B'nai B'rith Saddened by Resignation of U.S. Ecumenical Leader Who Set Important Course in Christian

["B'nai B'rith Media Relations Office" <mediarelationsoffice@bnaibrith.org>]

>News Release: 

B'nai B'rith Saddened by Resignation of U.S. Ecumenical Leader Who Set
Important Course in Christian-Jewish Ties

>November 10, 2011

>Sharon Bender, B'nai B'rith International

202-857-6699, sbender@bnaibrith.org <mailto:sbender@bnaibrith.org> 

B'NAI B'RITH SADDENED BY RESIGNATION OF U.S. ECUMENICAL LEADER WHO SET
IMPORTANT COURSE IN CHRISTIAN-JEWISH TIES

(Washington, D.C., Nov. 10, 2011)-B'nai B'rith International is saddened
by the resignation of the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon as general secretary
of the National Council of Churches (NCC), an ecumenical body
encompassing Christian denominations with a combined membership of 45
million Americans. Since his election in 2007, Kinnamon has been
distinguished by his consistent efforts to overcome challenges in
relations between faith communities, particularly Christians and Jews. 

Kinnamon, a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister, cited
health reasons for his decision to step down. On Nov. 9, the NCC
governing board accepted his decision.

"Reverend Kinnamon has set a bold example of sincerity and
thoughtfulness in his engagement with the Jewish community," said B'nai
B'rith Director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs David
Michaels. "Without minimizing any differences between our communities,
he sought to reach out, in word and deed alike, finding significant
avenues for cooperation and commonality. He has our appreciation, and,
at this time, our prayerful thoughts."

As part of B'nai B'rith's commemoration at the United Nations of
International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2010, Kinnamon participated
in a panel discussion on interreligious reactions to the Holocaust.

Speaking at that event of his journey through Israel with a fellow
student whose mother survived the Holocaust, Kinnamon said that
"Christians, including leaders of the Church, have often been timid,
fearfully refusing to name evil for what it is. Surely, we who live in a
post-Holocaust universe must resist this tendency. But it is the
intersection of these things that defines what may be our greatest
challenge in this era: to be both open to legitimate diversity and
firmly opposed to diversities that are demonic."

Kinnamon added: "Anti-Semitism has been on the increase in Europe over
the past decade. It won't do simply to chalk this up to frustrations
over the continuing conflict in the Middle East, because whatever
Christian concerns may be concerning particular Israeli policies,
Christians must speak out loudly and stand firmly against anti-Semitism
whenever and wherever it is experienced."

Less than two years earlier, in September 2008, as some religious groups
featured Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at an event in New York,
Kinnamon offered a statement at a rally protesting the policies of the
Iranian leader.

"President Ahmadinejad's hateful language, denying the Holocaust and
apparently calling for Israel to be 'wiped off the map,' must be
persistently and forcefully denounced by all who value peace," Kinnamon
said. "Anti-Semitic efforts to rewrite evil events-not new in history or
unknown even in the United States-endanger the Jewish people, disgrace
faith communities who perpetuate them or choose to remain silent in
their presence, and degrade the value of human life everywhere...If
President Ahmadinejad has so little regard for the verifiable facts of
history and the legitimacy of a state created by U.N. decision, it is
hard to believe he means it when he insists that Iran's nuclear program
is only intended for peaceful purposes. And as he continues that program
in defiance of Security Council resolutions, he also shows his contempt
for the community of nations." 

At the NCC's national meeting this week, Kathryn Mary Lohre, director of
ecumenical and interreligious relations in the Office of the Presiding
Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was installed as
the council's new president, while A. Roy Medley, general secretary of
American Baptist Churches in the United States, was named
president-elect. B'nai B'rith extends to them its best wishes on their
new appointments and looks forward to working with them in an effort to
deepen interreligious engagement.

B'nai B'rith International, the Global Voice of the Jewish Community, is
the oldest and most widely known Jewish humanitarian, human rights and
advocacy organization.  For 168 years, B'nai B'rith International has
worked for Jewish unity, security, continuity and tolerance.  Visit
www.bnaibrith.org <http://www.bnaibrith.org/> . ###

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