Jewish groups angered by churches' boycott call

Barney Zwartz
August 3, 2010 - 3:00AM

AUSTRALIA'S leading church group has called on Australian churches and the public to boycott Israeli goods made in occupied Palestinian territories.

The National Council of Churches in Australia - which includes the Catholic, Anglican, Uniting and Orthodox churches among its members - passed the resolution last month.

Proposed by the Uniting Church and seconded by the Anglicans, the motion asks the council's welfare agency, Act for Peace, to help member churches with the boycott and urges Christians involved in interfaith dialogue to include justice for Palestinians in their conversations.

Jewish groups were horrified at the resolution. Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Robert Goot told the council in a letter the move was a ''most unpleasant surprise''.

''We feel that we have been badly let down by people we have long thought of as our friends,'' the letter said.

Mr Goot would not comment further yesterday as the two councils are meeting next week on the issue.

Sydney Jewish interfaith spokeswoman Josie Lacey said she was incredibly disappointed and it would ''cause a ripple'' in relationships with the churches.

''I think this will give coverage to those who hate us,'' she said. The resolution talks of the churches' repentance for past silence and indifference to Palestinian suffering through the occupation, and promises to ''advocate and act for an end to the occupation''.

Its importance is largely symbolic, as the only product council general secretary Tara Curlewis could cite was cosmetics made from Dead Sea mud. She said the resolution had been made at the request of Middle Eastern churches.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/jewish-groups-angered-by-churches-boycott-call-20100802-113b5.html