UK Chief Rabbi Warns Church Debate on Palestinian ‘Genocide’ Text Could Harm Jewish Relations

The 14-page document, known as Kairos II, calls Israel a “colonial, settler, and exclusionary entity” and describes Palestinians as the “indigenous people of this land.”

By Shula Rosen

Britain’s Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis has warned the Church of England against engaging with a Palestinian Christian document accusing Israel of “genocide,” saying the move could damage decades of Christian-Jewish relationship-building, The Telegraph reported.

The General Synod, the Church’s 467-member legislative body, is set to consider a motion at its annual convention in York encouraging engagement with A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide, published by Kairos Palestine.

The 14-page document, known as Kairos II, calls Israel a “colonial, settler, and exclusionary entity” and describes Palestinians as the “indigenous people of this land.”

“The content of Kairos II is deeply concerning, and I would hope the synod will see it for what it is,” Mirvis said. “While it is important to recognise the suffering of Palestinian Christians, this document does so in a way which can only harm the cause of peace.”

He said the text “presents a one-sided account of a complex conflict, downplays the historical experiences and legitimate concerns of Jewish people, and offers little more than political activism dressed up as theology.”

Kairos II states that “The genocidal war on Gaza is the continuation of the Zionist project to seize all of Palestine, emptied of its Palestinian people.” It condemns the Hamas terror attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but says the violence was “born out of decades of injustice, oppression and displacement.”

The document also challenges Israel’s claim of self-defense, criticizes the Abraham Accords, and calls on churches to “distinguish between dialogue with Jews and dialogue with Zionism.”

Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain, convenor of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain, called for the document to be withdrawn, while Rabbi Charley Baginsky, co-leader of the Movement for Progressive Judaism and a president of the Council of Christians and Jews, questioned whether Kairos II was the appropriate basis for discussing Palestinian Christian suffering.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism called the document “appalling,” and the Board of Deputies of British Jews said it “risks real harm to Jews in the UK through its dissemination.”

The Venerable Stewart Fyfe, Archdeacon of West Cumberland, who tabled the motion, “absolutely refute[d]” claims he was seeking endorsement of the document’s views. “We’re saying, ‘Let’s at least read these documents, let’s hear why they are saying this, and let’s seek an understanding’,” he said.

The Church of England said the motion followed votes by the Carlisle Diocesan Synod and declined to comment on its merits. The Methodist Church formally accepted the text last month and called for study materials based on it.