Dear Christian Leader,

As those of us who live in America are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family and friends, we want you to know about an important development for which all of us who care about Israel and the Jewish people can give thanks, regardless of what country we live in. 

This past week, the Executive Presbytery of the Assemblies of God in the US issued a strong statement against antisemitism and in support of the Jewish people. This is extremely significant in light of the fact that the Assemblies of God is the largest Evangelical/Pentecostal denomination in the world. Therefore, this statement sets a strong precedent for others in the Evangelical world to follow.

As you read the following excerpts from this milestone statement, please consider how you can use it as an example to influence other pastors and denominational leaders in your circle of influence to likewise adopt such a strong repudiation of "every source, vehicle, or channel of antisemitism."

Here are the most universally applicable excerpts of the statement from the Executive Presbytery of the US Assemblies of God that can - and should - be used as an example, regardless of the denomination or fellowship you represent.

Within three generations of the Holocaust and the genocide that extinguished six million Jewish lives, including 1.5 million children, the scourge of antisemitism is again increasing worldwide... The Assemblies of God specifically recognizes the unique history and targeting of Jewish people that have plagued societies and the Church for thousands of years. Recent social, political, and economic upheaval has led to increased targeting of the Jewish world. Criminal antisemitic attacks on American Jews have likewise increased while many religious institutions have ignored the growing danger. The 117th U.S. Congress, on May 18th, 2022, understood the present threat of antisemitism and passed HR 1125 condemning rising antisemitism in all its forms.

Ancient antisemitism, which unfortunately found strong support among the Greek, Latin, and Roman Church fathers, found dramatic renewal in Western civilization with the Jewish catastrophes associated with the Crusades, the Inquisition, and European nationalism. The culmination of theological errors and social frustration coalesced to periodically destroy tens of thousands of Jewish lives. The Holocaust (Shoah), just three generations ago, became the most recent and largest Jewish catastrophe done in the Christian West...

As in times past, the General Council of the Assemblies of God senses an urgency to show unequivocal support of the Jewish people by repudiating every source, vehicle, or channel of antisemitism, and making clear to all people our stand against antisemitism... The Assemblies of God purposes to confront hatred, verbal abuse, negative stereotypes, conspiracy theories, propaganda, and attacks on the lives of Jewish people. Additionally, the Assemblies of God purposes to address antisemitic theological paradigms and reject any fabrication that the New Testament is anti-Jewish. 

In this season of Thanksgiving, CAMERA's Partnership of Christians and Jews is particularly thankful for the Executive Presbytery of the Assemblies of God and their strong statement of "unequivocal support of the Jewish people" and their repudiation of the evil of antisemitism! Please use this statement as the excellent example it is to influence other denominational leaders to take such a strong position in these perilous times in which we live!

We wish you and your families a most joyful celebration of giving thanks!