North Star with Ellin Bessner Canada’s Anglican church removes prayer about converting Jews, but takes one-sided stance on Israel-Palestine issue
As you may have heard, the church representing over one million Anglicans in Canada has voted to formally replace an old prayer calling for the conversion of Jews, although it is hardly used any longer. Anglican officials formally expunged it from the official Book of Common Prayer, during a synod held over the Canada Day weekend. They replaced it with a new prayer for reconciliation with the Jews. While Jewish leaders say the move is a very welcome gesture on the one hand, they are upset with a second resolution adopted at the same meeting which is strongly critical of Israel and what the Church sees as the human rights abuses of the Palestinians. But the resolution was initially going to be even harsher, until a Canadian rabbi addressed the meeting and told them why they had to change some of the wording that compared Israelis to white, settler colonialists' treatment of Canada’s First Nation communities. On today’s The CJN Daily, we speak to Rabbah Gila Caine, of Temple Beth Ora in Edmonton, about how she found herself teaching Judaism and Israel to the third largest body of Christians in Canada.
What we talked about
- Find out more about Rabbah Gila Caine of Temple Beth Ora in Edmonton, at her website.
- Read our past coverage of the Anglican Church mulling removing the prayer for conversion of Jews in The CJN, from 2019.
- Learn more about how the United Church of Canada’s harder stance on the Middle East angered Canadian rabbis in 2022, on The CJN Daily.
Credits
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane (@jesterschest on Twitter).Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.