Online declaration hopes to unite Christians against antisemitism

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A coalition of Christian leaders from across Canada is putting their names on a document that declares they stand united against the rise of antisemitism in the country.

The Canadian Christian Declaration on Antisemitism is the brainchild of the Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett. He is an ordained deacon in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Canada; director of faith communities at faith-based think-tank Cardus; and one-time head of Canada’s Office of Religious Freedom. He has also written for the National Post.

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In a brief but powerful 450 words, the document condemns “those who foment antisemitism in Canada.” It adds: “We will stand against all those in this country, regardless of motivation or ideology, who seek to demonize and dehumanize our Jewish fellow citizens.”

The declaration also recognizes past expressions of antisemitism among Christians, stating: “In that light and in support of this declaration, we affirm that the Jewish people remain God’s chosen people. The law and the covenants that God gave to the Jewish people, which we see as fulfilled in Christ, remain intact.”

It concludes: “As Christians, we will not simply speak but act in support of you, our Jewish friends, in the interest of all that is just and good. We will not abandon you.”

Speaking to the National Post, Bennett said he’s been concerned by the increase of antisemitism in Canada, both in the past year “on university campuses and in the streets,” but also more generally and over a longer time. “If we look back … we see a steady increase in antisemitic hate crimes really since 2020. This is not simply about October 7 and the aftermath of that.”

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Bennett said Jewish communities have historically functioned as “the canary in the coal mine for growing intolerance and hatred within society. We’ve seen this throughout history. When Jews come to be targeted, it’s usually a symptom of something … rotten within the society at large.”

He added: “On the one hand we see the very overt antisemitism on our streets, this very awkward alliance between Islamists and woke progressives who have radicalized around this particular issue. But also I’m concerned about the silence and the inability amongst people who should be speaking out to realize that there’s an issue, and to speak out without equivocation.”

The declaration was posted on Sept. 23 and sent out to some 675 Christian leaders across Canada. Bennett says it’s received more than 200 signatures over the first four days, and his hope is to reach 500 by the end of October. “I’d love to see a thousand, I’d love to see 1,500.”

The document is only the first step, however. “My hope is that once we have these signatories to this declaration that we will have a summit, most likely in Toronto, later this year, where we’ll bring together 50 of the leading Christian leaders who have been engaged with this declaration, together with 50 Jewish leaders … to reaffirm this declaration publicly.”

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He added: “And then the third stage is then to have those Christian leaders form a partnership with a local Jewish congregation.”

The idea is to create friendships between faith leaders. “The people in their respective congregations come to know one another, they come to have conversations about the relationships between Christians and Jews, presently, historically, the good and the bad … and in that way to build a solidarity between Christians and Jews in this country. I think that can have the longest and most lasting impact.”

Bennett, who grew up in mid-town Toronto in the 1970s, said he recalls “quiet antisemitism” at that time even in the Christian community. “You just didn’t have Jews as friends.”

But he’s adamant the two faiths are part of a greater whole. As the declaration states of Jesus: “He is a Jew and it is through His coming into the world and dying and rising from the dead for our salvation that we are bound to the Jewish people as the church of the Gentiles and so grafted on to the Tree of Israel forever.”

Or as Bennett put it: “You cannot be a Christian and be an antisemite. It doesn’t work. It’s completely incongruent with our Christian faith. But I don’t doubt that there are those incoherent Christians out there.” He is hopeful the declaration and its followup will combat such views.

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“We’re standing for Canadian Jews,” he said. “We’re trying to champion the rights of our fellow citizens. Yes, there’s a geo-political dimension, but that’s not the purpose of this declaration. We’re not making a geo-political statement here. I’m trying to ground Christians’ stance against antisemitism in theological terms. And also in terms of what we value here as Canadian values.”

He added: This is fundamentally about standing up for the Jews of Canada. Our fellow citizens, our neighbours, our co-workers, our colleagues. That’s what the focus of this declaration is.”

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