders of the UCC to work to defeat these three
resolutions that would undermine peace and security, inflict damage to relations
between Jews and your Church, and embolden violent extremists who are bent on
Israel’s destruction and who threaten the safety and security of Jews around the
world.

When another prominent Protestant denomination recently considered similar
resolutions against Israel, Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, had
this to say, "Israelis are already traumatised and feel that the world is
against them. This proposal, if it is agreed, would be another knife in the
back. Christians who owe so much to the Hebrew Scriptures and to Israel itself
should not be among those who attack Israel in such a way."

Since the Holocaust, Jews have appreciated the attempts of church groups
including the UCC to promote cooperation and good will. The passing of
resolutions that would put millions of Jewish lives in jeopardy will inevitably
damage the relationship between our communities.