Making peace with Christianity

An exhibit titled "Behold the Man: Jesus in Israeli Art" is currently on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Visitors may be surprised to see that Jesus -- the Jewish Yeshua from the Galilee -- is treated by Israeli artists not as an enemy but as a tragic figure.

Coincidentally or not, this exhibit comes after the publication of Amos Oz's book "Judas," which includes a heart-wrenching description of the crucifixion, and after the airing of the 15-part documentary series "And the Earth Was Without Form and Void -- The Story of the Land of Israel." In one episode, dedicated to Jesus and the birth of Christianity, narrator Yochi Brandes says, "I love Yeshua. Researching the birth of Christianity, I learned that he is not to blame for the anti-Semitism or the persecution of Jews that was committed in his name throughout the generations. Yeshua lived and died as a Jew. A good Jew. A loyal Jew. An observant Jew. I don't view him as a messiah, but I certainly see him as a prophet. ... When I was a little girl in the ultra-Orthodox world I learned that Jesus -- Yeshu in Hebrew -- was an acronym for 'yimach shmo vezichro,' may his name and his memory be erased. That is why I make a point of calling him Yeshua, that is how I express my love and admiration for the great Jew."

Indeed, the historical view of Jesus, before he was weighed down with all kinds of hate that he never actually preached, appeals to Jewish artists. Many of them see Jesus as a victim representing the suffering of the Jewish people. Marc Chagall is the most famous among them -- his crucified Jesus was adorned with tefillin. Moshe Castel, an Israeli artist, drew a crucified self-portrait with the label "Castel the Jew."

Then there is David Flusser's eye-opening research proving that the historical Jesus was not an anti-Semite as was the Christianity that came after his death, but rather a faithful Jew.

Even a run-of-the-mill reader who is no expert can discern between the Galilean Jew and the additions tacked onto him once the disciples began spreading his gospel among the peoples. One verse from the New Testament makes Jesus' intentions clear: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17).

The historical Jesus did not take anything away from halachic Judaism, but only added his vision of a kingdom of heaven onto it. If he were to be resurrected today, he would probably prefer a small synagogue rather than a grandiose cathedral named after him. He died before Christianity began persecuting the very people to which he, his family, and his students all belonged.

In their art, Jewish and Israeli artists strip away everything that makes Jesus menacing. That is why Chagall wrapped the crucified Jesus in a Jewish prayer shawl and why poet Uri Zvi Greenberg wrote: "He will return to the Land of Israel in the tallit that was draped on his shoulders when he was being crucified." The painting and the poem share a common message: Jesus is the Jewish victim.

A dramatic revolution

The anti-Semitism and the murder of European Jews in the Holocaust, much like the Catholic church's indifferent (at best) attitude toward the fate of the slaughtered Jews, revived the ancient grudge against Jesus and his church.

Speaking at a conference hosted by the museum on the exhibit, novelist Haim Beer described this grudge as spitting every time you pass a church, or spreading garlic on bread to make it smelly on Christmas, things like that.

This grudge was also brought up in the Supreme Court case of Shmuel Oswald Rufeisen, a Jew who became a Carmelite friar and was denied Israeli citizenship. The judge, who denied Rufeisen's appeal to be recognized as Jewish, referred to the history of Christian anti-Semitism in his ruling, but also commented that "new winds are blowing in the world of faiths." He added that "this fledgling reality has not been fully formed in the public's awareness" and prophesied that "a long time will apparently need to pass before the people's ill sentiments toward Christianity dissipate."

This ruling was written in 1962. Today, these "new winds" have become a reality. Catholic Christianity's view of Judaism has shifted dramatically. Professor Dina Porat, chief historian at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, wrote about one of the more controversial documents ratified at the Second Vatican Council -- the Nostra aetate -- which stated that the Jews are no more responsible for the death of Christ than Christians: "First, the declaration states that there were those who pushed for Jesus' death in the time of the Second Temple, particularly the Jewish authorities, but it would be wrong to indiscriminately blame all the Jews who lived then, and certainly the ones living today. The second clause states that while the Church is God's new chosen people, one must not infer from this or from the Christian texts that the Jewish people were necessarily rejected by God, or that the Jews are cursed. The conclusion is that the Old Testament has not expired and that its value is equal to that of the New Testament. The third clause condemns displays of persecution and anti-Semitism at any time and in any place, because the Church shares common ancestors with the Jews."

Pope Francis took another step in that direction less than a year ago when the Vatican issued a document stressing recent teachings that Judaism and Christianity were intertwined and that God had never annulled his covenant with the Jewish people.

The document also said Catholics should be particularly sensitive about the significance to Jews of the Holocaust, and pledged "to do all that is possible with our Jewish friends to repel anti-Semitic tendencies."

"A Christian can never be an anti-Semite, especially because of the Jewish roots of Christianity," it said.

Recognition of multiculturalism

Indeed, it is time to make peace with Christianity without forgetting its anti-Jewish past. First, the Christian narrative (as well as the Muslim narrative) needs to be incorporated into Israel's education system, with adjustments for tolerance in the religious school system. Without knowing the Christian story, young Israelis will not be able to enjoy the art of the Renaissance or liturgical music. A recent initiative to establish a joint pre-military academy for Jews and Christians together is a good example.

Second, the Christian Israeli Arab communities should be viewed as part of historical Jesus' legacy rather than the anti-Semitic Christian legacy. Their historical sites need to be preserved, a Christian clergyman needs to be assigned to their soldiers, and instead of the ridiculous broadcast on Sundays for Christian groups, stations need to broadcast directly from Christian churches in Israel. That will bring about true recognition of multiculturalism, which must begin by making peace with Jesus the Jew.

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