DEC. 5, 2003

            In recent days the Jewish community throughout the world has been the victim of violent acts. In Istanbul, Turkey, in Gagny, France, and here in Brooklyn, synagogues and Jewish schools have been attacked. In Borough Park, synagogues were defaced and Jewish residents were the victims of tire-slashings.

            These acts of anti-Semitism and the upsurge of violence directed against the Jewish people are reprehensible and disturbing. The words of “Nostra Aetate,” the landmark 1965 Second Vatican Council document which called for an end to anti-Semitism, are again appropriate and important to repeat: “The Church repudiates all persecutions against any man. Moreover, mindful of her common patrimony with the Jews, and motivated by the Gospel’s spiritual love and by no political considerations, she deplores the hatred, persecutions and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews at any time and from any source.”

            The Catholic Church in Brooklyn stands with the Jewish community. We condemn these acts of anti-Semitism and pray for peace through justice, mutual understanding and respect.