Church Subdued In this weekend edition of the Haaretz newspaper, there is a long feature by Meron Rapoport (see below) which provides a clear evidence that the State of Israel abuses its responsibilities in respect of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Land. The feature offers an insider’s proof that the State allowed the manager of Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva, the most anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and anti-Christian body in the country, to decide whether a patriarch will receive an approval of the State of Israel. The feature quotes an official of the Yeshiva saying: “Matti [Matti Dan, the head of the Yeshiva] will decide if the patriarch will be patriarch… The previous patriarch (Irineos) - four years he wasn't patriarch. Why? Because Matti hadn't given his agreement.” The article exposed the long-established policy of state-authorised extortion by the Yeshiva and its high-placed protectors against the Church; apparently the State collaborated with the Yeshiva in order to force the Church officials to “sell” the lands and the properties to the Jews. Ateret Cohanim is an extremist Jewish body with proclaimed purpose to destroy the mosques of Jerusalem and install a Jewish temple in their stead. The article refutes the usual Jewish claim that their extremists are but a tiny and unimportant section of population: to the contrary, these antichrists are the guiding light of Jewish nationalist right. In view of this revelation, there can be only one answer: the Church must cease immediately the practice of applying for recognition of the State of Israel. This application of approval is a relic of the Ottoman days, and this is not based on the law of the state of Israel. Indeed, no other church in the Holy Land applies for such an approval, neither the Orthodox Churches in other lands do it. The Church should issue a paper stating that this old practice is to be discontinued, in light of the public knowledge that the State of Israel abused its powers. A Church Desecrated in Israel. The Orthodox Christian Church in the predominantly Jewish town Migdal Ha’emek (a former Palestinian village of Majdal near Nazareth) was attacked, its icons vandalised and the tombs of priests desecrated. The church was built in 19th century but lost its worshippers in 1948, when the Jews expelled the Christian population of the Palestinian village Majdal and repopulated it with new immigrants. However, last year the church was repaired and the services recommenced as many of new Russian immigrants increasingly turn to Christ. The church priest and worshippers received many threats from the local Jewish community led by Rabbi Grossman. The church was attacked a few times in the past, and Israeli media reported on it, but the recent pogrom is a new step on the scale of anti-Christian violence. While every graffiti on a wall of a synagogue anywhere in the world receives full (and justified) coverage and condemnation of the US President and of the UN Secretary General, the desecration of an Orthodox Church in the Jewish state attracted little publicity, and was not condemned by the Jewish leaders, said Archbishop Theodosios Atallah Hanna, a leading Palestinian cleric of the Orthodox Church, in a statement condemning the attack. Archbishop Atallah called upon the Jewish religious and civil leaders to dissociate themselves from the pogrom and bring the vandals to justice. The worshippers have little doubt that anti-Christian instigations of Rabbi Grossman are connected to the assault, as he was on record of demanding the church to cease its services “in the land of Jews” as he put it. The church is not connected to electric grid and has no running water, the city did not even allow to put up a fence or guard. The Israeli authorities are too lenient to desecrators of Christian shrines, said the Archbishop. Characteristically, the Haaretz newspaper carried recently an article Jews for Jesus are Evil, containing threats towards the immigrants who converted to the Christian faith. More about the pogrom: http://newsru.co.il/israel/09jun2006/temple.html and http://cursorinfo.co.il/novosti/2006/06/09/pogrom/ Israel Adam Shamir ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=724669 How to appoint a patriarch By Meron Rapoport Maraga says that this time, they asked him "to get on the case" of attorney Jawad Boulus. Boulus is an Israeli citizen who frequently works with the Palestinian Authority and was considered to be close to Irineos, the Greek Orthodox patriarch whose position has recently been a matter of great controversy. Irineos was indeed elected to the post about five years ago by the Church's Council of Archbishops in Jerusalem's Old City. But in order to be legally considered head of the Church and to be able to sign documents on its behalf in Israel, his appointment had to receive the approval of the Israeli government. This approval was withheld for four years, on the grounds that Irineos is hostile to Israel. A little over a year ago, Irineos' appointment was approved. Shortly thereafter, it was reported that he sold two hotels in the Old City, near Jaffa Gate, to Jewish organizations. Irineos denied it, but a major uproar ensued in the Church. In an extraordinary step, the Council of Archbishops decided to remove him from the Patriarchate and to appoint Theopilos in his place. However, the Israeli government refuses to approve the new appointment and this has given rise to a peculiar situation: In the eyes of the archbishops, Theopilos is the head of the Church, but according to Israel, Irineos is the head and the only one authorized to sign deals on its behalf. 'He has power' These deals are very important in relation to our story. The Greek Orthodox Church owns numerous properties in Israel, and more than a few of these are in the Old City. Ateret Cohanim is very interested in these properties. It will not be satisfied with just the two hotels next to Jaffa Gate. It was explained to Maraga like this: Matti Dan has a sort of right of veto over the appointment of the patriarch to the Greek Orthodox Church. Only someone who assures Dan that he will sell him property can be appointed patriarch. Here is one conversation, for example: Baruchi: "... Everyone knows that if the patriarch wants to be patriarch, (he) has to be approved by Matti." Maraga: "What do you mean? Why?" Baruchi: "He has power. Matti will decide if the patriarch will be patriarch. That's how it is. Matti hasn't agreed yet. He's collecting information, building the possibilities to make deals." Maraga: "Anyone who wants to be patriarch has to be approved by Matti?" Baruchi: "I'm saying it in my own words, but the patriarchs, I think they know it ... The previous patriarch (Irineos) - four years he wasn't patriarch. Why? Because Matti hadn't given his agreement. Because we hadn't agreed that he would be ... There are a thousand intrigues, and Matti's in all of them. You know how long we've been dealing with the Church? Years. When he (Irineos) sold to us, he became patriarch and right after that they tossed him out. Now the second one (Theopilos) wants to be patriarch. And the second one hasn't become patriarch - why? Who's fighting him?" Maraga: "You are." Baruchi: "You've got it. In the meantime, we're still with the first one, because he sold to us." The things said by Baruchi are reminiscent of what Irineos himself claims. In a lawsuit he filed with the Tel Aviv District Court in August 2005 in an attempt to block the sale of the hotels, Irineos claims that after he refused to approve the sale, Matti Dan and another person came to the office of the Church's financial division director and told him that if the patriarch did not agree to approve the deal within 10 days, "an atomic bomb will explode in the courtyard of the Patriarchate" (Matti Dan and Ateret Cohanim denied it). About two weeks after that visit, Maariv published a report disclosing the sale of the hotels to Ateret Cohanim, and this publication led to the decision by the Council of Archbishops to depose Irineos. "Ever since," says the lawsuit, "representatives and emissaries" from Ateret Cohanim, "including people with official government positions ... acted in an attempt to extort from the plaintiff (Irineos) agreement and commitment to cooperate in approval of the deals ... The deals were the fruit of a conspiracy between opponents of the plaintiff within the Patriarchate and extreme right-wing elements who joined together to bring him down, ostracize him and have his recognition rescinded." In another conversation, Baruchi elaborates even more on the give-and-take relationship Ateret Cohanim was trying to conduct with the candidates for the position: give properties, get a position. Baruchi: "If he (the candidate) says: I'm giving you something else, it sounds better. So I can bring financing to the deal, because I need financiers, and to get financiers you need something else." Maraga: "So he can bring other things." Baruchi: "If a person is ready to give something else, even a small thing, it means that he's a good guy. If he's ready to give only what is signed and sealed (the reference is to the deal for the hotels, which was not yet completed), I've already signed with the previous guy, so why do I need you?" Maraga: "But Irineos says he didn't sell, that someone else sold in his name." Baruchi: "I don't know anyone who'll admit that he sold to Jews ... If he sold to Jews, it tells you that he's for sale. Even if they suddenly say that he's so, so bad, he (Irineos) is better for me. Because if he sold to Jews, this could be a reason to bring him back. In two years, if he doesn't sell, we'll get rid of him ... We'll get rid of him for a thousand reasons, but don't get rid of him because he collaborated and sold to Jews. In the Jewish state this can't be supported - getting rid of him because he sold to Jews. Even if the second one (Theopilos) is better than him ... We don't just use and throw away."