By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
As our Jewish neighbors prepare to celebrate their holidays, Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year, Sept. 11-12) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, Sept. 20-21), I urge all Catholics, and indeed all people of goodwill, to express solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters by standing firmly against antisemitism.
Jewish communities are facing rising, often violent, antisemitism, and the profoundly real anguish of our Jewish brothers and sisters deserves to be taken seriously. The anxiety in Jewish communities and neighborhoods is palpable and, in light of recent events, is not irrational. Their concerns about security understandably increase during major religious holidays.
The resurgence of antisemitism, for example, on many college campuses, and the increase in acts of violence directed against Jewish synagogues, which have resulted in serious injuries and deaths, have led to considerably heightened and highly visible security measures outside Jewish schools and temples.
Catholic teachings, as expressed in documents of the Second Vatican Council such as Nostra Aetate and in numerous declarations by recent popes, unequivocally condemn antisemitism as a sin against God and humanity. As Catholics, we should not tolerate any racial slurs, prejudice or discriminatory actions against those whom St. John Paul II famously referred to as “our elder brothers in the faith of Abraham.”
On Oct. 7, 2023, a massive, coordinated attack led by Hamas from the Gaza Strip against southern Israel killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly innocent civilians, including women and children. This attack triggered a devastating regional war that has yet to end.
To be sure, although the “fog of war” creates confusion and uncertainty, it is clear that many innocent people on both sides have tragically died as “collateral damage.” Nevertheless, we recognize the legitimate concern of Jewish communities for the survival and security of the State of Israel, as well as the profoundly existential — and often religious — significance they attach to it.
In condemning any form of persecution against Jews — and, therefore, also the desire to destroy the State of Israel — we affirm Israel’s right to exist and to do so in peace and security alongside its neighbors.
Although war is to be deplored and avoided whenever possible, states have a legitimate right to defend themselves, as Pope Leo XIV affirms in his encyclical Magnifica Humanitatis, no. 92. But we continue to hope and pray for a peaceful solution in the land we call “Holy.”
For many years, as our Jewish friends prepare to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I have written to the rabbis of South Florida on behalf of my fellow Catholics to wish them and their congregations: Shanah Tovah (Happy New Year).
May God hear our prayers for a New Year filled with health and the blessings of peace and reconciliation, as we make our own the words of the Psalmist:
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.” (Psalm 122:6)
